Originally posted 3.17.20. The Whitewater Unified School District’s website has information about feeding children, among other topics, during the coronavirus pandemic. Updated afternoon of 3.27.20. It’s best to visit the district link directly (https://www.wwusd.org/covid-19) as needed for any updates: Dear Families: The District is making important changes to our meal distribution during the Wisconsin Safer…
School District
Coronavirus, Meals, Poverty, Public Health, School District
Assistance Takes Time
by JOHN ADAMS •
So one hears that an effort toward assistance for children’s breakfast & lunch meals received a lower initial response than some expected. Perhaps, but responses take time – especially in a community where large numbers of children live in poor families that almost certainly do not have conventional broadband access. Initial responses are not indicative…
Charity and Mercy, Coronavirus, Local Government, School District
Whitewater’s Residents Judge Wisely
by JOHN ADAMS •
There has been some uncertainty in Whitewater about how cautious one should be in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As it turns out, Whitewater’s residents have had the right view of this, recognizing as they have the need for distance between people to limit the spread of disease. One reads, in an email from the…
Babbittry, Boosterism, CDA, City, Development, Economics, Economy, Free Markets, Local Government, Poverty, School District, WEDC, Wisconsin
Local Public Policy as if Charitable Assistance
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s policymakers, and those of other small, rural cities, should – in these times of economic stagnation, a lingering opioid crisis, failed business welfare, and an approaching recession – view their principal obligation as if it were charitable outreach. (It’s not charity, of course, but that’s how policymakers should view it: as both palliative and…
Education, School District
The Whitewater School District’s Survey – Work to be Done
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School District is searching for a permanent district administrator, and a consulting firm (Hazard, Young, Attea) solicited survey answers on respondents’ opinions and preferences. The summary of the survey results appears below, as a .pdf file. (A link to a separate leadership profile from the consultants also appears at the end of…
Education, Open Government, School District
Whitewater Schools: Meeting, Survey, Timeline for the Next District Administrator
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are important steps ahead in the Whitewater Schools’ search for a new district administrator. (A link on the district webpage has information about the process. I’ve reproduced key information below.) Tonight, at 6:30 PM in the Whitewater High School library, there will be an open forum where residents can share their views on what…
City, Culture, Education, Open Government, School District
A Change of Venue for a Public Forum
by JOHN ADAMS •
One reads that the Whitewater Schools have changed the location of a public forum for the selection of a new district administrator to the library in the high school. The forum is now scheduled for 2.18.20 @ 6:30 PM (“Residents will have a chance to offer input on the school district’s next leader at 6:30…
Education, Open Government, Press Release, School District
Whitewater Schools: Paltry “Community Input”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update, 2.10.20 – Since this post, the location has now been changed to Whitewater High School’s more spacious and inviting library. There’s a story in a local newspaper about a public forum for community input on the search for a permanent Whitewater school district administrator. Here’s the beginning of the newspaper’s account of the district’s efforts:…
Culture, Education, School District
Ready-Made is Poorly Made
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Schools now have an interim district administrator, and the district is looking to hire a permanent replacement. At the most recent school board meeting of 1.27.20, there was a brief discussion of community involvement in the selection process (see meeting video). The school board president and vice president (having each been on the…
City, Discrimination, Harassment, School District
Whitewater Schools: Highest Reported Discrimination and Harassment in the Area
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update: 1.31.20 — The story is now back online. The reported data are the same. It is, as a commenter at FW notes, only one story. In this way, it’s also an invitation to others to explore the data more inquisitively. Update: 1.27.20 — This story is no longer on the Daily Union website. Removing a…
Babbittry, Boosterism, Culture, Economy, Education, School District
Whitewater School Board, 1.27.20: Palmyra-Eagle & Competition Between Districts
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? On Monday night, Whitewater’s school board met first in closed session, and about an hour later in open session. (A video of the open session is embedded above.) Part way into the meeting, after a summary of the latest developments concerning the nearby Palmyra-Eagle School District, a candidate for that school district’s board spoke…
School District
Latest Palmyra-Eagle District News
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s more news about the Palmyra-Eagle School District since a state advisory board voted (6-1) against the dissolution of that district. The policy lessons are valuable to many places, including Whitewater. (Earlier posts opposing dissolution appear at the end of this post.) Motions Before the School District Boundary Appeal Board on 1.9.20. Motion 1 (Motion…
City, Education, School District
On the Dissolution of the Palmyra-Eagle School District, Reason Carries the Day
by JOHN ADAMS •
Earlier today, a School District Boundary Appeal Board (Wis. Stat. §15.375) voted by a margin of 6-1 against the dissolution of the Palmyra-Eagle School District. The possible dissolution of that school district loomed for many months. Dissolving that district would have led to a significant reallocation of students, faculty, resources, and obligations to Whitewater or…
City, Education, School District
Whitewater Schools’ State Report Cards
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction annually issues report cards measuring schools’ performance across several major categories. Whitewater’s detailed report card results appear below, first for the district, and then for each of her five schools (one high school, one middle school, and three elementary schools). These documents are available here for download – in full…