WASB Connection Podcast

After serving as the starting quarterback for Brigham Young University, Sean Covey started being invited to speak to children.

He spoke at hundreds of schools, and the time he spent around kids and teens gave him an idea of the challenges they were going through.

Sean would go on to write about schools and children, including the bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.”

After a career-ending injury, Sean joined the leadership company FranklinCovey, where he’s spent the past 29 years.

Sean is a keynote speaker at the 2024 State Education Convention, and this episode features a conversation between Sean and Dustin Odham, a FranklinCovey colleague.

Most of the discussion focuses on transforming schools through educational leadership. They talk about how to focus on big goals, the use of scoreboards, accountability and much more.

This month's episode of the podcast features an interview between 2024 State Education Convention keynote John Quiñones and Michael Lyons, an author and speaker based in the Philadelphia area.

They spoke in 2020 about John’s story, including how he went from a childhood of farm labor to the heights of broadcast TV.

They also talk about John's hidden-camera TV show, “What Would You Do,” and why its ethical questions have resonated with viewers.

In this episode, we’ll be helping you see a familiar concept in a new way.

You already understand what school board accountability means, but we'll go in-depth on what this means in practice — and it's about more than dollars and cents.

We’ll talk with Stratford Board President Chris Dickinson and WASB consultant George Steffen about the different types of accountability.

The Renew Our Schools Energy Challenge, sponsored by two Wisconsin organizations, asks students to measure their schools' energy use and find ways to reduce it.

It’s a way for kids to learn by doing while helping their schools save money.

We'll learn about that program and how your district can join. We'll hear from Oconomowoc students who participated, their teacher and a program manager from a sponsoring organization, Focus on Energy.

It’s not too late to join in the challenge for the upcoming school year.

A great teacher, we all know, can change the course of a child’s life. The same is true of school board members, as well. They have a different role, but the choices school board members make can help their district’s students reach their potential.

So, how does that happen? The work of a school board to deliver a quality education to all children is called governance, and that's the focus of this month's episode.

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has created a new framework to help school board members understand quality governance. It’s called the “Essential Elements of Governance,” and it goes into detail about the five crucial areas that research suggests school boards should focus on.

When a school district can’t find a licensed educator, they may hire an unlicensed person with certain conditions. This is commonly referred to as an emergency license, and they also can be used by counselors, social workers, librarians and school administrators.

The number of these licenses has nearly tripled in the past decade, prompting the Wisconsin Policy Forum to investigate. 

This episode features a conversation with the researcher who looked into this issue. These licenses aren't necessarily a problem, but they could signal deeper issues. We talk about the kinds of questions school board members should ask about emergency licenses. 

In addition, a new group of Wisconsin school board members sill soon take office. The WASB hosts New School Board Member Gatherings in April, and we talk to Member Services Director Ben Niehaus about why these complimentary meetings are worthwhile for new members.

Wisconsin lawmakers are creating the next two-year budget. It will have a major impact on the opportunities school districts can offer their students.

This month, we hear from the WASB government relations team — Dan Rossmiller and Chris Kulow — about what’s happening in Madison and how education leaders can contribute to the conversation.

We’ll start by getting you caught up on the budget essentials so you can have informed discussions with decision makers.

It’s getting more and more difficult to find and keep referees for youth sports. And without refs, kids can’t play.

Today, we talk to two women who are at the center of Wisconsin's effort to recruit and retain these officials. They are Kate Peterson Abiad, assistant director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, and Ashley Ingish, a physical education and health teacher and head volleyball coach at Waterford High School.

Have you ever struggled to persuade colleagues to see things your way? Has your hand ever hovered over the "send" key after you finish a difficult email? Or maybe you've been challenged to find the right words with a fellow school board member. 

Sarita Maybin may be able to help.

David Horsager believes that successful people, companies, schools and other institutions have one thing in common: they’re trusted. And when they struggle, he believes a lack of trust is usually the root cause.

Every fall, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards travels around the state to provide an update to members and give them an opportunity to share a meal.

Fall Regional Meetings are once again underway. This month’s episode is a mini-regional meeting in podcast form. We’ll start by taking a few minutes with our executive director, John Ashley, to talk about fall colors, supper clubs, member visits and other reasons these events are special for him.

Legislative updates have long been part of regional meetings. We’ll also hear a legislative update — including a peak into discussions around the next two-year state budget — from government relations staff Dan Rossmiller and Chris Kulow.

Finally, before each Fall Regional Meeting a WASB attorney will lead a workshop on running effective board meetings. We’ll hear from Associate Executive Director and Staff Counsel Bob Butler about why that’s an important topic and give you some tips to bring to your board.

Plenty of students want to serve as educators. But they face challenges, not the least of which include negative reactions from their friends and family.

A Mauston teacher is working toward a solution. She's encouraging students to pursue education careers through Educators Rising, a national group that guides young people on a path from high school through college and into their teaching careers.

