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Pre-Convention Workshop and Clinics



Pre-Convention Workshop
Tuesday, January 22
2:00-8:00 pm


Transform Your Schools to Deliver on the
Promise of Achievement for All
Elise Frattura
Hyatt Regency Hotel
 Pre-registration is required, $75
Dinner and materials included

A universal focus on accountability for student learning has led to a common understanding among school board members and administrators that public schools must be redesigned to better serve students of color, students for whom English is not their first language, students from low-income households and students with disabilities.

What happens after leaders set high expectations for all and establish systems of accountability? The real work begins: Schools must be transformed!

This fast-paced, practical workshop will start the discussion where others leave off. How can schools effectively and efficiently deliver on the promise of high and equitable achievement for all while serving diverse populations of students and unique communities?

In many cases, the accountability movement has unintentionally led to increased labeling and tracking students into isolating and expensive programs such as at-risk, special education and tutoring.

A high-energy presenter, Frattura will share practical, applied strategies from her two decades of experience working with a variety of schools in rural poverty settings, suburban communities, small communities and large cities.

Participants will:

Elise Frattura is associate dean for the School of Education and an assistant professor in the Department of Exceptional Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Frattura has worked throughout Wisconsin and the United States to develop and implement organizational structures to better meet the needs of all learners. She researches and publishes in nondiscrimination law, services for all learners and educational segregation. She is co-author of Meeting the Needs of All

Pre-Convention Clinic
Tuesday, January 22
2:00-5:00 pm

A Dashboard for School Leaders
Driving Your District Toward Financial and Academic Success
Todd Berry and Dave Moscinski
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Pre-registration is required, $35
Materials provided

As an elected school board member or administrator, your focus is—as it should be—on your local schools, guiding the steering wheel and driving your community toward a shared vision of the future. Yet, are you trying to move forward without a sense of the financial  or academic  context of your decisions?

In this session, school leaders will examine specific case studies using  their own district data to  evaluate their financial condition. Taxes compared to income, indebtedness, enrollment trends, benefit costs and per-pupil expenditures will be some of the dashboard  gauges studied. 

Leaders will also learn how to use statewide and regional student performance data to provide a meaningful context for goal-setting and efforts to improve achievement. Participants will look at their district’s performance in recent years  to establish a baseline from which to improve student proficiency.

Participants will receive a copy of SchoolFacts07, the  annual compendium of school district information compiled by the  Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

Todd Berry—a former school , CESA and college  board member—is president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. Now celebrating its 75th year, WisTax promotes better government and an informed citizenry through publications, outreach and school programs. Dave Moscinski, superintendent for the Shiocton School District, will join Mr. Berry to discuss how that district uses SchoolFacts data to set and review student performance benchmarks.

Pre-Convention Clinic
Tuesday, January 22
2:00-5:00 pm

The School Finance Puzzle: How the Pieces Fit Together
DPI School Finance Team and Practicing School Business Officials
Hyatt Regency Hotel
 Pre-registration is required, $35

In this hands-on clinic, presenters will take the confusion out of school finance. You will gain a conceptual understanding of:

Learn how these components interrelate and how they affect school board decisions. You will leave this clinic with increased confidence when discussing local and state school finance concepts and develop an ability to use this knowledge to foster an environment of trust in your community.

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