Greenfield School District, Wisconsin

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Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This school district is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.

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• About the district
  • Demographics
    • Higher education achievement
    • Median household income
    • Poverty rate
• Leadership
  • Superintendent
  • School board
    • School board elections
    • Public participation in board meetings
• Budget
  • Revenues
  • Expenditures
  • Debt
  • Teacher salaries
    • Unions
• Schools in GSD
  • Enrollment
  • District schools
• Academic performance
  • Mathematics and reading proficiency
  • Graduation rate
  • Dropout rates
  • ACT scores
• See also
  • Contact information
  • External links
  • References

Greenfield School District
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
District details
Superintendent: Lisa Elliott
# of school board members: 7 members
Website: Link

Greenfield School District is a school district in Wisconsin. The district was the 48th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 3,924 students.

About the district

The Greenfield School District is located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

The Greenfield School District is located in Milwaukee County in southeastern Wisconsin. The county seat is Milwaukee. Milwaukee County was home to 957,735 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Demographics

Higher education achievement

Milwaukee County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 28.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.4 percent of state residents.

Median household income

From 2010 to 2014, the median household income for Milwaukee County was $43,385. During that same time period, the median household income for Wisconsin was $52,738, and it was $53,482 for the entire United States.

Poverty rate

The poverty rate in Milwaukee County was 22 percent from 2010 to 2014. During that same time period, the poverty rate for the entire state was 13.2 percent, and it was 14.8 percent for the country as a whole.

Racial Demographics, 2015
Race	Milwaukee County (%)	Wisconsin (%)
White	65.1	87.6
Black or African American	27.1	6.6
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.0	1.1
Asian	4.2	2.8
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.1
Two or more races	2.7	1.8
Hispanic or Latino	14.5	6.6

Presidential Voting Pattern, Milwaukee County
Year	Democratic Vote	Green Party Vote	Libertarian Vote	Republican Vote
2012	332,438	1,042	2,623	154,924
2008	319,819	589	1,105	149,445
2004	297,653	319	963	180,287

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Superintendent

This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Lisa Elliott is the superintendent of the Greenfield School District. She has served in this position since July 2013. Prior to becoming superintendent, Elliott worked for two years as the director of curriculum and instruction for the Nicolet School District. From 2006 to 2011, she worked as principal of Greenfield School District's Maple Grove Elementary School. She also has experience serving in the district as an assistant high school principal and as a high school chemistry teacher. Elliott earned a bachelor's degree from Carroll College in 1990 and her master's degree from Alverno College in 2002.

School board elections

The Greenfield School Board consists of seven members elected at large to three-year terms.

Greenfield School Board
Member	Term Ends
Tom Frohna	2017
Robert Hansen	2018
Richard Moze	2018
Kristie Potter	2019
Julie DeGaro	2019
Pam Sierzchulski	2017
Cathy Walsh	2018

This officeholder information was last updated on April 23, 2018. Please contact us with any updates.

School board elections

See also: Greenfield School District elections (2016)

Members of the Greenfield School Board are elected at large to three-year terms. Members' terms are up for election on a staggered basis every year in April. Three seats were on the ballot in April 2015. Only two seats were supposed to be on the ballot in April 2016, but two more were added due to appointments on the board. The top two vote-getters won three-year terms on the board, and the next two won two-year terms.

Public participation in board meetings

The Greenfield School Board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:

