{"id":443,"date":"2023-06-14T15:38:59","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T20:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/?p=443"},"modified":"2023-06-14T15:46:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T20:46:13","slug":"aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-443\" data-postid=\"443\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-443 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_1g0o798 tb_first tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_cg5f798 first\">\n                    <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_bn7o978   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators.\u00a0 According to <a href=\"https:\/\/go.boarddocs.com\/wi\/wauk\/Board.nsf\/files\/CSMP87629717\/$file\/Consent%20Agenda%206.14.2023.pdf\">the numbers released by the district last Friday<\/a>, 24 more educators are leaving the district, if approved at this Wednesday\u2019s board meeting.\u00a0 The AEW is aware of other educators that will likely be included in an addendum to the minutes of the board meeting.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a group of district parents ourselves, the AEW feels it necessary to inform parents and community members in Waukesha of this loss and about the actions of the board and administration that are contributing to educator turnover in Waukesha.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The huge number of departures this year continues the trend from the\u00a0 \u201821-\u201822 school year. Between April 1 and early June of last year, there were 54 resignations. During this same time period in \u201822-\u201923, there are\u00a0 49. Contrast that with the \u201820-\u201821 school year, which had only 28 resignations in the same period. In speaking with dozens of educators in the district over the last few months, AEW is aware that the current atmosphere in the district is not teacher-friendly. As one educator put it, teachers are \u201cscared, demoralized, and tired of constantly looking over their shoulder.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many members of the Waukesha School Board ran on the idea that there needed to be more focus on test scores, \u201cbasic\u201d instruction, and classroom learning. However, the policy choices and actions of this Board and administration are leading teachers to leave the district en masse. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most. The experience of these teachers cannot be easily replaced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the last week, the AEW has received an open letter from a highly regarded and qualified teacher who chose to share their resignation publicly.\u00a0 This letter exemplifies why many educators are leaving. His statement is provided below. SDW\u2019s board needs to course correct immediately. They need to stop the politicization of education, trust teachers to do their jobs, respect the first amendment rights of all district employees, give raises and incentives commensurate with other local districts, and remove policies that are targeting and harming marginalized students, interfering with their ability to excel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The AEW will continue to passionately advocate for strong public education in Waukesha by holding board members accountable until they enact and implement better policies, or until those board members are replaced with new leadership that has the capacity to represent all Waukesha students and families.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_3bi5155 tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col4-2 tb_w1cx156 first\">\n                    <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_wc99937 image-top   tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg\">\n                   <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1063\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-445\" title=\"freshwater-1\" alt=\"Letter from Dr. Ross Freshwater: Why I resigned from the Waukesha School District I became a Social Studies teacher at Waukesha South High School in 2016. Fresh from three years living abroad in Mexico, I passed on an offer to work at the number one ranked school in the state for the opportunity to be a part of one of Wisconsin&#039;s most diverse school communities. Composed of a rich mix of Latino, White, African American, Asian, and Indigenous students from across the socio-economic and political spectrum, South is in many ways a microcosm of both 21st Century America and the rapidly changing face of its suburbs. In my classroom sit students with rainbow earrings and MAG t-shirts, who carry family stories of contemporary global conflicts alongside Wisconsin&#039;s pioneer settlers. They play sports and act in plays together, engage adeptly in the give-and-take of a pluralistic space, all while forging a rich community from their collective teenage experience. The recent transition of the SDW school board from a nonpartisan body to a blatant panel of intolerance is gravely threatening this paradigm. Over my first five years with the district, central office and building administration encouraged the practice of research-based pedagogy in the classroom. In Social Studies this took the form of theme-based units that took deep dives into inquiry-based teaching and learning. Teachers were encouraged and provided support in the cultivation of a deep and diverse trove of lesson materials, from which they had the discretion to pull the topics and material that were most relevant to the interests of the students in the room. Then came the Covid mask debate and the death of George Floyd. From the largely adult and White angst in the community sprung a new school board intent on returning Waukesha to a flatter bygone era. This new board&#039;s reign began with the removal of masks before a large cross-section of the community was vaccinated. Soon after, the small rainbow colored &quot;Safe Zone&quot; signs that hung by many teacher&#039;s doors disappeared. Upon our return to our classrooms in August 2022, teachers found gaps in their shelves where &quot;controversial&quot; books had once stood. Remaining in district libraries were six copies of Mein Kampf. The day after, at a district meeting, history teachers were handed a heavily scripted curriculum, expected to be taught in lock step across schools, with the explicit dictate that all potentially controversial topics be presented to the board before entering the classroom. In Winter 2023, the board then ordered staff to address students by their assigned birth gender in the event that a student&#039;s wishes on the matter contradicted their parents. The direct slap in staff members&#039; faces came in the form of an email entitled &quot;Happy Holidays,&quot; sent to all SDW employees just a few hours before the 2021 Christmas break. In it, we were first instructed to remove all &quot;political, disruptive&quot; signage &quot;prior to winter break&quot; or &quot;it will be removed for you.