Teacher / Student Relationships Matter - A Lot

Greetings!

We have many special events throughout the year @oostburgschools, and one at the top of my list is always the spring Voice and Jazz concert. Taking place at the UW-Sheboygan Campus for many years, last year the event was moved back to OHS and expanded to include a meal, dinner music and entertainment. Due to large crowds and high interest, this year's program added a second date making this a two evening event.

The concert performances caused me to reflect on the ground-breaking education meta-analysis completed by John Hattie in his book Visible Learning. Hattie lists student-teacher relationships as 11th out of 138 items in terms of impact (effect size) on learning.  The research confirms what most of us know - student-teacher relationships matter a lot.  Simply put, it is tough to have a significant impact on student learning absent the ability to build relationships.  Our spring vocal / jazz performances provided a lot of evidence of those relationships.

The relationship piece really comes through each year as Mrs. Mueller and Mrs. Howell participate with a short kit during the performance. This year's contribution included a parody of the popular theme song from the movie Frozen.  Take a few minutes to click on the Youtube link below to see that segment of the evening.  In addition to our choir and band director dressing up and singing, you will also notice three special accompanist in the background.  On drums you will see Mrs. Howell's husband. On base guitar you will see her dad, and on keyboard her uncle.

There are many examples from staff members across our district which demonstrate that teaching is much more than simply what they do....it really is a large part of who they are.  In many cases teaching is a family endeavor where spouses and children chip in as our teachers invest in the young people of our community. The Vocal / Jazz concert is a perfect example of what is right in education: students  partnering with their teachers as they take on challenging work together - definitely a night to be proud of!

The "Frozen" parody is about 8 minutes long but you can skip in to the 4 minute mark to get to the actual singing. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9pkZkT_2N8&list=PLME6pRteSNHizwuYrEnju8BhO4Y_Ytt7u&sns=em

Kevin

Nothing Like a Good Book!

Greetings!

Reading and biking are two of my favorite things to do for relaxation.  I thoroughly enjoy reading books on leadership and human behavior and then discussing those books with friends and colleagues. Biking provides a very different outlet, but one that like reading, shapes who I am.  The obvious connection is that when I bike a lot my shape tends to be slightly more narrow and when I bike a little things widen!  Reading is just the opposite since when I read a lot my perspective widens, and when I read a little my perspective can narrow.

Several of the books I have read in the past few years have had a powerful impact on shaping who I am as a father, husband and educator.  Some of my favorites which I would highly recommend, include, A Leader's Legacy by Kouzes and Posner, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads, and Leaders of Learning by DuFour and Marzanno.  I am currently reading Shifting the Monkey by Todd Whitaker and looking forward to reading Fully Charged? by Tom Rath.

Fully Charged caught my interest as it looks at research around three things which matter most in daily fulfillment.  The book just arrived from Amazon, and I could not resist taking a sneak-peek inside.  The first chapter has already caught my interest as the author lists what he believes research shows as the keys to fully charged days. His list includes:

• Meaning: doing something that benefits another person
• Interactions: creating far more positive than negative moments
• Energy: making choices which improve your mental and physical health

Our District goals have a strong literacy focus and sharing the value and importance of reading with our students is a daily emphasis across all levels and in all departments. Whether we are reading a set of technical drawings in tech ed class, interpreting an artist's critique, or reading a novel in English, the impact which comes from strong literacy skills is pervasive.

Research clearly shows that one of the most powerful ways to grow the reading potential of young readers is through our example.  I hope you have the opportunity to experience and model the power of reading to your children.

Have a great week!

Kevin

Thank You Teachers!

Greetings!

May 4-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week and I would like share my appreciation for the teachers across the Oostburg School District for making our District unique.  We are unique in having unusual levels of student achievement, ranking #1 out of all area schools on the most recent state report cards. We are unique in having tremendous extracurricular programming which consistently performs at measurably high levels, and I believe we are unique in our ability to blend tradition with growth and improvement focused on fulfilling our mission to ensure all students graduate ready to be positive and productive contributors to society and the world.

Our unique qualities don't happen by accident. They occur in large part due to the expertise and commitment of our teachers.  Visible Learning, John Hattie's ground-breaking work on education research, lists teacher credibility as one of the top influences on student achievement. According to Hattie, "Teacher credibility is vital to learning, and students are very perceptive about knowing which teachers can make a difference.  There are four key factors of credibility: trust, competence, dynamism and immediacy." (http://visible-learning.org/glossary/#4_Teacher_credibility).  Hattie emphasizes that, "If a teacher is not perceived as credible, the students just turn off."

