Imagine if there was a committee where school board members, county board supervisors, city alderpersons and the community came together to discuss how to improve the lives of young people in Madison and Dane County. How powerful could that be? And why did former Mayor Paul Soglin and former School Superintendent Jen Cheatam, along with now School Board President Gloria Reyes keep trying to reign in that committee? Now that they are free . . . what could they be?
WHAT’S GOING ON?
This committee hasn’t met since February and apparently missed a lot of meetings and failed to have quorum (spots where there is an agenda and no minutes). But it meets tonight!
New County Board Supervisors and Alders have been appointed, but haven’t had a chance to meet. Hopefully they were included in the survey that was sent out. I don’t think they were because the answers to the survey came in during the end of April, which makes it look like Soglin (and Reyes’) lame duck attempts to kill the committee before they left. Even with the old committee, you will see, they have lots of ideas about what they could work on (below). Also, I find it ironic that I will be at the Public Safety Review Committee tonight, trying to figure out what they should be working on after having the same “dissolve the committee” attitude thrown at them for years. Anyways . . .
OLD LIMITATIONS
As a reminder, Mayor Soglin and Jen Cheatam, with Gloria Reyes at their side, tried to limit them to this:
Date: November 30, 2017
To: The members of the City Education Committee
From: Jen Cheatham, Superintendent MMSD and Paul Soglin, Mayor Re: Focus of work for the City Education Committee
First and foremost, we want to thank everyone for their service on the City Education Committee. This committee provides a wonderful opportunity to collaborate on shared interests that impact the families living in our city and county with a special focus on the children enrolled in our Madison School District.
It is our understanding that the City Education Committee held a meeting in November to discuss the purpose of the group and areas to focus. We would also like to contribute to this conversation. In our opinion the City Education Committee should focus on three areas of collective impact. In all three of these areas, the committee can serve to provide joint accountability for progress and to help address barriers that require cross- organizational problem solving, resource allocation, and policy-making.
1) Madison Out of School Time Initiative (MOST): The potential for MOST to connect and coordinate out of school time providers across our community and to dramatically improve access and the quality of those experiences for our children and youth is important work.
2) Community Schools: The school district wants to move forward with using Community Schools as a model to improve student learning by focusing on a community hub concept, incorporating issues that are real for families in neighborhoods and reducing opportunity gaps by bringing resources to the school.
3) Early Childhood and Early Childhood Zones: We already have two Early Childhood Zones, both supported by City, County and the School District. We believe that support for our families with our youngest children is essential if students are going to enter into school ready for kindergarten. We need to work together to learn from these efforts and improve support for young children (birth to 3 specifically) across the city.
We are asking that you remain focused on these three critical areas of impact and not take on new topics. We also want to encourage you to consider changing your meetings to quarterly meetings in order to allow staff time to collect data and to bring forward to the Committee the most important and actionable information. We also think quarterly meeting may help you address the issues with reaching quorum monthly. If you would like either of us to come in for your next meeting to discuss, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Cheatham, Superintendent
Paul R. Soglin, Mayor
NEW EXPECTATIONS!!!!
Based on the survey, only one person left that wants to “dissolve this committee”, which was their answer to 4 of the 4 questions. Everyone else had ideas, and I know the new people appointed to the committee have ideas! Here’s their answers! I’m looking forward to what the new members decide to do . . . and I don’t think it will be “dissolve this committee”!
Does the Education Committee add value to the entity you represent?
It has the potential to add value to the community. To connect parents, staff, and students with policy makers would be invaluable. There is so much overlap of need that the committee could address.
District-city-county partnership is really important.
Creates a space for communication and shared strategies amongst county board, city council and board of ed
The Education Committee is a place where the County can collaborate with other government entities, like the City of Madison and MMSD to discuss our shared priorities of supporting youth and families in Madison’s schools.
At present, it doesn’t feel that way. With a clear vision and strategy for who the group is and how it will function, I certainly believe the committee would be of great value to the greater Madison community.
I represent Dane County and the agenda for these meetings has historically been MOST or other program initiative updates and I receive update information elsewhere. To my knowledge, the decisions or recommendations made by this committee have not impacted policy, programs or funding decisions made by the County.
Dissolve this committee
I’ve never worked with the Education Committee.
I am a member of the Dane County Board, and it is beneficial for me to have designated time to get together with school board and city council elected representatives, to discuss ways we can work together. Conversation and collaboration is always important and helpful. Therefore, I am answering yes. However, the committee has not been productive since I have been a member (which is since the County Board has been a part of it). I think this is in part because of the desire of the former mayor and/or the school superintendent to limit the power of the committee, and in part due to some members of the committee who were reluctant to make decisions / commitment to resolving an issue. Therefore, while my answer is yes, I also believe that his committee has potential to add much more value to the entity I represent, and it has so far fallen short of the potential it has.
On the County Board, there are few places we can directly work with the schools. With the number of restorative justice programs and youth initiatives that the county sponsors, it would be good to have a place where the city, county and school board can work collaboratively.
The work on MOST has not realized its potential but it is a start. Mostly I think the Ed Committee has not yielded what it could.
Yes, but not much.
