The Madison School District Board of Education voted to adopt the administration’s recommended revisions to the 2025–26 school calendar: March 16 will be a student half day/early release and the district will forgive one student day to return to a 180-day student year, moving the student last day to June 18; teachers get two additional post‑student workdays.
The committee reviewed technical and clarifying edits to policy 3240 on nonresident admission and tuition, including pronoun and numbering updates and a clarification that students determined homeless or unaccompanied youth shall not be charged tuition; members agreed to waive the second reading.
The Madison Policy Committee voted by consensus to send forward a rescind-and-replace that removes an older nonresident rule and adopts a consolidated 5060 residency policy, with minor wording edits requested about who must provide proof of residency and a suggestion to replace the term "tape recording" with "audio recording."
Committee members agreed to minor wording updates and renumbering for policy 5120.6 (procedures for reporting child abuse and assault) and to check cross-references; staff will confirm correct policy references before the board review.
The committee reviewed a consolidated library policy required by state law and engaged in an extended debate over whether residents and board members should be considered "individuals with a vested interest," how acquisition and removal criteria should work, and whether the board's role should be procedural review or substantive decision-making. Members agreed to bring the policy to the full board for a first reading after legal checks.
After a district survey showing mixed views from parents, students and teachers, the Madison School District board discussed a potential 'away‑for‑the‑day' cellphone policy and agreed to ask the superintendent to draft an implementation plan while tracking a proposed state ban.
After a lengthy debate over a proposed $5,000 cut to AP test-prep funding, the Madison School District Board of Education approved a $67,589,794 2026–27 budget (a 4.24% increase). The amendment to reduce the AP line failed 2–6–1; the full budget passed with seven in favor and two abstentions.
Superintendent Dr. Cook told the board the district’s CIP passed the committee and that Polson construction (auditorium and gym HVAC/modernization) will begin in May; about 1,000 families have completed a district cell-phone survey and health-insurance rates offered no budgetary relief.
The curriculum committee sought board approval for a student exchange to Freiberg, Germany (estimated $2,200 per student), described adoption of School Links to replace Naviance, and outlined a pilot of the Mastery Transcript Consortium with explicit data-security review and AI-literacy supports.
Staff told the curriculum committee they will pilot AI-literacy lessons through advisory and counseling, using reviewed EdAdvance modules and a protected SideKick environment; the district will customize modules for social-emotional priorities and require teacher-led discussion before students interact with AI tools.
