Cyber Monday...Giving Tuesday...Gifts that Give Hope Saturday

The West Bend School District received an accountability score of 72.4 , and  a  rating of Meets Expectations on the recently released DPI Accountability Report Cards which uses multiple measures of student achievement and engagement to describe performance using data from the 2015-2016 school year.  The results support the District’s continuous improvement efforts in pursuit of its vision of Excellence for All.

“The school and District Report Cards are just one piece of a comprehensive, federal, state, and local effort to assess the effectiveness of our schools,” said Erik Olson, Superintendent of Schools. “I am encouraged by the results and the data will support the District’s continuous improvement efforts in pursuit of our vision of Excellence for All.”

As part of the state accountability system and reflected in Wisconsin’s approved ESEA Flexibility Request, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) produces Accountability Report Cards for all 424 school districts in Wisconsin. Accountability scores are calculated on a scale of zero to 100, which is a score and not a percentage tied to a letter grade. Accountability Report Cards are calculated for the district as a whole, essentially treating the district as a large school responsible for all students in its district.

The Accountability Report Cards include data on multiple indicators for multiple years across four Priority Areas:

• Student Achievement – performance on the state reading and mathematics tests

• Student Growth – improvement over time on the state reading and mathematics tests

• Closing Gaps – progress of student subgroups in closing gaps in reading and mathematics performance and/or graduation rates

• On-track and Postsecondary Readiness – performance on key indicators of readiness for graduation and postsecondary pursuits, whether college or career

Performance on three Student Engagement Indicators is also reported. These three indicators affect student success and school effectiveness.

• Test Participation Rate, with a goal of 95 percent test participation for all students and each subgroup.

• Absenteeism Rate, with a goal of 13 percent or less.

• Dropout Rate, with a goal of six percent or less.

A district's or school’s Overall Accountability Score places the district or school into one of five Overall Accountability Ratings:

Wisconsin’s report cards are the foundation of a school accountability system that honors the complex work of schools, and focuses on ensuring all Wisconsin students graduate ready for college and career. The Accountability Report Cards were designed with a two-fold purpose: reporting data on how schools are doing overall and providing information to schools on specific areas to improve. The system is designed to be both informative and useful to a variety of audiences.  Please click on DPI SCHOOL REPORT CARD for additional resources in understanding the 2016-17 Accountability Report Card. 

DPI Accountability Report Cards for all WBSD schools are posted below, with each school’s report  posted on the appropriate school website. A listing of Accountability Scores and Ratings for all Wisconsin school districts can be found on the Department of Public Instruction website.

WEST BEND SCHOOL DISTRICT

DPI Accountability Report Cards for all WBSD schools are posted on the WBSD Assessment & Accountability web page, with each school’s report  posted on the appropriate school website under the Who We Are tab. A listing of Accountability Scores and Ratings for all Wisconsin school districts can be found on the Department of Public Instruction website.

The Board of Education for the West Bend School District unanimously approved to certify the 2017 tax levy in the amount of $ 38,478,702 at the October 24, 2016, Board of Education meeting. The approved levy is $546,755, or 1.44% higher than the prior year and is the maximum limit allowed.

Under revenue limits, as property valuations increase, the mill rate may decrease due to the total levy being divided over a larger total worth.  This is the third consecutive year that the District’s Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) has increased from the prior year – 1.95% (14-15), 1.96% (15-16), 2.76% (16-17). The District’s tax rate will decrease for 2017, mainly due to an increase in equalized assessed value and an increase in the state aid allocation.  

The School Board approved a tax rate of $8.65 for 2017, which is a decrease of 1.26% from last year’s tax rate of $8.76.  Taxpayers will see a decrease in the average mill rate of 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

September 19, 2016
 

As summer is oftentimes rejuvenating, I hope this letter finds you and yours healthy and well!  It was my honor to personally welcome new and existing families back to school on Thursday, September 1, 2016.  

My family and I are excited to be residents of the West Bend School District!  We recently moved into a house in West Bend and we are happy to be in this welcoming community.  As parents of four children, my wife Lisa and I are delighted for our kids to be a part of such an awesome system.  Sam is in seventh grade at Badger Middle School, Josh is in sixth grade at Silverbrook Intermediate School, Lexi is in fourth grade at McLane Elementary School, and my youngest, Ben, has started Kindergarten at McLane Elementary School.  With four school-aged children of my own, I have great interest in providing the best learning experiences for all our children.  

I have been an educator all of my life, beginning as a reading teacher and specialist.  I next taught middle-level students mathematics, social studies, and literacy.  Over time, I served as an adjunct professor, associate principal, a principal, a director of assessment and continuous improvement, and an assistant superintendent for operations.  As your Superintendent, I want to learn about the families in our district and questions you may have.  

Please be assured that relating to parents, staff, and the community is of paramount importance to me and I am already learning as much as I can.  Over the last two months, I have been learning about this amazing school district and community by visiting summer school sites and students, meeting school staff, meeting board members and administrators, visiting with local community leaders, and learning about our school district.  Everyone has been wonderfully supportive.

This vibrant community has embraced me with kindness and your focus on engaging our students is invigorating to me.  As I talked to board, staff, and community members, I could immediately tell that everyone is truly working toward “excellence for all!”  I saw people “living out” this message in their actions, relationships, and commitments.  I saw children enjoying their summer school programs by creatively participating in art, music, gardening, and science experiments, among other activities.  I cannot emphasize enough how inspiring it was to see this happening!  