&quot; We were then instructed to review &quot;Policy 3216 Staff Dress and Grooming Policy&quot; and to be &quot;cognizant of it as we return in January 2022.&quot; &quot;Happy Holidays&quot; was not mentioned until the second to last sentence of a full-page email. Over three holiday seasons South High staff had navigated a school shooting, a deadly virus, and a horrific parade massacre in which an SUV plowed through the school&#039;s marching band and left six dead - only to be told in a holiday email that we need to dress and groom ourselves better upon our return to work. The board had directed its superintendent to send a virtual stocking stuffed with coal to a teacher community rife with recent trauma, adding to its physical, mental, and existential exhaustion. The momentum of these various board decisions accompanied a shift toward a daily schedule in which teenagers begin their classes at 7:30am, and have a mere 30 minutes to move through a long lunch line then break bread with their classmates, within a packed day that makes the balance of rigor and joy a stretch for most everyone in the building. On March 20th I was called into a meeting to discuss my opposition to new board policies. It opened with &quot;These are our policies. You are expected to follow them. Is this your resignation?...&quot; After a two second pause,\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg 1063w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-815x1024.jpg 815w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-768x965.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1063px) 100vw, 1063px\" \/>        <\/a>\n    \n        <\/div>\n    <!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n        <div class=\"image-content\">\n                        <div class=\"image-caption tb_text_wrap\">\n            Click to embiggen.        <\/div>\n        <!-- \/image-caption -->\n            <\/div>\n    <!-- \/image-content -->\n        <\/div>\n<!-- \/module image -->        <\/div>\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col4-2 tb_ze5x157 last\">\n                    <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_yvbi479 image-top   tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg\">\n                   <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1044\" height=\"1261\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-446\" title=\"freshwater-2\" alt=\"Part 2 of letter from Dr. Ross Freshwater: my convictions pushed me to respond with a firm, &quot;Yes. Yes it is.&quot; That one minute exchange was followed up with my offer to finish up the year, which was accepted. I am far from alone in my refusal to embrace SDW board policies. For the simple reason that they are steeped in a zero-sum game between the politics of extreme right-wing ideologists who view their largely White, Christian, Hetero take on the planet as a threatened competitor who is locked in a winner take-all competition with the people and ideas of a much more diverse and modern world. A board member&#039;s recent inquiry into why I don&#039;t teach the 3rd amendment_-which protects Americans from the forced quartering of U.S. troops- in my Criminal Justice class, of all courses, reinforces for me that fact. Do they believe their child should be instructed to call the sheriff to report a crime if a colonel comes knocking on their door to demand his troops crash on their couch? Are they fueled by the paranoid idea that a president turned king will send Redcoats to their home? I take pride in the fact that my classroom is a place where students of many backgrounds and persuasions often engage in meaningful discussions about the prominent issues and questions of our modern world. Anonymous student surveys reveal that the young people in my class feel they are in a safe space where they are free to discuss important topics that are relevant to their lives. The fact that kids in Bernie and Thin Blue Line t-shirts stop by after 3:05 reinforces for me the notion that those student survey responses are true. The SDW board aims to crush that inclusive spirit with a curriculum that is a mile wide, an inch deep, boring to many students, and antiquated to the point that it is offensive to many more. Over 40% of South&#039;s students come from families with direct ties to developing countries, yet they are now forced to learn the vocabulary word, &quot;Third World.&quot; Outside of Waukesha, that word was mostly retired over a decade ago. For good reason: It&#039;s offensive. What SDW students are not being taught is that Mexico has grown its economy to the point that it is the 15th largest in the world - a fact that could be a major point of pride for those students with ties to that country, who also comprise about 35% of the South community. The SDW board has instead chosen curriculums that stress the deficits of foreign cultures over their assets. When their family roots are framed as deficits within a class lesson, young people often shut down. When they are framed as developing assets, by teachers given the executive function to build bridges between knowledge and learners, those students&#039; interest in the topic often comes alive. Throughout my time at South, I have felt supported by building and central office admin who have worked tirelessly to help my colleagues and I deliver a relevant and rigorous curriculum steeped in research on best teaching and learning practices and coupled with joy. Increasingly, those leaders&#039; hands are being tied by a board that believes it should take an entire community down a regressive path. To use a metaphor, when I arrived I found a team that was building a well-designed Buick that was on the verge of being traded in for a Cadillac. That car was then pulled over by a new sheriff in town, commandeered, then traded in for an old Chevy with White Pride and Damn Straight bumper stickers slapped on the back. I could wait to be escorted to the city limits as first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel was for singing Dolly Parton&#039;s song about rainbows, or exit on my own terms. l&#039;ve chosen the latter. To so many of the students, staff, and admin of SDW, thank you. You are fantastic. Best, Ross Freshunter Dr. Ross Freshwater PhD, Education Leadership &amp; Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin MEd, Teaching &amp; Curriculum, Harvard University\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg 1044w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-248x300.jpg 248w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-848x1024.jpg 848w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-768x928.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1044px) 100vw, 1044px\" \/>        <\/a>\n    \n        <\/div>\n    <!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n        <\/div>\n<!