We are blessed to have teachers who have earned their credibility largely by modeling the learning they expect from their students. A few of the areas which stand out to me include the large amount of reading our teachers do and the education-focused professional learning networks in which they participate. It is fair to say that for many of our teachers, teaching is not only what they do, it is a large part of who they are. When teachers love to learn, grow, and improve, they provide an example which builds the credibility Hattie talks about in his research.

As we approach Teacher Appreciation Week I encourage you to join me in thanking our teachers for the investment they make in our children.  The power of a short note of appreciation or even the traditional "apple for the teacher" can go a long way in letting our teachers know how much we value their work.  In case the note or apple don't work for you the following link provides some additional thank you options: http://teaching.about.com/od/ParentalInvolvement/fl/Twenty-Five-Ways-to-Say-Thank-You-to-Teachers.htm

Make this a great day!

Kevin Bruggink

Badgers Model Growth Mindset

Greetings!

I hope you enjoyed watching @BadgerMBB as much as I have this season.  Although they came up a little short in the championship, it certainly has been an enjoyable ride for much of the state.  This Badger team was special in many ways, and it was obvious that they were more than the collective sum of their parts.  This group of young men truly defined team and modeled characteristics that we hope to display as a school district.

Our Badgers were disciplined and silly, trusting and individually confident, tough and kind. They epitomized a few really important qualities which we work hard to value as a school. First, they seemed to recognize that things don't have to be "this or that." They reminded us that things which may seem contradictory can have the power to compliment one another.  The politics of education can at times struggle to find that balance and often misses out on opportunities where common ground and collaboration compliment each other in our work growing students.  We hope that our efforts as a school contribute to partnerships where things that may seem opposite, come together in magical ways.  The diversity in our student body definitely provides fertile ground as we work to apply this principle.

Although this Badger team was a unique combination of often conflicting characteristics, they were also extremely focused on being great. Watching them and learning about their journey - particularly the journey of players like @JPGasser21 (Josh Gasser) and @FSKPart3 (Frank Kaminsky) - provided clear evidence of their belief that growth and improvement was something they owned.  Team members demonstrated a belief that their abilities were not fixed, but malleable.  They were improvement focused.  As your school we hope we embrace that Badger quality as well.  We want to be a school where students and adults see knowledge and abilities as something that can be changed, not as some fixed set of assets which some individuals possess and others do not.

Badger center Frank Kaminsky went from a sophomore bench regular to consensus National Player of the Year, and we can make the same giant steps with our personal growth and the impact we have on students. We have a desire to mirror Kaminsky's growth mindset in our work as a school district.  At times we may fall short of that goal, just as the Badgers fell a bit short last night. We hope that when we fall short we display the class our Badgers displayed and that we see each obstacle as simply another opportunity to get better.

Thanks to @BadgerMBB for sharing your journey with us!

Kevin Bruggink

Solo & Ensemble

Greetings!

Our annual sole & ensemble music festival was hosted in Random Lake this past weekend, and the diverse representation from @oostburgschools was another reminder that big is not always better.  Our District is large enough to provide a variety of offerings yet small enough that students can participate in diverse areas of interest.  I was able to watch the starting center on our basketball team show his talents in a male choir which qualified for state competition.  A little later our champion heavy weight wrestler and starting football lineman played his saxophone in multiple events.  It is neat to know that Oostburg students don't have to limit themselves to one area but can explore a variety of interests. Throughout the day, I sat back and enjoyed solos and ensembles as our students stretched themselves in front of judges and audience members.

The day reminded me of my high school years when I would pray that the room where my solo & ensemble event was scheduled would not have anyone other than the judge and my accompanist.  I watched with empathy and interest as our students stepped up to the challenge in rooms with both large and small audiences.  I was impressed with the maturity displayed by our students as they accepted feedback from their judge, particularly when a performance may not have gone as well as they had hoped.  I smiled along with our students, as in many cases their music reflected their personalities but in some cases showed sides we seldom see outside of their musical performances.

