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.
2:05 – MCPASD Virtual Art Show
The Board meeting began with a celebration of artwork created by students in grades K-12 for MCPASD’s Virtual Art Show. Photographs of student artwork – including paintings, drawings, sculptures, graphic designs, photographs, and more – were on display in the boardroom. Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue thanked the students for sharing their talents and expressed gratitude for Carrie Stahl, middle school art teacher, and other faculty who planned the art show.
3:07 – A Cardinal’s Journey Award Recognitions
The Board meeting continued with A Cardinal’s Journey Award Recognitions for students who exemplify the Cardinal Foundation of Collaboration.
Each month, the District celebrates students who demonstrate the four Cardinal Mindsets and the four Cardinal Foundations. Students who are strong collaborators work respectfully with others to achieve a common goal. They make meaningful contributions to their groups, build relationships with others, make decisions with their team, and learn from team members while also enriching the learning environment of others.
Awardees:
Sanaa Waraich and Grace Lee (Middleton High School)
Nominated by Eric Engel
In nominating Sanaa and Grace, Eric shared:
“It has been a privilege to collaborate with Sanaa Waraich and Grace Lee over the past two years as they developed a dedicated math tutoring program for our students. What began as a thoughtful 'wondering' during their junior year—identifying a need for greater math support at the middle level—has blossomed into a thriving service. After piloting the program with a single student last year, they have successfully expanded their reach to serve many more this year. Most impressively, they have coordinated every aspect of this initiative while navigating the rigors of their junior and senior years. I am incredibly proud of the initiative they’ve shown, the hurdles they’ve overcome, and the genuine compassion they bring to their students. Sanaa and Grace perfectly embody the spirit of collaboration, and their work has created a lasting, positive impact on our school community.”
Congratulations, Sanaa and Grace!
Tvisha Pundir (Middleton High School)
Nominated by Laurie Wood
Laurie nominated Tvisha and Cate Cassata for their roles as co-presidents of the Best Buddies Club. In the nomination, Laurie shared:
“Tvisha and Cate Cassata are co-presidents for our Best Buddies Club at MHS. Best Buddies is a club that creates one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and development disabilities. Each month, Cate and Tvisha collaborate with one another, other club members and leaders, their club advisors, and our state representative for Best Buddies Club International to create inclusive programming for all. They begin each club meeting with a presentation highlighting our club mission and vision, educational topics regarding Intellectual and Developmental disabilities, and lead engaging activities for all to participate in. They epitomize the qualities of A Cardinal's Journey especially in the area of collaboration and I'm so proud of them! Thank you both for all that you do to support inclusivity and kindness at MHS and in our MCPASD community!”
Congratulations, Tvisha!
Brad Koeller (Middleton High School)
Nominated by Bri Carroll
In nominating Brad, Bri shared:
“Brad consistently shows outstanding collaboration skills through his leadership, environmental advocacy, and ability to truly engage with anybody! As president of the high school’s Green Team, he clearly and passionately communicates complex environmental issues with the goal of inspiring his peers both in and outside of the club, as well as bringing these issues to the attention of MHS and District staff. He frequently facilitates problem-solving and collaborative conversations across diverse groups due to his leadership role. Additionally, Brad is on the city’s Sustainability Committee, which further highlights his ability to collaborate with adults and community stakeholders, share ideas, and represent student voices on a wider scale. Finally, Brad is simply fantastic at communicating his ideas and finding common ground, and he is incredibly driven to use those skills to make a difference.”
Congratulations, Brad!
Cate Cassata and Mallak Gadelhak, additional Collaboration Foundation honorees, will be honored and receive their awards at a future event.
14:55 – Superintendent’s Report
In her Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Monogue shared wishes for a happy and safe Spring Break, which MCPASD will observe from Monday, March 23, through Friday, March 27. She also expressed gratitude for the educators, staff, and families who engaged in conferences recently and made the meetings meaningful for everyone.
In addition, Dr. Monogue highlighted Fine Arts Week 2026 at Middleton High School, happening the week of March 16-20. She shared a message of thanks to all of the faculty involved in coordinating the Fine Arts Week events, which include student and staff showcases and performances, film screenings, and more. Dr. Monogue also encouraged community members to attend the March 19 concert featuring MCPASD students and staff with special guest Mark Wood, the founding violinist of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
17:28 – 4K and Early Childhood Report
4K/Early Childhood Principal Katie Kavanaugh and Special Education Teacher and Interventionist Gina Steele shared the annual report on the 4K/Early Childhood program’s highlights and progress.
They first explained how students at the 4K/EC level are developing the Cardinal Mindsets (Curious, Accountable, Community-Oriented, and Self-Aware) and Cardinal Foundations (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and Adaptability) from A Cardinal’s Journey before entering a traditional elementary classroom. Strategies include building social-emotional foundations, taking turns, helping classmates, putting puzzles together, and more.
Kavanaugh and Steele also shared a breakdown of the two main programs within 4K/Early Childhood:
Four Year Old Kindergarten (4K) Program
The 4K Program is a voluntary, play-based program for students who turn 4 by September 1. The morning and afternoon sessions fit the needs of multiple families. The program also supports inclusivity by integrating co-taught sessions for students with special education needs at the Early Learning Center (ELC).
In addition to the ELC, nine community partner locations also host 4K students and feature DPI-licensed teachers and the MCPASD curriculum.
MCPASD 4K curriculum focuses on skill growth and follows developmentally appropriate play-based standards that are aligned with the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standard (WMELS). Current curriculums used in MCPASD 4K are Creative Curriculum, Heggerty, Second Step, and Handwriting Without Tears. The program also works closely with families to foster strong home and school collaboration.
