Access Board Meetings Online: Community members can stay informed by watching every board meeting on our YouTube channel, MCPASD TV. In the recap below, we have provided timestamps for the various sections of the meeting. These will help you follow along and jump directly to the parts of the video that interest you the most.
0:44 — Recognition of the Middleton High School Boys Golf Team
The Board meeting began with a celebration of Middleton High School’s Boys Golf team, which won the 2026 WIAA Boys Golf State Championship in June. In addition to winning the championship title, the Cardinals also set a record for the tournament with a two-day total of 578 (+2).
The team was led by five Class of 2026 graduates – Sammy Forslund, Aaron Gepner, Berrin Reiter, Reis von Ruden, and Luke Weiss – as well as rising sophomore Mitch Shroyer, and guided by Head Coach Tom Cabalka and Assistant Coach Shane Leadholm. Their victory also carried extra significance as it marked the final season for Coach Cabalka, who retired at the end of the season after more than 30 years with the team.
Congratulations to the team and their coaches on their remarkable achievements!
4:46 — Superintendent's Report
In her Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Dana Monogue shared that MCPASD officially welcomed two new elementary principals on July 1: Josh Forehand at Sauk Trail and Kirsten Andreoni at Northside. She wished them well as they settle into their new roles in the District.
Also, Dr. Monogue noted that summer school programming continues at Sauk Trail, Kromrey, and Middleton High School. She thanked everyone involved for supporting summer learning efforts.
5:10 — Brian Krey Named Director of Business Services
The Board approved Brian Krey as the new Director of Business Services, effective July 22, 2026. He joins MCPASD from the River Valley School District in Spring Green, Wis., where he most recently served as Assistant Superintendent and Director of Finance & Operations.
In addition to serving as an administrator in the River Valley School District, he served as an elementary school principal and business education teacher. He also served as a business services manager in the Wisconsin Dells School District and Adams-Friendship Area School District as well as a budget analyst for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Read more about his background here.
5:30 — Approval of Donation
The Board discussed Elm Lawn Elementary School PTO’s donation of $15,020.09 for staff enrichment. Per policy, the Board must approve all donations over $10,000.
The Board approved this donation, and expressed gratitude to the PTO for raising money to support staff.
6:30 — Clark Street Community School’s Data Review
Clark Street Community School (CSCS) Principal Nicki Victor and CSCS Governance Board members Amy Jester and Bryn Orum presented a 360 Review of the school’s 2022–2027 charter term. The review was in response to the Board's request for an evidence-based assessment of CSCS ahead of its charter renewal.
Their presentation highlighted years of academic data, annual reports, third-party and District surveys, stakeholder perspectives, and documented school activities. They noted that CSCS was founded in 2012 as a small, competency-based public high school to serve students well and to provide MCPASD with a space for developing and testing practices that could inform learning across the District.
Their report showed how students who choose CSCS, which represent about 4% of MCPASD’s high school population, are thriving there. They noted that CSCS reflects its founding design – a school for all learners, with attention to historically marginalized students and communities. They noted that the four-year graduation rate reached 88.5% in 2024-25, the highest in school history, with graduates enrolling in post-high school programs to earn credentials ranging from technical diplomas to master's degrees.
They noted the school’s strong reputation as a competency-based high school and emphasized that CSCS is backed by effective governance, clean audits, and low staff turnover. Click here to view the full 360 Review of the 2022–2027 Charter Term.
1:01:55 — Substitute/Attendance Update
Director of Employee Services Dr. Barb Buffington provided a summary of the District’s general leave requests, attendance data and substitute fill rates.
General leave can be used for personal matters, illness, or other approved absences and must be approved by supervisors based on staffing and substitute availability. Staff can request a maximum of 5 consecutive general leave days during the school year. Requests for 1-2 consecutive days must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance. Requests for 3-5 consecutive days must be submitted at least 3 months in advance.
Dr. Buffington noted that overall substitute fill rates reached 92% in 2025-26 – a three-year high – achieved while relying on fewer permanent building substitutes. The District fills its substitute openings through its Edustaff partnership, which gives the District a larger pool of daily substitutes available to every building. Dr. Buffington noted that the substitute pool grew to 402, an increase of 105 over two years.