During the course of a school year I am fortunate to be able to attend a variety of student events.  Solo & ensemble is one of my favorites.  The opportunity to see such a diverse collection of talents on one day is, in my opinion, unmatched.  Thanks to each of our student participants and to Mrs. Mueller and Mrs. Howell for the work they put into preparing for music festival. Best of luck to those who qualified for state competition.  We are fortunate to live in a community blessed with musical abilities which we can nurture through strong school programming.

Make this a great week!

Kevin Bruggink

School Revenue Limits

Greetings,

Thank you to those who have posed questions related to my recent school funding related blog posts. Several of those questions have centered on the topic of revenue limits so I would like to explain how those limits work and how they impact finances in the Oostburg School District.  The graph below was included in my last blog and compares revenue limits for Central Lakeshore Conference schools along with Nicolet HS.  Limits on school revenue were put in place in 1993 with the District-specific limit determined based on spending from the prior school year.  Oostburg's revenue limit is one of the lowest in the Wisconsin based primarily on the fact that our per pupil spending was very low in the '92-'93 school year.  The graph shows that Nicolet HS was on the other extreme with very high per pupil spending in '92-'93.  That resulted in a very high revenue limit per student for Nicolet and a low limit for OSD.  From '04-'11 revenue limits have increased by approximately $250 per year to account for inflationary cost increases (fuel costs, insurance, etc.).  Between '11-'15 revenue limits have decreased just under $500 per student.

School revenue is comprised of two primary funding sources: our local tax levy and state aid to public education (called equalization aid).  The amount of equalization aid a District receives is directly related to the overall District property value.  For example, Kohler and Elkhart Lake have high property values so they receive little state aid.  With moderate property values Oostburg receives about 53% of its revenue from state equalization aid and 47% from our local tax levy.  If our property values would decrease more than other areas of the state, our state equalization aid percent would increase.

Although we have a low revenue limit ceiling, we are one of a small number of Districts that actually operates under our revenue limit. In other words, we could increase our local tax levy more than what we have and still be below state-imposed limits.  Very few schools operate under their revenue limit and as an example, Random Lake increased their local tax levy by 8% last year keeping them at their revenue limit.  We increased our levy 2% and remained almost 6% under our revenue limit. (see previous blog for info regarding our local levy increase since '08-'09)

Our community survey data (http://oostburg.k12.wi.us/pdfs/Oostburg_2013_Survey_Report.pdf)  from last fall provided solid feedback in the area of school funding.  The graph below summarizes survey results which show that a majority of respondents favored funding OSD at levels at least comparable to our conference schools.  The graph above shows that revenue limits prevent comparable levels of funding.  Again referring to the graph above and assuming a similar approximate population of 1000 students, Random Lake receives over $500,000 per year in revenue beyond that which is available to OSD. That number doubles to over $1,000,000 in additional annual revenue when considering the Ozaukee School District.

Survey respondents also clearly indicated that they view OSD as a strong asset, bringing value to our community.  Our ranking as the top academic District in the area (see 2014 State School Report Card results and my 9/29/14 blog entry) combined with our efficient use of taxpayer resources affirms that perspective. I welcome your continued interest in the work of our District as we partner together to serve the young people in our community.

Kevin

Tax Levy and Voucher Costs

Greetings!

Thank you to those who have contacted me with questions regarding how Governor Walker's budget will impact the Oostburg School District and specifically how the expansion of the voucher program could impact us.  There is a significant amount of misunderstanding and misinformation around these topics, and my intent with the last blog entry was to focus on facts which may be important as you consider how our schools will be affected.

My conversations with several of you led me to believe that some specific examples may be helpful in clarifying how @oostburgschools would be affected by the proposed state budget.  The graphs below are a starting place for our discussion. As described in my last blog, our primary revenue sources are state aid (called equalization aid) and our local tax levy.  You can see that our local tax levy has increased significantly less than surrounding schools with the exception of Howards Grove where they have seen a large reduction of 115 students.  The lower graph shows our state-imposed revenue limits, and you can see that we have the lowest revenue limits of our local comparable Districts. I included Nicolet School District in the graph to show the extreme disparity in school funding as Nicolet spends well over twice as much as @oostburgschools.