“	Public Participation at Board Meetings The School Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on District matters. Agenda Item Any person or group wishing to place an item on the agenda shall register their intent with the Superintendent no later than five (5) days prior to the meeting and include: A. name and address of the participant; B. group affiliation, if and when appropriate; C. topic to be addressed. Such requests shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent and the Board President. Public-Participation Section of the Meeting To permit fair and orderly public expression, a period for public participation is provided at regular Board meetings. Rules to govern such participation in Board meetings are provided below. The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules: A. Public participation shall be permitted as indicated on the order of business. Non-residents of the District are allowed speak, particularly parents of non-resident students. B. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name; address; and/or group affiliation, if and when appropriate. An address may be provided in writing instead of publicly stated. Speakers may be asked to sign in to allow for accurate record keeping and tracking of comments. C. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three (3) minutes duration. D. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard. E. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question Board members or staff individually. F. The presiding officer may: 1. interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant; 2. request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum; 3. request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting; 4. call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action; 5. waive these rules with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board's business. G. The portion of the meeting during which the participation of the public is invited shall be limited to no more than thirty (30) minutes, unless extended by a vote of the Board. H. Recording, filming, or photographing the Board’s open meetings is permitted. No such recording is permitted during closed session meetings. The person operating the equipment should contact the Superintendent prior to the Board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment, and must agree to abide by the following conditions: 1. No obstructions are created between the Board and the audience. 2. No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Board is in session. 3. No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either the Board or members of the audience or otherwise disrupt the meeting while the Board is in session.	”
—School District of Greenfield (July 23, 2012)

Budget

From 2010 to 2013, the Greenfield School District had an average of $45,411,500 in revenue and $44,964,250 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $56,243,000 in outstanding debt. The district retired $7,291,250 of its debt and issued $6,306,250 in new debt each year on average.

Revenue

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal Year	Local		State		Federal		Revenue Total
	Total	% of Revenue	Total	% of Revenue	Total	% of Revenue

Click [show] on the right to display the revenue data for prior years.

2010	$29,162,000	67.51%	$11,211,000	25.95%	$2,824,000	6.54%	$43,197,000
2011	$31,314,000	68.25%	$11,825,000	25.77%	$2,740,000	5.97%	$45,879,000
2012	$32,063,000	69.11%	$10,771,000	23.22%	$3,559,000	7.67%	$46,393,000
2013	$32,129,000	69.58%	$11,661,000	25.25%	$2,387,000	5.17%	$46,177,000
Avg.	$31,167,000	68.61%	$11,367,000	25.05%	$2,877,500	6.34%	$45,411,500

Expenditures

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

• Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
• Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
• Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
• Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
• Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services

Expenditures by Category
Fiscal Year	Instruction		Support Services		Capital Spending		Debt & Gov. Payments		Other		Budget Total
	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget	Total	% of Budget

Click [show] on the right to display the expenditure data for prior years.

2010	$20,907,000	43.47%	$13,289,000	27.63%	$9,479,000	19.71%	$3,019,000	6.28%	$1,397,000	2.90%	$48,091,000
2011	$21,639,000	50.65%	$13,485,000	31.56%	$3,201,000	7.49%	$2,946,000	6.90%	$1,452,000	3.40%	$42,723,000
2012	$23,061,000	50.75%	$16,901,000	37.19%	$1,434,000	3.16%	$2,802,000	6.17%	$1,246,000	2.74%	$45,444,000
2013	$23,348,000	53.55%	$14,138,000	32.43%	$1,074,000	2.46%	$3,740,000	8.58%	$1,299,000	2.98%	$43,599,000
Avg.	$22,238,750	49.61%	$14,453,250	32.20%	$3,797,000	8.21%	$3,126,750	6.98%	$1,348,500	3.01%	$44,964,250

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal Year	Retired	Issued	Outstanding

Click [show] on the right to display the debt data for prior years.

2010	$1,740,000	$1,500,000	$58,270,000
2011	$2,012,000	$0	$56,258,000
2012	$14,107,000	$13,725,000	$55,875,000
2013	$11,306,000	$10,000,000	$54,569,000
Avg.	$7,291,250	$6,306,250	$56,243,000

Teacher salaries

The average teaching salary in the Greenfield School District during the 2013-2014 school year was $65,036. The minimum salary was $43,866, and the maximum salary was $85,693, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Unions

Teachers in the Greenfield School District are represented by the Greenfield Teachers' Association.

