Thanks to Arlene Silveira for these updates!
MMSD Board of Education Progress Report – January, 2009
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a restful winter break. I wish you
all a happy and healthy 2009. December was a fairly quiet month for the
Board.Legislative: The Board met with Madison state legislative delegation in
December. This meeting was an opportunity to touch base and get an
overview of the state budget and school finance plans that are being
developed throughout the state. The dire condition of the state budget
is certainly going to be their focus in the coming months. The Board
will discuss our legislative agenda for the district at the 1/12/09
Board meeting. Once we approve our agenda, we will be working with the
community and other school districts on the best way to advocate for the
state budget and school finance programs.Regular Board Meeting: The Regular Board meetings will now be held on
the second Monday of each month at 6:00pm. This is a change from having
the meetings on the first Monday of the month. Committee meetings will
now be scheduled on the first Monday of each month.Community Partnerships: The Board approved funding (under Fund 80)
proposals for the following organizations to provide specific community
service activities for the 2009-10 fiscal year. These are exciting
proposals that will benefit our students in the MMSD. The organizations
are: Literacy Network; Asset Builders of America; Vera Court
Neighborhood Center; Goodman Community Center; UW-Madison Pre-College
Initiatives; Children’s Services Society of Wisconsin; Lussier Community
Education Center; Gay, Straight Alliance for Safe Schools; UW-Madison
Center for Biology Education; Urban League of Greater Madison
(Bootstrap); African American Ethnic Academy; and Kajsiab House.Strategic Planning Process: The Board approved the Superintendent’s
recommendation for the structure and timeline for the MMSD strategic
planning process. The strategic planning session will take place during
the month of January. We are in the process of finalizing the strategic
planning team. We have approved the use of an outside facilitator for
the planning process. Dr. Keith Marty has extensive experience in
working with school districts in developing strategic plans. I am very
excited about the planning process and will update you as we move
forward.What’s Happening in January? January will be a busy month. We start
our new committee structure on January 5. The community input sessions
on the recommendations from the Math Task Force will take place in early
January. The strategic planning meetings will also take place.If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact
the Board at comments@madison.k12.wi.us or call me at 516-8981.Best regards, Arlene Silveira