The graphs demonstrate that our District has been a conservative steward of community resources.  That conservative approach leaves us more susceptible to reductions in state aid.  Let’s consider the following example:

• Should 10 students from OSD receive vouchers, our state aid would be reduced by about $50,000 ($5000 per student is our approximate state aid).
• Unless those students were all in the same grade level we would not be in a position to reduce costs in any significant way.  Losing 1-2 students per grade level does not change our staffing levels or other costs.
• That $50,000 represents approximately 1% of our local tax levy.  Since we have operated conservatively under the revenue limits, the voucher program would put us in a situation to increase the local levy by that 1%.
• The voucher program then becomes a parallel education system drawing financial resources from local communities and the state to pay for private education.

The second reality of the state budget reduces state aid by approximately $150,000 for OSD.  That is the result of Governor Walker’s proposal to eliminate $150 per student in categorical aid (another form of state support for schools).  When you consider that we are the lowest spending District per student in our area, and one of the lowest spending in the state, it is not difficult to recognize that these reductions will have consequences.  

There are other reasons for concern related to voucher expansion, but the focus here is on the financial details as we consider the proposed state budget's impact on education. I encourage you to contact our local legislators and share your concerns regarding cuts to public education and how those cuts will impact our schools and your local taxes.  I would be happy to talk with community members that have additional questions around these important decisions.

Kevin

Cost of Voucher Expansion

Greetings,

Those who follow state politics are likely aware of the focus on school accountability legislation presented by both the State Assembly and Senate.  Recently Sheboygan County Superintendents were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet directly with Fond du Lac Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt, the author of the assembly bill. Personally, I appreciated Representative Thiesfeldt’s willingness to meet with us even though he is not the representative for our assembly district.

Although I have significant concerns regarding a few key provisions in Thiesfeldt’s bill (AB1), I was primarily interested in the rationale for the fast-track timeline of this legislation.  Some discussion had AB1 as a key driver in private school voucher expansion across Wisconsin, so I appreciated Representative Thiesfeldt’s candor as he confirmed that expanding vouchers was part of the rationale behind getting AB1 passed quickly.

There are a variety of perspectives on the appropriateness of the voucher program, but I would like to narrow the focus to the financial implications should vouchers increase as proposed in Governor Walker’s budget.  Let me begin by sharing that the Oostburg School District continues to be one of the lowest spending, highest performing school districts in Wisconsin.  Our combination of financial stewardship and student achievement results provide strong evidence of a very positive return on our community’s investment in children.  Oostburg has been proactive in controlling costs, and our model health care partnership with the community of Oostburg and Oostburg Concrete Products is just one example of how we have been able to make local decisions which benefit stakeholders.

It is important for our community to know that voucher expansion comes with significant financial concerns. Public school funding comes primarily from two sources: state equalization aid and our local tax levy.  State law places revenue limits on schools so the total dollars from state aid and local tax levies may not exceed specific amounts. Almost all school districts in the state operate at their maximum revenue limit. Oostburg is an exception to that and has operated well below our revenue limit for many years as we seek ways to operate efficiently while still ensuring excellent student achievement.  Voucher expansion funds come directly from state equalization aid.  Without large amounts of additional state budget funds directed toward equalization aid, vouchers expansion will mean one of two things: higher local tax levies (to offset the reduction in state aid available) or significant budget cuts. 

Our most recent community survey clearly indicated support for funding the Oostburg School District either at our state-imposed revenue limits or at levels comparable to schools in our region.  As one of the lowest spending districts in the state, we have limited options to reduce expenditures without impacting programs which benefit our students.  The most recent voucher expansion showed that over 70% of students receiving vouchers were already enrolled in private schools.  That is an important point to note, primarily from the perspective that public school costs will not decrease in any substantial way as a result of voucher expansion.  When a small number of students leave our district, our costs typically stay static because a few students leaving across multiple grade levels does not allow us to reduce staff and has a minimal financial impact in other areas. 

As our state faces a serious budget deficit, I am concerned about how vouchers will directly impact education funding that has already been reduced at record levels.  I believe the Oostburg School District has proven itself as a conservative steward of community resources, and voucher expansion will negatively impact Oostburg students.  This letter does not address the serious questions that exist around the academic effectiveness of voucher schools; that is a topic for another time. I do, however, encourage you to check out a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article which provides the numbers on both sides of this debate http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/wisconsin-school-choice-debate-turns-on-the-numbers-b99276610z1-260832971.html.