Special Education Programming (Early Childhood Classroom, Itinerant Special Education Services, and Phonology Class)
Early Childhood Classroom
Supports children ages 3-4 (not 4K eligible age) at the ELC 2-3 times per week and includes special education services and peer models.
Currently serves 40 children (peers and students with disabilities) across the four sections.
Phonology Program
Runs on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for two hours per day.
Focuses on intensive speech therapy for students who qualify for an IEP in the area of phonological speech sound disorder.
74 students ages 3-5 are currently receiving special education services, with 24 more students in the evaluation process. Students are served itinerantly (ELC, homes, childcare or preschool). Leaders have conducted 55 special education evaluations at the 4K/EC level and 23 Monthly Child Find screenings so far in the 2025-26 school year.
School Improvement Plan goals for the 4K/EC level include the implementation of strategies to build oral language development, incorporating Heggerty Pre-K Phonemic Awareness and learning around the Science of Reading into daily skill development, and more. Key performance indicators include academic achievement, social emotional learning, and student and staff engagement.
In addition, excitement is growing for the 4K Full-Day Pilot Program at Northside Elementary School beginning in the 2026-27 school year. The program received 31 applications, and 18 students were selected via lottery placement. The Full-Day Pilot will follow the same play-based curriculum as the half-day program and includes one classroom teacher and one paraprofessional. Overall enrollment in the 4K program is at nearly 300 students for the 2025-26 school year and is consistent with enrollment from 2024-25.
48:50 – Special Education Presentation
Director of Special Education Cindy Malcheski, Special Education Coordinators Jennifer Aney and Adrienne Emerson, and 4K/Early Childhood Principal Katie Kavanaugh shared the annual Special Education report, featuring a general overview of MCPASD Special Education as well as focus areas during the 2025-26 school year.
Leaders shared how special education services are directly connected to A Cardinal’s Journey. For example, the Collaboration Foundation is in the spotlight during the month of March, and programs and groups like Cardinal Pathways, the Best Buddies Club, and the Adaptive Sports League all empower students with disabilities to collaborate with others. The Intensive Support Specialists (ISS) team also supported 14 student teams so far this year.
While MCPASD’s overall student enrollment has declined in recent years, the amount of students with disabilities has grown, highlighting the need for the appropriate budget and staffing levels. MCPASD’s rate of students with disabilities is at 11.7%, which is 4% below the state average. The three largest disability categories seen in the District are Autism, Other Health Impairment, and Speech & Language.
Leaders also shared how the Special Education program is expanding its continuum of services with support from the Intensive Support Specialists team, which is in its second school year, and the Cardinal Pathways program, which is new this school year. Cardinal Pathways is a part-day intensive program housed at Sunset Ridge Elementary School that supports students who need a more restrictive placement.
Additionally, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requires a Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment (PCSA) every five years, and this DPI audit for MCPASD is currently underway.
Staff began the self-assessment by reviewing a random sample of IEPs and evaluations for compliance with state and federal law. They notified families and the DPI of errors that were found, corrected records, developed training materials, and engaged in professional development. Further review will start after April 15, 2026.
Families of students with IEPs also shared feedback in a June 2025 survey that identified areas of strength (accessible IEP meeting times, clear communication, addressing parent concerns and ideas, and more) as well as priority growth areas (home-school learning strategies, community resources, strengthening students’ independence and self-advocacy, and more).
Finally, leaders highlighted professional development opportunities for staff during the 2025-26 school year, which include Behavior & Regulation training, IEP Compliance, De-escalation Strategies, and Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) training. Looking ahead for the rest of this school year, priorities include PCSA Continuation, curriculum alignment in math and reading, and continued ISS expansion with Cardinal Pathways.
1:28:10 – Policy Committee Revisions for Review
Board Policy Committee Members shared proposed revisions to the following Board of Education policies:
I-D.1: Filling Board Vacancies
I-D.5: New Board Member Orientation
I-E.2: Agenda Preparation and Dissemination
I-E.3: Closed Session
I-E.4: Public Participation at Board Meetings
I-E.5: Board Committees
The Board reviewed each of the proposed revisions and will vote on approval for these revisions at the next regular meeting, scheduled for April 13, 2026.
1:32:56 – Funding Proposal Request for Recruitment of the Education Foundation’s Executive Director
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jerrud Rossing and MCPASD Education Foundation Board of Directors Chair John Scherer shared the funding proposal for recruitment of the next MCPASD Education Foundation Executive Director.
The Foundation’s request is for MCPASD to pay $40,000 per year over the next five years (from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2031) as partial funding assistance to hire a new Executive Director on a full-time basis or substantially full-time basis. The Foundation would pay the difference between MCPASD’s contribution and the full hiring cost. Previous Executive Director Amber Kiggens-Leifheit, who retired in October 2025, was hired at 0.5 FTE. The Foundation’s Board will also approve the new Executive Director’s fundraising plan, which will include being able to independently sustain the Executive Director’s compensation within five years.
After review, the Board of Education approved the funding request.
1:46:55 – Approval of Board Meeting Calendar for 2026-2027
The Board reviewed and approved the Board of Education Meeting Calendar for the 2026-2027 school year. This spans from the first regular meeting of next school year on July 13, 2026, and the last regular meeting of next school year on Aug. 23, 2026.
1:47:13 – Approval of Cell Tower Renewal Lease Agreement
The Board approved the Cell Tower renewal lease agreement with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (AT&T). This agreement replaces the previous agreement that was in effect since March 2001.
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