Racine delegates named for WASB convention; board tells delegate to oppose decoupling and two other resolutions

Board member Brian O'Connell was designated as the Racine Unified School District's delegate to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards convention, with Grace Allen named as alternate, and the board gave the delegate voting instructions for WASB resolutions.

The committee voted to authorize the delegate to "vote yes on all resolutions as presented by WASB with the exceptions of number 2 and number 10," a motion put on the record by Miss Allen Sakeens and approved by roll call. The exception list includes: resolution 2 (a proposal to revise school and district report cards) and resolution 10 (a version of "decoupling" that would separate parental-choice and independent charter funding from the public-school equalization aid formula). The motion passed on the roll call recorded at the meeting.

The positions reflect the committee's concern about how state-level changes could affect Racine's finances and transparency. District staff member Jeff presented a fiscal analysis tied to the voucher program, saying, "We levied last year $43,000,000 for vouchers. . . . If it was decoupled this year . . . we will lose $45,000,000 in aid this year. So our tax bill would have actually gone up $2,000,000 this year if we decoupled." Jeff used those numbers to argue the proposed decoupling would not benefit the district in the current fiscal year.

Members also debated the broader policy trade-offs. Supporters of decoupling argue it clarifies taxpayer bills and moves responsibility to the state; opponents warned it could reduce local transparency and risk long-term reductions in state aid to public schools. One committee member said delegates need to be prepared for resolution amendments and the possibility that the convention's resolution committee will alter submitted language before the assembly votes.

The committee also discussed a separate leadership recommendation to oppose removing caps from the Wisconsin parental choice program (leadership recommended a 'yes' to keep the cap); members voiced support for retaining caps. On the report-card resolution (number 2), leadership recommended a 'no' vote because equal weighting of achievement and growth could be difficult for some districts to manage and could disadvantage districts with specific program mixes.

The committee instructed its delegate on how to vote and directed staff to notify WASB organizers of the delegate and alternate for registration. The motion authorizing the delegate's voting instruction was made by Miss Allen Sakeens and approved by roll call (four yes votes). The meeting then moved on to adopt legislative priorities for 2026.

The delegate will carry the district's positions to the WASB delegate assembly.