In addition, Dr. Buffington noted that paraeducator fill rates rose 18 points in a single year, from 68% to 86%, while teacher fill rates reached 96%, the strongest results for both groups in three years. She said that support staff general leave requests declined for a second consecutive year, reaching a three-year low of 7,705.
Finally, she noted two areas to watch: certified staff leave requests increased slightly, and the transportation denial rate climbed to 12.4% due to operational demands related to route coverage. She also highlighted targeted building support at Sauk Trail Elementary School for substitute recruitment and allocation.
1:13:45 — Sustainability Update
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jerrud Rossing along with Sean Currie and Nick Laubusch from McKinstry shared an update on the District's sustainability work. Rossing highlighted the accomplishments of the Sustainability Committee, which advances the District's commitment to environmental stewardship as outlined in the sustainability resolution that the Board of Education adopted in 2021.
The committee includes students, staff, a Board member, and community members, and it serves as a planning and advisory workgroup for sustainability initiatives across MCPASD. Rossing noted recognition the District earned including the 2026 Stewardship and Sustainability Award from the Department of Public Instruction; the 2025 Sustainability Middleton Award for the District’s Technology Department for its E-Waste and Recycling and Sustainable Purchasing Program; the 2025 Clean Energy Honor Roll from RENEW Wisconsin; and recognition from Sen. Hesselbein, Rep. Joers, and Rep. Bare.
Rossing shared a Phase 1 Project Update, noting that all the energy measures are complete, including operational solar installations at Pope Farm, Elm Lawn, Sauk Trail and Park elementary schools and Glacier Creek Middle School. Middleton High School’s solar installation is 95% complete. Rossing said that retro-commissioning (RCx) and PowerED initiatives are ongoing and highlighted that RCx efforts have identified savings of $204,993, pending review by Focus on Energy (FOE), a local utility incentive program.
For Phase 2 Projects, Rossing noted that solar panel installations are under consideration at Northside, West Middleton and Sunset Ridge.
1:46:24 — Enrollment Update
Assistant Superintendent Jerrud Rossing reviewed updated enrollment numbers for the 2026-2027 school year. There were enrollment declines and increases across grade levels in the District’s schools.
The overall observed changes between the June 9, 2026, Board of Education update and the July 13, 2026, meeting were as follows:
Early Learning Center: Increase of 16 students
Elm Lawn Elementary: Increase of 6 students
Northside Elementary: Increase of 19 students, primarily 4K
Park Elementary: Increase of 2 students
Pope Farm Elementary: Increase of 2 students
Sauk Trail Elementary: Increase of 4 students
Sunset Ridge Elementary: Increase of 2 students
West Middleton Elementary: Decrease of 2 students
Glacier Creek Middle School: Decrease of 8 students
Kromrey Middle School: Increase of 8 students
Clark Street Community School: Increase of 4 students
Middleton High School: Increase of 33 students, including Cardinal Academy students
Rossing noted the District generally sees an uptick in enrollment each school year beginning in July. To view the full enrollment update, click here. MCPASD will continue to monitor schools’ enrollment figures throughout the summer.
1:50:56 — Referendum Planning Discussion
Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue and Assistant Superintendent Jerrud Rossing led a discussion on referendum planning. They shared an overview of operational referendum scenarios to replace the $24.9M operational referendum that is expiring for the upcoming fiscal year.
Rossing reviewed results of the community survey, noting there was not strong support for the three options initially proposed. He explained that the District is considering three new options that each require the District to implement budget reductions. The reductions are in response to survey results that showed community members want to support the District, but believe that property taxes are high and that the District should do its share in balancing the budget.
Below is a recap of each of the three new nonrecurring referendum scenarios.
Option 4 brings the amount in the first year to $22.6M, which would require the District to make $3.6M in cuts and start inflation ongoing at 4%. This would be an ask of $25.6M in year 2, $28.8M in year 3, and $32.2M in year 4. Each year would also require cuts with a four-year total of $7.2M in cuts.
