Our Kids Deserve Better

Why The School Board Seeks To Improve Our Facilities

Since our November 8, 2016 referendum, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many District stakeholders regarding the status of our facilities.  This is not a new conversation to me.  It’s one that I’ve been honored and humbled to participate in since I co-chaired the Citizens High School Design Team ten years ago.  Many significant needs were identified then but a challenged global economy caused us, understandably, to postpone addressing them.  Those needs have not magically gone away nor have they become any less expensive to fix.

While the Board of Education members and I are extremely grateful for all the tremendous support we receive for our schools, including the recent passage of a $2.5 million dollar operational referendum to maintain and expand existing programs, we remain at a point where “Our Kids Deserve Better”.

Speaking with students, staff members, parents, and many other District stakeholders, has given clarity to these issues. Here are some of my beliefs that are shared by many of us on our school board and many others throughout our community:

 Our Kids Deserve Better Classrooms; classrooms that have enough room to accommodate modern, flexible learning spaces.

Our High School Science Students Deserve Better Labs; labs where they are not hampered by extremely limited space and 50 year old lab fixtures & equipment. How many of us use a 50 year old phone or television?

Our High School Students Deserve Better Learning Space Options; options other than seeking space in hallways to complete group work because their classrooms are inadequately sized. This happens in nearly every type of class.  There are no free classroom or other spaces available.

Our High School and Middle School Students Deserve Better Than Closets; students attend some classes in what were storage rooms or closets.

Our Middle School Foreign Language & Band Students Deserve Better Than Sharing Space; causing them to use instructional time to assemble or disassemble furniture to use the only room available (band set-up & classroom set-up are very different configurations).

Our High School Students Deserve Better Corridors; student traffic when classes pass cause our kids to be herded through very narrow hallways that were designed for a student body half the size of our current 1,100.

East Elementary Students Deserve Better Than A Small Basement Room With Limited Accessibility; where learning to play an instrument means they have to kneel on a carpet as the room isn’t large enough for chairs.

Our High School Track Participants Deserve Better Than Always Having To Travel To Events;  track team members have no option but to use a track in such disrepair that they cannot host even one track meet this year.

Our Students & Staff Deserve Better Than To Be Denied; many are denied opportunities to learn, practice, play, or perform because of the status of our current school facilities.

Our School & Community Swim Participants Deserve Better than for us to have to consider eliminating a vibrant & robust school and community swimming program because the current 50 year old pool can no longer be repaired.

Our Students, Staff Members, and Visitors with Compromised Physical Abilities Deserve Better than to be challenged in using our bathrooms because they are not handicap accessible.

Our Students, Parents, & Families Deserve Better than to always have no option but to travel when students are competing at conference and regional events because our pool and gymnasium lack the required space.

Because Our Students Deserve Better, the Board of Education and I are continuing our conversations regarding a potential future facilities referendum.  Our goal is to continue to explore partnerships and solutions that would make our facilities better at a cost that would be as affordable as possible for all.  We believe Milton’s students, staff, and all District stakeholders throughout our community deserve that consideration.  We continue to seek ways that, together, we can right some of these issues because Milton Kids Deserve Better.

If you have thoughts on how we may be able to best accomplish that, my fellow Board members and I would love to hear from you. Our e-mail addresses and phone numbers are at: http://www.milton.k12.wi.us/

OPPORTUNITY, ACHIEVEMENT, COMMUNITY – together we can make it happen.

Jon Cruzan

President, School District of Milton Board of Education

Music In Our Schools

Last Wednesday, the first of March, I was privileged to attend a special event at the Capitol in Madison. Milton’s own, Justin Kamp, general music teacher for Harmony & Northside, took advantage of a special opportunity to have Milton kids showcased in a very moving, and meaningful event.

March is Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM). As part of this state-wide celebration, choirs from schools around our state, submit their names for selection to perform at the Capitol. Justin became aware of this opportunity but he did more than become aware. He initiated and followed-through on the steps to have the Harmony third grade singers considered as performers. This meant extra work and preparation on his part. It meant hard work and rehearsal. It meant coordination and logistics. All in all a lot of extra time and effort. The result – our Harmony third graders were selected as the first choir to perform this year.

But, taking nothing away from Justin, this is not an exception for Milton teachers. I have found that our Red Hawk staff members consistently go above and beyond to create extraordinary Opportunities for our kids. Thank you, Justin. Your energy and enthusiasm is a joy to watch as you direct our kids. No wonder they performed so well. What a role model! Thank you for large numbers of parents and community members who drove to Madison to listen. Mike George, the representative from the Music Association made the comment that this was the first time a choir brought its entire audience with them. Milton families and parents are great.

For these kids, this trip was so much more than performing in the Capitol. They also enjoyed a guided tour of this beautiful building and, thanks to 43^rd Assemblyman – Milton’s Don Vruwink – were able to actually sit in the Assembly Chambers.

I was pleased to accept the invitation to attend and was excited to get the special concert shirt. I joined the kids for lunch in the lower level of the Capitol and then had the privilege of reading to them to help them quiet, focus, and prepare for their time on the risers. Principal Jon Lyon, (all six foot whatever of him) had their undivided attention as he reminded them of their preparation, their hard work, and that they were representing Harmony and their community the Red Hawk Way. He made me want to get on the risers and sing with them.

Then it was quiet, anticipatory, single file up the stairs to the rotunda, coming out in front of lots & lots of people. WOW, what an experience! There were our kids, all dressed in their red shirts, filling the risers with their bodies and then the Capitol with their song.

One of their selections was a song especially written for Music In Our Schools Month. What a message for all of us.

“If you sing and I sing, the world will sing along.

The music will move us, and help us get along.

I can sing for you. You can sing for me. We can write a perfect melody. Singing makes us strong. We feel like we belong. Together we can write a brand new song.

We will do our part. Music is the start. We can find the perfect harmony. Come and sing along, and sing out proud and strong. Together we can write a brand new song.

We can change the world, if we just write a brand new song.”

Here's a link - https://youtu.be/RWvQuKjC_VU

Once again our kids say it best. What a lesson for all of us.

OPPORTUNITY, ACHIEVEMENT, COMMUNITY – clearly robust & active!

Jon Cruzan

President, School District of Milton Board of Education