Schools in GSD

Enrollment

The district served 3,890 students in the 2012-2013 school year. Between 2009 and 2012, the Greenfield School District experienced a 10.7 percent increase in enrollment. The following table details enrollment in the district between 2009 and 2012:

Total enrollment
Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2009-2010	3,462	-
2010-2011	3,723	7.0
2011-2012	3,813	2.4
2012-2013	3,890	2.0

District schools

The Greenfield School District operates six schools, which are listed below in alphabetical order:

Greenfield School District
School Name
Edgewood Elementary
Elm Dale Elementary
Glenwood Elementary
Greenfield High
Greenfield Middle
Maple Grove Elementary

Academic performance

See also: Public education in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction administers annual Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) tests to students throughout the state. These tests assess proficiency in math and reading among students in grades three through eight as well as 10th grade. WSAS tests also evaluate proficiency in language arts, science, and social studies at grades four, eight, and 10. The Department of Public Instruction publishes results from WSAS tests as part of each district's Annual District Report Card.

Annual District Report Card grading scale
Designation	Score
Significantly Exceeds Expectations	83-100
Exceeds Expectations	73-82.9
Meets Expectations	63-72.9
Meets Few Expectations	53-62.9
Fails to Meet Expectations	0-52.9

The Annual District Report Card compares district performance with state performance based on four criteria:

• Student Achievement: This category compares reading and math performance by district students to state and national standards.
• Student Growth: This category compares year-to-year performance on reading and math sections in WSAS tests.
• Closing Gaps: This category compares test performance by low-performing groups in the district to similar cohorts across the state.
• On-Track and Postsecondary Readiness: This category uses benchmarks including ACT scores, graduation rate, attendance rate, and math achievement to assess college and career readiness.

Districts can receive grades from 0 to 100 on the annual district report card, with "Significantly Exceeds Expectations" as the highest designation for scores of 83 and above, and "Fails to Meet Expectations" as the lowest designation for scores of 52.9 and below. The full grading scale can be found in the table above.

The Greenfield School District achieved an overall score of 68.7 during the 2013-2014 school year, which led to a "Meets Expectations" designation from the Department of Public Instruction. The district also received a "Meets Expectations" designation for the 2012-2013 school year, but its overall score was slightly lower at 68.4. The following tables compare district performance with state performance and detail the accountability ratings for schools in the district, according to the annual district report cards for the 2012-2013 school year and the 2013-2014 school year.

Annual district report cards were not published for the 2014-2015 school year. The Wisconsin State Legislature passed SB 67, known as the pause bill, in May 2015 to stop the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction from publishing annual district report cards and using the results for educator effectiveness assessments for the 2014-2015 school year. The bill was passed due to concerns about how results from new assessments based on the Common Core State Standards Initiative would be applied. It was supported by Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers and the Department of Public Instruction.

Annual District Report Card grades
School year	Student achievement		Student growth		Closing gaps		On-track and postsecondary readiness		Overall score
	District	State	District	State	District	State	District	State
2012-2013	64.0	66.1	56.2	60.6	67.2	66.8	86.0	84.9	68.4
2013-2014	64.4	66.4	59.8	62.4	65.2	66.3	85.2	85.3	68.7

Accountability ratings for schools in the district
School year	Significantly exceeds expectations		Exceeds expectations		Meets expectations		Meets few expectations		Fails to meet expectations
	Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of schools	Percent of schools
2012-2013	0	0.0%	2	33.3%	3	50.0%	1	16.7%	0	0.0%
2013-2014	0	0.0%	2	33.3%	4	66.7%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%

Mathematics and reading proficiency

The state's Annual District Report Card includes a review of district and state proficiency information in mathematics and reading for the previous five years. This review includes data from the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) and the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) for students from grades three through eight and 10. The following tables compare the district's percentage of proficient and advanced proficient students with state levels from the 2009-2010 school year through the 2013-2014 school year. The district's proficiency rates in math have increased since 2009, but reading proficiency rates have decreased.