Option 5 maintains $24.9M in the first year, and starts inflation in year 2, which would be an additional $3M. In year 3, it would be an additional $3.2M, and year 4 would include an additional $3.5M. This option would require the District to reduce its budget by $1.4M in year 1, and $1.2M in years 2-4, for a total of $5M in budget reductions.
Option 6 keeps the $24.9M for the first two years, with inflation starting in year 3, and bringing the total up to $31.3M by year 4. This option would require the District to cut $1.4M in year 1, $4.2M in year 2, and an additional $1.3M in years 3 and 4. The total cuts under this option would be $8.2M.
Monogue emphasized that each of the new referendum scenarios allows the District to prioritize four areas that the survey found are critical to community members: maintaining safety and security standards, maintaining low class sizes, maintaining all curricular and co-curricular programming for students, and staying competitive in the labor market for staff recruitment and retention.
Rossing said District leaders will bring resolutions for each option to the Aug. 10, 2026, Board meeting for Board members to vote on which scenario to bring forward for the November election.
Click here to review the three new operational referendum scenarios.
2:00:15 — Approval of District Academic Standards
Each year, school districts are required to have their boards approve the district academic standards for the upcoming year. The Board of Education discussed and approved the District Academic Standards for 2026-2027, which includes various standards for different content areas and subjects.
The District has adopted the Wisconsin Standards for English Language Arts, Health Education, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Personal Financial Literacy, Art and Design, and Physical Education, and the Wisconsin Social Emotional Learning Competencies, and Language Standards for Learning Languages.
MCPASD has also adopted the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts and Literacy (for the Two-Way Immersion Program), the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards for Early Childhood and 4K, the WIDA English Language Development Standards, the Social Justice Standards as published by Learning for Justice, the WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards, the ISTE Standards for Library Media and Technology, and the AASL Standards Framework.
Click here to learn more about each of these standards.
2:00:39 — Approval of Additional 4K Open Enrollment Seats for 2026-2027
The District has six applicants on its 4K Open Enrollment waitlist for 2026-2027, and the Board approved six additional new regular education 4K open enrollment seats for 2026-2027. In January 2026, the Board approved 25 open enrollment seats at the 4K level, bringing the total number of new 4K regular education seats for 2026-2027 to 31.
2:01:32 — Approval of Revised School Resource Officer (SRO) Contract
The Board approved a revised SRO Memo of Understanding with the City of Middleton that provides SRO availability year-round.
Under the new agreement, SROs will be assigned to the District year-round. This reflects the District’s commitment to campus safety, more opportunities for summer youth engagement, coverage of summer school programs, and assisting the District’s Safety and Security Coordinator with safety improvements. The new agreement is a three-year term, expiring on June 30, 2029, that provides greater stability for long-term planning.
Click here to read the Memo of Understanding regarding SROs in Middleton schools.
2:06:06 — Approval of Bus Purchases
The Board approved the purchase of three Thomas SAF-T-Liner EFX 82-passenger buses from Nelson’s Bus Service at a price of $157,684 per bus. Aside from the electric bus the District purchased last year, the District has not purchased new buses in the last five years and its fleet is starting to age. The money was budgeted in Fund 46, which is used for capital projects.
The District received bids from three vendors: Nelson’s Bus Service, Ascendance Truck Centers, and WI Bus Sales. The buses from Nelson Bus Service are Thomas buses, which is the majority of the District’s fleet. The buses have proven reliability, and the District Transportation Services team carries many stock parts in inventory, allowing MCPASD to quickly get buses back on the road when service is needed.
2:10:45 — Approval of Independent Hearing Officer for 2026-2027
The Board approved its agreement with an Independent Hearing Officer (IHO) for the 2026-2027 school year. The IHO serves as an independent contractor during expulsion hearings on an as-needed basis throughout the school year. The District will pay the IHO $1,500 for each expulsion they hear and decide.
Read the full agreement here.
Next Board Meeting
The Board of Education’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the District Services Center at 7106 South Ave. in Middleton.
Click this link for the most recent expanded agenda/past agendas/minutes.
Directions to access agendas and minutes:
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Select “meetings.”
On the left-hand side, you will see a display of all of the meetings.
Select your desired meeting.
Once you have selected the meeting, select “view agenda” or “view minutes.”