Cuba City teachers and staff urge clearer messaging and community forums as April referendum nears

Staff members addressed the Cuba City School District board with a multi-part presentation aimed at improving community communications ahead of an April operating referendum.

"We really believe our first priority at this point should be damage control in regards to those published perceptions of teachers and staff — especially the wages that have been quoted," a staff presenter said, summarizing a staff survey about public misunderstandings. Presenters named five priorities for voter messaging: (1) the role of strong schools in community growth; (2) restoration of key positions and programs; (3) clear consequences of a failed referendum; (4) a simple breakdown of taxpayer impact; and (5) correcting misconceptions about district spending and state funding.

Staff described several concrete communication tactics they want the district to adopt: short, staff-led informational videos for social media, radio interviews and ads targeted at undecided voters, presentations to service clubs, a public FAQ on the district website, and low-cost water-bill inserts coordinated with the village and city. Presenters emphasized targeting outreach to the voters in the "middle" rather than audiences already decided.

Teachers and intervention staff described operational impacts tied to state mandates and staffing cuts: testing and staff fatigue from Act 20 literacy screening, reduced intervention capacity after personnel reductions, and increased demands on the remaining interventionists. The district reported that staff members tested hundreds of K–3 students during the winter screening window and that about 43% of screened students fell below the 25th percentile and required further assessment.

Presenters urged the board to be explicit about the consequences of a failed referendum; several staff members said ambiguous or delayed messages after prior referenda left employees anxious about job security. A staff speaker said, "Without a school our entire community will collapse," a remark that drew applause from those present.

Board members and administrators discussed scheduling a series of community forums and special meetings to present definitive numbers about potential cuts and to bring business and community leaders into the outreach. Staff offered to help lead and publicize those forums.

The presentation concluded with a staff request that the district correct misleading media coverage about compensation figures (administrators had earlier clarified that the commonly cited $85,000 number referred to a fully loaded teacher cost including benefits, not base salary) and to focus outreach on the practical classroom and student impacts of proposed cuts.