In this episode, we speak with Leah Luke, the Wisconsin coordinator for Educators Rising, and Erin, a recent Mauston graduate and Educators Rising member, about encouraging students to explore education careers. We’ll talk about the role of board members in helping solve the teacher shortage, as well as how to start an Educators Rising chapter in your district.

School boards spend a lot of time continuously improving their school district. But they may not devote as much time to understanding their own strengths and weaknesses. 

In this episode we discuss the Annual Board Development Tool with Shelley Burns, board president at Mequon-Thiensville, and Rob DeMeuse, research director at School Perceptions. The complimentary online survey is designed to help boards identify their areas of strength as well as where further discussion is needed. 

Wisconsin school districts have or will receive almost $2.4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds. They’re using this one-time money to purchase technology, directly respond to the pandemic and adapt in the long term.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently released a report offering the first statewide snapshot of how district leaders have used these dollars.

In this episode, we discuss this report with Sara Shaw, senior education and policy researcher at the forum, and Dan Rossmiller, WASB director of government relations.

Our latest episode tackles two topics: practical and legal ways to use social media along with an update on the recently concluded legislative session. 

We've included highlights from the student music performances, general sessions and keynote speakers. We also asked attendees — presenters, students, education leaders and exhibitors — about why they come to the convention. 

School boards govern their districts in partnership with a superintendent. Each person understanding their role is a key part of the team working effectively. 

We talk to Mary Pfeiffer, Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year and superintendent of the Neenah Joint School District, about the challenges and opportunities faced by these leadership teams. 

We talk about her background, common stumbling points and why it may help to get to know each other on a personal level. 

Ravi Hutheesing is no stranger to change. As life threw him curve balls, he pivoted from rockstar to aviator to cultural diplomat.

He believes children of the future will increasingly have to make pivots of their own, a message he's bringing as a keynote speaker at the 2022 Wisconsin State Education Convention.

In this episode, we talk through Ravi's fascinating career and the role education can play in preparing children to catch opportunities and recover from setbacks. He breaks that preparation into four themes:

• inspire curiosity
• recognize and nurture talent,
• provoke critical thinking
• foster communication

School boards meet to conduct business. At the same time, these meetings are a chance for the public to weigh in.

Balancing these aims isn't always easy during tumultuous times. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards in October held a three-part webinar series about managing challenging school board meetings. 

This bonus episode is comprised of the second of those webinars, which addresses holding school board meetings. It includes a conversation among WASB Associate Executive Director and Staff Counsel Bob Butler and WASB consultants Dan Nerad and Louise Blankenheim, both former superintendents.

With the help of the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, we assembled a group of experts in school finance to talk about federal COVID relief funds and preK-12 education. We discuss how this money can be spent as well as some best practices and mistakes to avoid. 

We know good teachers and good principals help kids learn. We talk about how school board-superintendent teams can have the same effect.

Retired superintendents and WASB consultants Dan Nerad and Fran Finco break down effective governance. We talk about the parts of effective governance and the mindsets that underlie it all. 

To understand culturally responsive teaching, we went to a school district that sees this practice as a core part of its mission.

 Dr. Larry Ouimette is administrator of the Lac du Flambeau School District, a majority American Indian rural district in northern Wisconsin.

Elmbrook Schools are in one of the most competitive education markets in the state, so communications that engage and build relationships with employees and families are critical. 

The district led a popular State Education Convention session on engagement, and we sat down with Chris Thompson, the district's chief strategy officer, to talk about the ideas, events and approaches that work for them.

This episode is a conversation with Louise Wilson, state school nurse and health services consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Instruction. We discuss what we've learned about COVID, vaccine rollout and more.

We also discuss plenty of resources to stay informed:

Given the fast pace of news in Madison and Washington, D.C., this episode will be an update on education news at the state and federal levels.

We discuss how the latest COVID-19 relief money is being given to schools, vaccines and more.

This episode features conversations with three of Wisconsin's teachers of the year. 

• Trisha Kilpin, Greendale School District, school social worker.
  
• Derrick Meyer, Amery High School, School District of Amery, agriscience and driver’s education teacher.
  
• Susan Richardson, Milwaukee German Immersion School, Milwaukee Public Schools, third grade teacher.

Title IX, the federal anti-sex discrimination law, is undergoing major changes that affect virtually every school district in the country.

In this episode, we spoke with two WASB attorneys about the changes: Associate Executive Director and Staff Counsel Bob Butler and Staff Counsel Dan Mallin. 

This episode features interviews with three school board members of color, in order: Marilyn Ruffin of Sun Prairie, Gloria Reyes of Madison and Tricia Zunker of Wausau.

New school board members often face a steep learning curve. This episode includes three conversations meant to help new members find their footing. 

Episode 4 of the WASB Connection Podcast focuses on how districts are addressing the teacher shortage by making their districts better places to work. 

This episode features conversations with two Wisconsin State Education Convention speakers. 

We would like to thank the Texas Association of School Boards, Georgia School Boards Association, Tennessee School Boards Association and the Michigan Association of School Boards for their advice and encouragement as we started this podcast. If you are interested in educational issues, we encourage you to listen to their podcasts, too.