De Soto Area School District, Wisconsin: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 10:09, 21 August 2013
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De Soto Area School District is a school district in Wisconsin.
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Wisconsin school district websites
The good
- Meeting minutes are posted.[1]
- Board members and their contacts are posted.[2]
- Administrative contacts are posted.[3]
- Academic performance reports are posted.[1]
The bad
- No information about taxes proposed or passed to generate revenue for schools.
- Budget information is not provided.
- District funded lobbying is not discussed.
- Contracts and audits are not posted.
- No information on the Wisconsin Open Records Law.
- Background check policies and procedures are not mentioned.
School board
The school board is comprised of a superintendent and "such other officers as the legislature shall direct." The superintendent is appointed by the state legislature in the same manner as members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The superintendent can hold office for 4 years.[4] According to the state constitution the board of education may not prevent a non-union teacher from speaking of a bargaining issue at an open meeting, as was ruled in the U.S. Supreme Court case Madison School District v. Wisconsin Employment Commission.[5]
Below are the school district board members:[2]
| School board member |
|---|
| Rick Pedretti |
| Jeff Long |
| Kirk Holliday |
| John Audetat |
| Geri Fox |
| Bridget Schill |
| Dean Penkalski |
| Dan Fladhammer |
| Nate Trussoni |
Teacher contracts
- Note: Information about the current contract in De Soto Area is not disclosed on its website.
The Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) helps to negotiate contracts with the teacher's union, the Education Association of Wisconsin. The website for WASB pitches "professional" assistance on collective bargaining agreements, policies, salary ranges and fringe benefit data as well as past court information.[6]
Legislative Agenda
Annually, WASB publishes its current legislative agenda, which it separates into state and federal issues.[7]
State
The WASB’s statewide priority issues regarding the 2013-15 budget are:[8]
- INCREASE Revenue Limits (SUPPORT the Ellis-Olsen proposal) to provide a per pupil revenue limit increase of at least $150 in each year of the budget;
- REMOVE FROM THE BUDGET voucher expansion and vouchers for special needs students; and
- REMOVE FROM THE BUDGET the creation of an independent charter school board, as well as other provisions on charter schools, that will usurp local control from locally elected school board members.
Administrative staff
Below are the administrative staff members and their 2009 pay:[9]
| Full Name | Position Title | Prorated Salary | Prorated Fringe |
| David Strudthoff | District Administrator | $105,000.00 | $42,223.00 |
| Martin Kirchhof | Principal | $49,985.65 | $25,148.50 |
| Martin Kirchhof | Principal | $26,915.35 | $13,541.50 |
| George Andrews | Principal | $28,480.00 | $16,636.00 |
| George Andrews | Principal | $28,480.00 | $16,636.00 |
Budget
- Note: Budget information for De Soto Area is not disclosed on its website.
For fiscal year 2008-2009, $8.62 was levied in property tax for every $1,000 of equalized property value, an increase of 4.61% over fiscal year 2007-2008.[10]
In 2009 voters rejected an $8,000,000 bond measure to pay "the cost of adding to, renovating, and improving" a number of De Soto Area schools. In 2010 voters rejected a $2,585,000 bond measure for renovations and improvements.[11]
Academic performance
- Note: Academic performance information for De Soto Area is not disclosed on its website.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides a SDPR (School District Performance Report) for each district, which tracks achievement test results (grades 3, 4, 8 and 10), ACT and AP exam scores, retention rates, attendance, dropouts and truancy, among other measures.[12]
The below chart shows the number of students in De Soto Area who scored advanced or proficient in each subject for 2009-2010, with the statewide figure in parentheses:[13]
| Grade | Reading | Language Arts | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd grade | 81.5% (79.2%) | - | - | - | - |
| 4th grade | 96.7% (81.4%) | 80.0% (77.3%) | 96.7% (80.5%) | 86.7% (77.0%) | 100% (92.5%) |
| 8th grade | 92.9% (84.0%) | 73.8% (64.5%) | 85.7% (78.0%) | 85.7% (80.0%) | 92.9% (80.8%) |
| 10th grade | 86.1% (76.3%) | 75.0% (68.3%) | 77.8% (69.8%) | 91.7% (71.6%) | 83.3% (74.7%) |
The below chart shows ACT and Advanced Placement test results for 2008-2009:[14]
| Test | Number of Students Tested | Percentage of Students Tested | Composite Score (ACT) | Pass Percentage (AP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | 23 | 44.2% | 19.4 | - |
| AP | 8 | 4.6% | - | 29.4% |
School Choice
Open Enrollment
"Wisconsin's inter-district public school open enrollment program allows parents to apply for their children to attend school districts other than the one in which they reside."[15] All students may apply to attend a different school district outside of their resident area. While they can request to attend a specific school, assignment to that school is not guaranteed even if their application is accepted, as the students apply to the school district, and not individual schools.[16]
Students may also apply to attend virtual charter schools through open enrollment by applying to the non-resident district in which the virtual charter operates. However, Wisconsin state law "limits the number of students that may attend virtual charter schools under the open enrollment program." Students may be placed on a waiting list for virtual charter schools.[16]
External links
- De Soto Area School District official website
- Wisconsin Association of School Boards
- De Soto Area School District - GreatSchools.org
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Forms & Documents
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Administration & School Board
- ↑ Staff Directory
- ↑ Wisconsin Constitution,"Article 10, Section 1," retrieved July 9, 2009
- ↑ Wisconsin Constitution,"Article 1, Section 3," retrieved July 13, 2009
- ↑ WASB, Employment and Labor Law services
- ↑ Wisconsin Association of School Boards: Legislative Agenda, accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Association of School Boards: 2013-15 State Budget Information, accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Statistical Information Center - School Staff and Salary Data
- ↑ Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, School Finance Data Warehouse, School District Profiles
- ↑ Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, Referenda/Resolution Report
- ↑ Wisconsin District and School Performance Reports
- ↑ 2009-2010 Wisconsin School District Performance Report
- ↑ 2008-2009 Wisconsin School District Performance Report
- ↑ Public School Open Enrollment
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Basic Information about Open Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions
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