Updates, afternoon of 7.28.20: (1) I’ve added a recording of the 7.27.20 meeting. The best record is a recording. (2) A reader emailed to ask where I stand on recent pandemic-related public actions. On masks, I supported the city’s ordinance (to take effect 8.1) as an unfortunate necessity to preserve safe mobility in the marketplace.…
School District
City, Coronavirus, Open Government, Public Health, School District
The Whitewater Unified School District’s Proposed Fall Instructional Plans
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last night (7.22), the Whitewater Unified School District held a virtual meeting to describe a fall instructional proposal to be presented to the district’s school board on 7.27.20. The meeting was interrupted, and so the district published today (7.23) a video describing the proposal. Embedded above is that video presentation. (There was an earlier, recorded…
Business, City, Coronavirus, Laws/Regulations, Libertarians, Liberty, Local Government, Open Government, Public Health, School District, University
Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Temporary Mask Ordinance: 7 Points
by JOHN ADAMS •
Updated evening of 7.22.20 with meeting video. (The discussion on Whitewater’s mask ordinance runs from 31:09 to 3:37:50.) At last night’s meeting of the Whitewater Common Council, the seven-member council voted unanimously for a temporary mask ordinance, taking effect 8.1.20 and running through 12.31.20, requiring masks in parts of buildings open to the public, and…
City, Coronavirus, Public Health, Public Meetings, School District
Whitewater Schools’ Community Focus Group, 7.8.20
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School District held a community focus group on 7.8.20 via Zoom about public schools opening in the fall. A video of the recorded meeting is embedded above. There have also been other, in-person meetings over the last ten days. A few remarks: Translated. The focus group had, sensibly, a Spanish language translator.…
Coronavirus, Education, Public Health, School District
The Choice on Schools Is About Hard Work
by JOHN ADAMS •
The choice before us is not between schools staying closed or schools reopening in potentially unsafe conditions. The choice is whether we care enough about opening schools to do what is necessary *now* so it will be safe to do so in the fall. — Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) July 7, 2020 Hennessey sees what truly…
Coronavirus, Education, Public Health, School District
Local Portents on Addressing the Coronavirus
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School District, like every other district in the area, has choices to exercise about holding classes during this pandemic. The district recently sent an email link to a survey soliciting parents’ views, and the new district administrator and veteran school board will soon have important decisions to make. Over in the Jefferson…
Babbittry, Boosterism, CDA, City, Culture, Economy, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Police, Press Release, School District
Built Against Substantive Change
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over time, no matter how small the city, national conditions and trends make their way to the edge of town. Some towns will address these conditions, but others will be resistant to substantive change. For those towns in the latter category, business as usual and rhetorical feints suffice in response to powerful forces to which…
City, Culture, Employment, Local Government, School District, University
Mentoring
by JOHN ADAMS •
When a small community like Whitewater comes to rely on hundreds of non-resident commuters to provide services (for city, schools, or university), those commuters will have a different work relationship than resident workers. (About these workers see The Commuter Class.) Many will be less attached to the community (as they’ve freely chosen to live elsewhere…
Babbittry, Boosterism, City, Local Government, School District, University
The Commuter Class
by JOHN ADAMS •
Babbittry, Bad Ideas, Boosterism, City, Culture, Local Government, Politics, School District, University
The Lingering Problem of Local Exceptionalism
by JOHN ADAMS •
A common error in small rural communities is the persistent, false claim that local officials are examples of a local exceptionalism that makes them implicitly immune from the flaws and mistakes that beset the rest of humanity. Under this thinking, while there may be problems in the wider world, there are no local examples of…
City, Education, School District
The (Unexpectedly) Divergent Paths Before the Whitewater Schools
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School district is looking for a new district administrator. The public K-12 district serves Whitewater and some smaller towns nearby. Over the last two days, the two finalists for that position participated in public forums held via audiovisual conferencing. There’s no reason whatever to doubt that both candidates are sincere in their…
Education, School District
District Administrator Search Community Forums: 4.21 and 4.22
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School District, the public school district for Whitewater and several smaller towns nearby, is searching for a new district administrator. There will be community forums via videoconferencing with the two finalists, Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, Executive Director of Student Services for District #89 in Melrose Park, Illinois, and Ms. Kellie Bohn, Superintendent for…
Meals, School District
Feeding Children: Free breakfast and lunch for children
by JOHN ADAMS •
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…
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…