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1.       eCampus Charter Academy – Draft Contract Preview:   Committee members previewed a draft contract for the eventual launch of Watertown’s eCampus Academy K-12 virtual charter school in the fall of 2020.  The contract contains required and recommended benchmarks based Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools guidelines.  The term of the contract would extend through the 2024-25 school year once it is duly executed by the WUSD Board of Education and governance board of the charter school and submitted to the DPI at which point the school will be listed among other virtual charter school throughout the state eligible to accept open enrollments.   A resolution will be drafted for the Board at its December 16 meeting.

2.      Future Ready Technology Plan/Fiber Optic Network Update: An update to the Watertown Collaborative Fiber Optic Network timeline and related Future Ready Technology Plan was presented and discussed.  The Future Ready plan is a strategic vision for the next 4 years highlighting our current and future deployment of technology within the strands of Curriculum/Instruction, Space and Time, Professional Development, Community Partnerships, Budget, Infrastructure, and Data and Privacy.  It is intended to help our schools adapt and prepare in the Digital Age.  A resolution will be drafted for the Board to formally endorse the Future Ready vision, which is part of the Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan.  The fiber optic network is scheduled to be activated by mid-December. 

3.      Full-Day 4K Pilot Update: Jenny Borst reviewed historical and current 4K programming and revisited the idea of a full day/5 days per week 4K pilot to be determined by parental interest that would be housed at one of the district’s elementary sites for the 2020-21 school year.  Research supporting the educational and social-emotional benefits of 4K program was shared as well as the emphasis on continuing its play-based approach.  Immediate considerations for moving forward include supporting growth as it occurs both from a budgetary and space perspective.  The topic will be reviewed at the December 16 meeting of the full Board of Education. 

posted December 12, 2019 « back to Message Center home

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