Our school district respects the solid work being accomplished on behalf of children at our local private schools.  However, expanding the voucher program has large financial implications that many communities are not aware of.  I encourage you to contact your local legislators should you share my concerns regarding the negative impact of voucher expansion on the Oostburg School District.

Sincerely,

Kevin Bruggink

Another Grant Awarded To OSD

Greetings,

Our District recently received some excellent news from The Wisconsin Technology Initiative (@WTIConnect).  WTI awarded @Oostburgschools a third technology grant worth close to $40,000.  This brings our grant total from WTI alone to $133,143 over the past three years.  Grant writing is time intensive, and detail-oriented and our grant success is a direct reflection of efforts from Oostburg Technology Integration Specialist @EdTechErica and Oostburg IT Manager @LucasTAllen.  With the help of OMS staff member Laura Dolfin, this team put together an unprecedented third successful grant.  In addition, a large group of our teachers volunteered a Friday evening and full Saturday earlier this year to attend WTI's fall conference in Stevens Point.  Oostburg had the largest teaching group from our area attending the conference, which not only increased our professional learning, but also contributed positively to how the grant committee views Oostburg Schools.

The technology provided through the WTI grant will expand personalized learning opportunities for students from their earliest experiences in our schools through graduation.  SMART Tables (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIaM6Ul8ZZQ) provided through the grant promote collaborative, 21st century, independent learning, while our second telepresence unit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErQUzLDGJSQ) will allow us to connect with learners across the globe.  These technologies would be challenging to fund through our regular budget and we are grateful for this significant level of support from the Morgridge family as well as the entire WTI community.

As part of our effort to assess the effectiveness of our ongoing work in the area of technology we will be asking parents to complete a short survey regarding technology priorities.  The survey will be conducted through BrightBytes.net.  BrightBytes is a partner focused on using in-depth analysis of actionable data which will help us as we seek to grow learning outcomes.  Parents can expect more information on this survey in the next few weeks, and we sincerely hope you can assist us by providing your feedback.

Make this a great day!

Kevin

Tradition

Hello,

January 10^th was a special night at Oostburg High School as we celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the WIAA State Boy’s Basketball Tournament.  Oostburg has been fortunate to have eight teams qualifying for the state tournament during that time. We honored those teams by inviting them back to their alma mater and introducing them at half time of our game against Sheboygan Christian.  Tradition is a key part of what makes the Oostburg School District unique, and I am thankful for those who have invested heavily in shaping our District as a leader in educational excellence.  Reflecting on our special evening, I find myself thankful for our ability to honor tradition while also focusing forward on our improvement and growth.  I believe that the combination of tradition and growth are often in conflict, yet we find ways to bring those opposites together in a way that helps define who we are as a school and community.

American philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey discussed something similar in 1938:

Traditional vs Progressive Education
However, Dewey (1938) believes neither progressive nor traditional education is the solution to the opposition that exists in educational theory. He proposes that the problems they present require a resolution based on a new philosophy of experience. As long as the assumption exists that it suffices to reject the ideas of traditional education and to go to the opposite extreme to progressive education, the problem at hand will not even be recognized, let alone being resolved.

The Dewey paragraph captures the balance that we believe is important when it states that “neither progressive nor traditional” is the solution.  We live in a time where most arguments seem to quickly degrade to a staunch defense of this or that.  Respected author Jim Collins describes this phenomenon as the “tyranny of or” where we must choose between two seemingly contradictory positions.  Collins dismissed “this or that” and promotes the “genius of and” where he describes the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time while still retaining the ability to function.  We want to be a “genius of and” school where the “tyranny of or” is pushed aside.  We want to embrace our strong traditions while also driving forward to improve and grow.

Oostburg is steeped in tradition yet has a progressive nature, unlike many other small towns.  Our active Chamber of Commerce and incredible number of small and medium-sized businesses provide an example of balancing tradition and progress. They model how to grow and stay ahead of the curve yet still hold true to the values that matter most.  I hope our School District reflects those qualities as we serve children.

Daniel Pink, one of my favorite authors / researchers has a quote which I include in my email signature line: “We need to prepare children for their future, not our past.” This quote is a necessary reminder as I get a bit older and risk being less open to what our students need most to succeed. Saturday’s events also served as a reminder as we brought together a celebrated past and a promising future which should excite us.

Have a great week!

Kevin