At second reading, staff presented reorganized Policy 45.10 to clarify definitions (including technology/social media), investigative roles and an added appeal process; board discussion centered on family access to reports and whether students who record bullying for personal safety should be exempted from disciplinary consequences.
MMSD’s 40‑member evaluation team recommended Illustrative Mathematics (Imagine Learning) for K–8 after an exhaustive RFP and pilot review; the board pressed for a detailed multiyear cost estimate for curriculum materials, supplements, and professional development before the month‑end consent vote.
District staff told the board they plan to expand full‑day 4K and strengthen Play & Learn family‑engagement programming, noting an 80% persistence rate from 4K to kindergarten and a current capture rate of about 47% of eligible children in district attendance areas; board members asked for disaggregated outcomes and clearer cost figures before voting.
The Madison Metropolitan School District board on Jan. 26 adopted a safe firearm‑storage resolution and unanimously reaffirmed a resolution designating district sites as safe places for immigrant, refugee and undocumented students and families, directing district policies on information‑sharing and staff training.
On Jan. 26 the board accepted a $1.935 million U.S. Department of Education grant to expand school psychology training, approved an administrator retirement plan and other consent agenda items, declared capacity limits for specialized open‑enrollment programs, and received a clean financial audit with no federal/state compliance findings.
Veteran teachers and Madison Teachers Inc. urged immediate remedies for salary compression and voiced frustration with current processes. The board approved a $165,500 compensation and classification study to create a districtwide compensation philosophy and guide 2026–27 budget decisions.
More than a dozen parents, caregivers, teachers and medical professionals urged the Madison board on Jan. 26 to adopt a districtwide bell‑to‑bell cell phone ban, citing student attention, equity, and mental‑health concerns; the board heard detailed testimony but did not vote on a districtwide ban at the meeting.
The board debated a proposed $270,625, three‑year purchase of a universal elementary social‑emotional learning curriculum and voted to table the item for further review, citing concerns about screen time, recurring costs, and need for broader board immersion in the materials.
A proposed change would align internal-transfer timelines with open enrollment and automatically move students in transition grades (5→6 and 8→9) to the receiving feeder school to keep cohorts together; staff said principals will still manage space via feeder-pattern preferences.
District transportation and risk staff presented a proposed Driver Responsibility policy intended to standardize who may drive fleet vehicles, require training and monitoring, and reduce insurance claims; staff said they worked with Liberty Mutual and track vehicles with Samsara and noted 33 claims recorded between 01/01/2023 and 12/31/2025.