Mathematics proficiency comparisons, 2009-2013
School year	District proficiency rate (%)	State proficiency rate (%)
2009-2010	44.6	47.0
2010-2011	43.0	46.8
2011-2012	45.7	48.3
2012-2013	46.5	48.2
2013-2014	46.4	48.8

Reading proficiency comparisons, 2009-2013
School year	District proficiency rate (%)	State proficiency rate (%)
2009-2010	36.4	35.7
2010-2011	33.5	35.7
2011-2012	35.4	36.0
2012-2013	33.9	36.4
2013-2014	35.7	36.7

Graduation rate

The district's graduation rate has increased since 2009. The table below details the district's four-year, five-year, and six-year cohort graduation rates from school year 2009-2010 to 2013-2014.

Graduation rates, 2009-2013
School year	Four-year cohort rate		Five-year cohort rate		Six-year cohort rate
	District	State	District	State	District	State
2009-2010	86.6%	85.7%	-	-	-	-
2010-2011	91.1%	87.0%	91.9%	89.5%	-	-
2011-2012	89.4%	87.5%	94.8%	90.4%	93.6%	90.4%
2012-2013	86.1%	88.0%	91.8%	90.8%	95.1%	91.3%
2013-2014	91.7%	88.6%	91.0%	91.3%	92.2%	91.5%

Dropout rates

From the 2005–2006 school year to the 2013–2014 school year, the Greenfield School District saw an overall dropout rate increase. The table below details the district's dropout rates during that period.

Dropout rates, 2005-2013
School year	District	State
2005-2006	0.6%	0.9%
2006-2007	1.4%	1.6%
2007-2008	1.9%	1.7%
2008-2009	1.4%	1.6%
2009-2010	1.0%	1.6%
2010-2011	1.0%	1.5%
2011-2012	0.8%	1.4%
2012-2013	0.9%	1.4%
2013-2014	1.4%	1.3%

ACT scores

Of the total of 245 12th grade students in the Greenfield School District in the 2012-2013 school year, 176 students—71.8 percent—took the ACT. The table below details their results compared to the reading, English, mathematics, and science benchmarks.

ACT performance, 2012-2013
Met reading benchmark		Met English benchmark		Met mathematics benchmark		Met science benchmark
Students	Percent	Students	Percent	Students	Percent	Students	Percent
71	40.3%	130	73.9%	69	39.2%	58	33.0%

Issues

School board vacancies

At a school board meeting on October 19, 2015, Jim Sabinash was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board, and Russell Spahn, another member on the board, resigned, leaving the board with another vacancy. Spahn cited personal reasons for his resignation. He had been re-elected to his second three-year term in April 2015.

Sabinash was appointed to the board after former board member Len Cich died in August 2015. His term was up for election in April 2016 for a two-year term. He did not file to keep his seat, leaving the seat open to a newcomer.

Spahn's vacant seat was filled by Kristie Potter. The board appointed her to the board on November 23, 2015. Potter has a master's degree in early childhood education and is the director of a day care center. Her seat was also on the ballot for a two-year term in April 2016. The two special elections were on a joint ballot with the general election for two regular three-year terms. The top two vote-getters won the three-year terms, and the third and fourth vote-getters won the two-year terms.

Contact information

Greenfield School District
4850 South 60th St.
Greenfield, WI 53220
Phone: (414) 855-2050

See also

Wisconsin	School Board Elections	News and Analysis
List of school districts in Wisconsin School board elections in Wisconsin Public education in Wisconsin	Wisconsin school board elections: 2015 • 2016	School board election data analysis, 2024 United States school shootings, 1990-present

External links

• Greenfield School District
• City of Greenfield
• Milwaukee County
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Wisconsin Association of School Boards
• Greenfield Teachers Association

Footnotes