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.
2:51 — Superintendent’s Report
In her Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Dana Monogue began by thanking all staff involved in MCPASD’s 2026 Summer Session program, which expanded this year to serve hundreds of students across grade levels. She gave special thanks to Summer School and Community Outreach Coordinator Amy Schernecker, whose efforts supported continued learning and enrichment opportunities for our students.
Dr. Monogue also shared well wishes for the students and staff involved in fall sports and activities, many of which are beginning practice this week. In addition, she shared excitement about welcoming more than 60 new educators to MCPASD during the District’s New Educator Induction event on Aug. 17.
6:38 — Communications Update
Director of Information and Public Relations Shannon Valladolid and Public Relations Specialist Carrie Brooker shared an update on Communications Team initiatives that support the District's strategic goals, including proactive communications, community engagement, media relations, crisis communications, branding, video production, and family outreach.
Over the past year, the Communications Team strengthened relationships with local, regional, and national media outlets by proactively sharing positive stories about students, staff, and schools. This resulted in more than 130 earned media stories across print, digital, television, and radio outlets. The team also hosted the District’s first Media Tour, which gave reporters behind-the-scenes access to classrooms and facilities. Strong relationships with the media allow the District to quickly address potential inaccuracies within stories and emerging situations.
The Communications Team also increased its support of annual crisis communications for schools from 30 to nearly 80 messages; this does not reflect an increase in situations, but improvements to District-wide communication practices. This support allows building leadership to focus their attention on the situation while the Communications Team shares timely updates with families.
In addition, the Communications Team expanded community engagement opportunities through initiatives including the monthly Superintendent’s Update video series, increased digital storytelling and multilingual communications, as well as support of the student recognition program with A Cardinal’s Journey Awards, which will expand to include staff in 2026-27
Website and digital communications are a key part of the team’s work, including the ongoing support of all 13 District websites, updates to key webpages, training of school website administrators, and preparation for websites to be in compliance with the federal ADA accessibility standards by the April 2028 deadline. Two new initiatives that the team launched in the past year include:
The digital Community Compass newsletter, which provides monthly updates for residents, taxpayers, alumni, and community members to stay engaged and informed with key issues and programs impacting the District. The newsletter garnered nearly 5,000 views since its November 2025 launch.
A student content creators pilot program, which gave Middleton High School students the opportunity to create and share social media content for MCPASD.
The Communications Team continued to strengthen the District’s brand with initiatives including a student-led committee to refresh the MCPASD logo, expanded mascot logo development, the creation of school and District apparel stores with branded merchandise, and updated branding guidelines and resources that help staff and schools maintain a consistent visual identity.
The team also strengthened partnerships with local realtors, businesses, and community partners through special events, sponsorships, and presentations to increase awareness of MCPASD.
Interpretation and translation services expanded and continued to support multilingual families and their equitable access to District information and opportunities. These services provide translation for a large portion of the District’s written, digital, and video communications, as well as interpretation services during IEP meetings and community engagement events. A new school-based interpreter program has increased the number of staff available to provide interpretation during IEP meetings.
Several new projects are also underway, including the implementation of a universal family communication platform, Apptegy Rooms, to comply with a new Wisconsin law on grooming prevention; the Operational Referendum Roadmap to educate and engage community members and staff; and the Radiance Award for Distinguished Alumni, which will recognize alumni who embody the spirit of A Cardinal’s Journey and inspire current and future generations of students.
39:42 — Enrollment Update
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jerrud Rossing reviewed updated enrollment numbers for the 2026–27 school year. There were enrollment increases and declines across grade levels throughout MCPASD schools.
The overall observed changes between the July 13, 2026, Board of Education update and the Aug. 10, 2026, meeting were as follows:
4K/Early Learning Center: Increase of 7 students
Elm Lawn Elementary School: Increase of 1 student
Northside Elementary School: Increase of 4 students
Park Elementary School: Decrease of 1 student
Pope Farm Elementary School: Increase of 7 students
Sauk Trail Elementary School: Increase of 3 students
Sunset Ridge Elementary School: No change
West Middleton Elementary School: Increase of 3 students
Glacier Creek Middle School: Increase of 6 students
Kromrey Middle School: Increase of 9 students
Clark Street Community School: Increase of 2 students
Middleton High School: Increase of 8 students
To view the full enrollment update, click here. MCPASD will continue to monitor enrollment numbers throughout the summer.
