School Districts

1. Long-Range Planning - Dane County [adopted 1982]
   1. When developing long-range plans for educational and facility needs, school districts should consider economic factors, enrollment patterns, community needs and evaluation of current programs.
   2. Citizens should be involved throughout the long-range planning process.
   3. School districts should cooperate with other appropriate governmental units in planning for a school district's facility needs
   4. The intended use of school district property should be consistent with the housing and growth plans of affected municipalities.
   5. Planning for consolidation or expansion of a district's facilities should include discussion of alternatives by both the public and the school board.

   The following positions, 2–5, express the common themes found in the previously separate LWVDC school district positions for Madison, Verona, Stoughton, Middleton-Cross Plains, and Sun Prairie, adopted 1974-1980; they were adopted in the following consolidated form 5/8/1996.

2. Meeting Student Needs [adopted 1996]
   1. Individualized, child-centered instruction which gives each student
      1. close personal contact with teachers, and
      2. equality of opportunity, recognizing that equality does not necessarily mean uniformity
   2. Pupil-teacher ratios which take into account the special learning of each child
   3. Consistent, fair and firm enforcement of existing rules by teachers, with administrative and parental support, and faculty supervision of students for the protection of their rights to learn
   4. Equal educational opportunity throughout each district, though not necessarily identical services, with sufficient flexibility in programs to meet student needs
   5. Flexible structures, methods, and programs for students at all levels, recognizing the possibility of higher costs
3. Budget Process [adopted 1996]
   1. A standard process for public participation in budget development to include:
      1. public notice informing citizens when an individual school budget is being prepared in order to encourage citizen involvement at that level, and
      2. an opportunity for participation on program and policy issues before budget recommendations are initially submitted to the school comptroller
   2. The development of the objectives for the school district before the budget is accepted by the Board of Education to serve as a guide for budget decisions
   3. A format for the working copy of the budget document which includes:
      1. a statement outlining the recommended policy goals of the budget, and
      2. a side-by-side narrative to explain special items, significant changes in expenditures or revenues, new programs and programs dropped
   4. A budget document format which includes summary information on all revenues and all expenditures
4. Qualifications and Evaluation [adopted 1996]
   1. A high degree of professional competence in the district staff [with appropriate certification or licensure]
   2. Employment of an adequate counseling staff to ensure personal and family counseling upon student request or when educational problems are involved
   3. Evaluation and supervision procedures which:
      1. set standards for continuing evaluation of teachers, instructional program and quality of teaching
      2. set standards for continuous evaluation of the school administrators and the counseling staff
      3. provide input into the development of the evaluation standards from a wide variety of persons such as school board members, administrators, teachers and parents
   4. Employment of a professionally qualified director of curriculum and instruction
5. Public Involvement [adopted 1996]
   1. Open channels of communication among and between administrators, district residents, students, teachers, and parents
   2. Open communications within the schools and throughout the district with sufficient information provided in advance of planned school board discussion and action
   3. Increasing communication between parents and teachers by using such methods as parent-teacher conferences and parental involvement in school activities
   4. Use of citizens to broaden the school board's base of information, to use community expertise, and to open up communications between the board, the administration, and the public.