City residents are profoundly concerned about our schools, the very backbone of our neighborhoods. The City, in concert with the County and MMSD, has an important role to play. The unique committee should be reorganized with more involvement from residents, including teachers, parents/guardians, and students. Our schools are in crisis, and our teachers are not to blame. As I went door to door during my recent campaign, the concern over our schools came up over and over again. I believe this committee is uniquely positioned to advance positive solutions.
Seeing that there have been several years of frustration and inaction, I feel the time and effort would be better utilized elsewhere.
Educating our children and making sure all are equitably treated and afforded the same opportunities is of utmost importance and is the responsibility of all. If structured properly, I believe this Committee would add value to our City
Can the Committee support your strategic goals and objectives in regards to your work with school-age children and families?
We need to focus on youth if we are to become a healthy community.
Leveraging resources and collaborating
Sharing of initiatives and gaps
Yes, I think the Education Committee could help to evaluate and make possible recommendations regarding many areas of shared values and goals: (1) reducing disproportionate contact of youth of color with the justice systems, (2) reducing disparities in alternate care, (3) preventing and ending youth homelessness, (4) enhancing collaboration around sustainability, (5) the Youth Commission and Youth in Government program.
To the point that has already been made, the ed committee is the only formal space where the city, county, and district can work explicitly (and collaboratively, given the right conditions) on goals that could potentially have a positive impact on young people and their families.
It probably can, but I don’t know if it will.
Dissolve this committee
They could, but they have not in the past.
I’m on the Youth Commission, and would love to see some collaboration with the Education Committee. This would be a strong partnership.
Can the committee do this? Yes. Has the committee done this? Not effectively. Ideally, the education committee will take on a topic (there are many to chose from!) where the county board and city council and support and enhance the success of MMSD outside the classroom. This includes educating and empowering the committee on issues where we all may intersect– access to health food, access to health care including mental health and dental health, access to mass transportation for families an students to both school and non-school activities, afterschool programming, violence and safety prevention issues, consent culture and health relationships, and more.
The committee can work on issues of racial equity, fixing the achievement gap, and seeing what support our different entities can provide to staff to create a productive work environment.
Outside issues including food insecurity, housing instability, trauma and poverty are components of the opportunity gap. These are issues the City and can address in collaboration with the County and the District. We need to be proactive and set strategic goals, similar to our sustainability goal of 100% renewables by the year 2030. Accessing the best minds at the UW in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and calling upon stakeholders in the private sector, non-profit agencies, and the faith community, we can commit ourselves to making substantive progress in closing these gaps.
What role should the committee play? (check all that apply)
Information Sharing – 13 of 19 responses – 68.42%
Proactive Policy Making – 13 of 19 responses – 68.42%
Review Body of Current Collaborative Initiatives – 12 of 19 responses – 63.16%
Provdide Budget Recommendations to Respective Entitities – 11 of 19 responses – 57.89%
Provide Budget Recommendations to Respective Entities Other (please specify)
– Bring stakeholders to the table in a leadership role
– Dissolve this committee.
– Facilitate collaboration for bodies involved to reach specific goals.
– Hold public hearings.
What issues/projects/initiatives should the Committee focus on? (please consider if the issues/projects/initiatives is being worked on by another legislative body)
Homelessness, housing, supporting at-risk youth, safe routes for biking and walking to school, healthy school meals that support the local farm economy
– SROs – community policing – Comprehensive mental health support – students and families experiencing homelessness
See above. There are many things the Committee could work on, but I think issues around youth justice and youth and family homelessness should be prioritized.
On a policy level, it should focus on issues that cross all three systems–for example, police in schools–pros, cons, alternative models, etc. Pick one issue and see it through to a recommendation.
Community Schools, Early Childhood, Affordable Housing, Transportation
Bus passes After school time
Youth justice
County government is outside its scope of responsibility. Dissolve this committee.
access to health food, access to health care including mental health and dental health, access to mass transportation for families an students to both school and non-school activities, afterschool programming, violence and safety prevention issues, consent culture and health relationships
Family engagement, mental health and behavioral support, out-of-school time.
Either it should be given a formal budget and policy role in areas of mutual interest, or it should concentrate on existing partnerships and interactions.
Hold public hearings. Poverty is the greatest obstacle to academic performance. Targeted efforts to address outside issues by the city and county, e.g., housing instability. Employing parent outreach workers to address disruptive and violent behavior, insisting upon a safe learning environment. Hiring more teachers and staff of color. Creating a network of aides in the classroom funded by the private sector. Call upon the private sector to make significant investments in our schools. Support efforts by the building trades to diversify apprentice programs for students not on a college track. Explore best practices in other cities. Restore professional development opportunities for teachers. Reduce class room sizes. By the year 2030, commit that MMSD will be an example to the rest of the nation in terms of reducing racial disparities. Refuse to take no for an answer. Agree that we cannot move forward as a city so long as we are leaving so many of our kids behind. Don’t remove SROs from our high schools until we have sufficiently staffed up with mental health experts, social workers, nurses, counselors, security staff, special ed staff. Do a pilot study with one of our high schools whereby we remove the SRO after staffing up to requisite levels of in all needed areas — study for 12 – 18 months and analyze results. Address teacher turnover. We are losing too many educators who are giving up because things haven’t gotten so bad and they’re fed up with the lack of support. Make this a priority with the same level of urgency as climate change. Our schools are in crisis and we must respond with all due haste.