47:26 — Approval of District Library Plan
The Board approved the District Library Plan for 2026–2028, as required by state law. MCPASD’s 10 Library Media Specialists (LMS) created the plan, which establishes a Future Ready Library Framework.
The District’s LMS team works to further the District’s mission and vision and support learners with written and digital resources that encourage their literacy and critical thinking skills. The Future-Ready Framework is divided into seven “wedges,” all of which are focused on learner centered literacy. The LMS team evaluated areas of strength and areas for growth in each of the wedges:
Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
Personalized Professional Learning
Robust Infrastructure
Budget & Resources
Community Partnerships
Data & Privacy
Use of Space & Time
Program highlights from the wedges include engaging students and staff by collaborating on research projects and activities, creating video tutorials and other trainings on use of library resources, maintaining a strong partnership with MCPASD Technology Services, strategically managing Common School Funds to purchase diverse learning materials, collaborating with local public libraries, engaging in professional learning about online safety, curating supportive library spaces, and more.
The LMS team’s plans for improvement include gathering student and staff input on resources, promoting library resources for staff, reviewing the Digital Citizenship curriculum, working with Technology Services to help families with Internet access, pursuing literacy enrichment initiatives, connecting with local experts to share expertise with students, training in privacy laws and appropriate use of generative Artificial Intelligence, enhancing makerspace programs, and more.
The Library Plan will be revisited every two years for approval by the Board of Education, before it is submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
48:33 — Approval of Resolution Authorizing the School District Budget to Exceed Revenue Limit for Four Years for Non-Recurring Purposes
Board members continued discussion of an operational referendum for the November 2026 ballot, considering nonrecurring referendum scenarios that reflected community feedback from the May 2026 community survey.
The referendum that voters approved in 2022 will expire at the end of the 2026–27 school year. Because of funding from the 2022 referendum, MCPASD has been able to maintain low class sizes that are near the average for Dane County, attract and retain high-quality staff through competitive compensation, and provide excellent educational and co-curricular opportunities.
Because this funding authority is about to expire, the District cannot continue to collect these funds without a new referendum. In order to sustain MCPASD’s excellence, the Board is considering a new four-year, nonrecurring operational referendum question for the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. In each referendum scenario, MCPASD would still need to make budget reductions.
The Board engaged in closer review and discussion of Options 5 and 6:
Option 5 would allow the District’s budget to exceed the revenue limit by $24.9 million in 2027–28 (Year 1), $27.9 million in 2028–29 (Year 2), $31.1 million in 2029–30 (Year 3), and $34.6 million in 2030–31 (Year 4). Option 5 would have a total estimated property tax increase of $237 per $100,000 of property value over the four years. It would also require the District to reduce its budget by approximately $5 million over the four-year period.
Option 6 would allow the District’s budget to exceed the revenue limit by $24.9 million in 2027–28 (Year 1) and 2028–29 (Year 2), $28 million in 2029–30 (Year 3), and $31.3 million in 2030–31 (Year 4). Option 6 would have a total estimated property tax increase of $209 per $100,00 of property value over the four years. It would also require the District to reduce its budget by approximately $8.2 million over the four-year period.
The Board unanimously approved the Option 5 resolution, noting that it would require the least amount of budget reductions while preserving the high-quality educational opportunities that our students and families value. Learn more about the decision on MCPASD’s Referendum 2026 webpage.
1:00:25 — Approval of Resolution Providing for a Referendum Election on the Question of the Approval of a Resolution Authorizing the School District Budget to Exceed Revenue Limit for Four Years for Non-Recurring Purposes
Following the Board’s unanimous approval of the Option 5 resolution to exceed the revenue limit for a non-recurring, four-year period between 2027–28 and 2030–31, Board members voted unanimously to approve the placement of an operational referendum question on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. Voters will see the following language on the ballot:
"Shall the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, Dane County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $24,900,000 for the 2027-2028 school year, by $27,900,000 for the 2028-2029 school year, by $31,100,000 for the 2029-2030 school year and by $34,600,000 for the 2030-2031 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of expenses related to ongoing educational and extracurricular programming, and compensation, and other operational expenses?"
If voters do not approve the referendum, MCPASD would have to make approximately $24.9 million in budget cuts beginning in 2027–28.
All polling places will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026). To learn how to register to vote and find your polling location, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website.
Next Board Meeting
The Board of Education’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the District Services Center at 7106 South Ave. in Middleton.
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