Now that the school year has started, one of my top priorities is to schedule time to visit with staff and meet the students and families at each school.  Additionally, I will be scheduling time to meet with community members. I want to understand the strengths and opportunities for improvement within the West Bend School District, what you’d like the district to be known for in five years, and what indicators would signal I am off to a strong start as your superintendent.  Your input will help us to create a strong partnership as we educate and prepare our students for college readiness and career success.  I eagerly await conversing with all of you in the upcoming months!  

As you start the school year, you can find information on the District’s website: http://www.west-bend.k12.wi.us, and if you have any initial questions or concerns, please reach out to the principal of your child’s school.  Please consider following me on my Facebook page and on Twitter @ Erik_Olson_WB. I look forward to meeting you in the coming weeks and months!

Erik Olson

Superintendent

The West Bend Public Schools Foundation, in partnership with West Bend Mutual Insurance, is pleased to announce the 2016 In the Park Music Series at the Silver Lining Stage in Regner Park, West Bend.

August 17, 2016: The Ultimate Legends with the Hits of Elvis, Ray Orbison and Neil Diamond with Spontaneous Combustion

Tickets cost $10 per adult and can be purchased at the gate the night of the performance or online at www.wbpsfoundation.org. Online purchased tickets will be held and available at the Will Call table the night of each concert.  Food and beverages will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m., with music to begin by 6:30 p.m.; carry-ins are not permitted. Limited picnic table seating is available, so please bring a comfortable folding chair and arrive early to pick your spot. Parking is free

All proceeds from this event will benefit the West Bend High Schools’ Auditorium Transformation Project which will benefit students, families and the community of West Bend for many generations.  For more information visit www.westbendmusic.com

Parents, please make sure your child has their immunizations up to date. The Student Immunization Law (Chapter 252.04) states that the school districts with a compliance level less than 99 percent during the previous school year shall exclude non-compliant students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade.  The exclusion shall begin after the 30th school day from the day the student entered the school and shall continue for no more than 10 consecutive school days.   Readmission during the exclusion period can occur if the parent provides proof that the required vaccine(s) was received or if the parent claims a waiver for health, religious or personal conviction reasons.

This means your child K-6 COULD be excluded from school if their immunizations are not up to date.

The Board of Education for the West Bend School District approved and adopted the WEST BEND SCHOOL DISTRICT ACADEMIC STANDARDS 2016-17 at its July 27, 2016 Board of Education meeting, aligning its curriculum, instruction and assessment with the Wisconsin State Standards.

A link to the WEST BEND SCHOOL DISTRICT ACADEMIC STANDARDS will be posted on the WBSD website under the Academics tab.

The West Bend School District determines the curriculum to ensure alignment to academic standards.

Standards are:

• Expectations for what students should learn.

• Typically statements of what a student should know by the end of the year or a class.

• Created to ensure that students from one classroom to another are taught the same basic information in a particular subject.

• The Standards are the WHAT.

Curriculum is:

• The Curriculum is the text, resources, activities, lessons, units, and assessments that will be used to teach students the Standards.

• The West Bend School District selects the resources/methods that facilitate the delivery of the curriculum to ensure students meet standard proficiency levels.

• In the West Bend School District we use the Curriculum Audit Cycle to determine instruction resources used to deliver the curriculum.

West Bend School District Announces Finalists for Superintendent of Schools Search

The West Bend School Board has selected three final candidates for the position of Superintendent of Schools.

The Board conducted a comprehensive search in partnership with the professional recruiting firm, School Exec Connect. Feedback from a community survey and several focus groups was used to help develop a profile of key skills and attributes desired for the next superintendent. Initial interviews were held with the board and finalists were selected.

With a focus on protecting student offerings and programs, Ted Neitzke, Superintendent of Schools, presented the 2016-17 Superintendent Budget recommendation to the Board at the May 23, 2016, Board of Education meeting.  In his presentation, Neitzke described the budget process for finding efficiencies, detailed budgetary adjustments, and outlined assumptions the administrative team used to build the overall budget.  Neitzke said the budget was built conservatively, with assumptions of maintaining academic and athletic offerings and keeping the Jackson Elementary fund on schedule.  There is also no increase in student fees in the 2017-17 proposed budget.  

The Board will vote on the preliminary budget at the June 13, 2016, Board meeting.  The WBSD Annual Meeting will be held on September 19 at The Silver Lining Arts Center.  The Board will certify the levy at the October 24 Board meeting.  
 

Additional highlights of the 2016-17 proposed budget include:

• Balanced
• No projected reductions in programming, athletics or courses
• Commitment to Continuous Improvement
• Fully funding 4K using fund balance
• Increased course offerings at high school and middle school
• Compensation increase of 1 percent
• Funds for Jackson Elementary School
• Increase in student accessible technology
• Increase of 4 percent for the maintenance fund
• Increase healthcare/prescription drugs by 2.67 percent
• Decrease contribution to Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) trust due to Tax Sheltered Annuity (TSA) strategy
• Department and site reductions
• Staffing held at 70 percent of budget (unknown until October)