-- \/module image -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,18],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alliance-statements","tag-school-board","tag-teachers","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Statement on SDW Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alliance for Education in Waukesha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/allianceforeducationinwaukesha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"340\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"340\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Statement on SDW Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b561c02cf2603b5b2311e4f110386e4b\"},\"headline\":\"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":9,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"school board\",\"teachers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alliance Statements\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/\",\"name\":\"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/14\\\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alliance for Education in Waukesha\",\"description\":\"Advocating for students and teachers in Waukesha\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance for Education in Waukesha\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/alliance-logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/alliance-logo-1.png\",\"width\":340,\"height\":340,\"caption\":\"Alliance for Education in Waukesha\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/allianceforeducationinwaukesha\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b561c02cf2603b5b2311e4f110386e4b\",\"name\":\"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha","description":"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Statement on SDW Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha","og_description":"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/","og_site_name":"Alliance for Education in Waukesha","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/allianceforeducationinwaukesha","article_published_time":"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":340,"height":340,"url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Statement on SDW Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha","twitter_description":"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/"},"author":{"name":"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b561c02cf2603b5b2311e4f110386e4b"},"headline":"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations","datePublished":"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/"},"wordCount":9,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["school board","teachers"],"articleSection":["Alliance Statements"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/","url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/","name":"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations - Alliance for Education in Waukesha","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-06-14T20:38:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-14T20:46:13+00:00","description":"The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2023\/06\/14\/aew-statement-on-school-district-of-waukesha-teacher-resignations\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/","name":"Alliance for Education in Waukesha","description":"Advocating for students and teachers in Waukesha","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#organization","name":"Alliance for Education in Waukesha","url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/alliance-logo-1.png","width":340,"height":340,"caption":"Alliance for Education in Waukesha"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/allianceforeducationinwaukesha"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b561c02cf2603b5b2311e4f110386e4b","name":"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e742c7ea4556580bff01b99e931143a99efc140faa8a1862a2194f33672214b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/author\/alliancewaukesha_hcg3ek\/"}]}},"builder_content":"<p>The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators.\u00a0 According to <a href=\"https:\/\/go.boarddocs.com\/wi\/wauk\/Board.nsf\/files\/CSMP87629717\/$file\/Consent%20Agenda%206.14.2023.pdf\">the numbers released by the district last Friday<\/a>, 24 more educators are leaving the district, if approved at this Wednesday\u2019s board meeting.\u00a0 The AEW is aware of other educators that will likely be included in an addendum to the minutes of the board meeting.<\/p><p>As a group of district parents ourselves, the AEW feels it necessary to inform parents and community members in Waukesha of this loss and about the actions of the board and administration that are contributing to educator turnover in Waukesha.<\/p><p>The huge number of departures this year continues the trend from the\u00a0 \u201821-\u201822 school year. Between April 1 and early June of last year, there were 54 resignations. During this same time period in \u201822-\u201923, there are\u00a0 49. Contrast that with the \u201820-\u201821 school year, which had only 28 resignations in the same period. In speaking with dozens of educators in the district over the last few months, AEW is aware that the current atmosphere in the district is not teacher-friendly. As one educator put it, teachers are \u201cscared, demoralized, and tired of constantly looking over their shoulder.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p>Many members of the Waukesha School Board ran on the idea that there needed to be more focus on test scores, \u201cbasic\u201d instruction, and classroom learning. However, the policy choices and actions of this Board and administration are leading teachers to leave the district en masse. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most. The experience of these teachers cannot be easily replaced.\u00a0<\/p><p>Over the last week, the AEW has received an open letter from a highly regarded and qualified teacher who chose to share their resignation publicly.\u00a0 This letter exemplifies why many educators are leaving. His statement is provided below. SDW\u2019s board needs to course correct immediately. They need to stop the politicization of education, trust teachers to do their jobs, respect the first amendment rights of all district employees, give raises and incentives commensurate with other local districts, and remove policies that are targeting and harming marginalized students, interfering with their ability to excel.\u00a0<\/p><p>The AEW will continue to passionately advocate for strong public education in Waukesha by holding board members accountable until they enact and implement better policies, or until those board members are replaced with new leadership that has the capacity to represent all Waukesha students and families.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg\"> <img src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg\" title=\"freshwater-1\" alt=\"Letter from Dr. Ross Freshwater: Why I resigned from the Waukesha School District I became a Social Studies teacher at Waukesha South High School in 2016. Fresh from three years living abroad in Mexico, I passed on an offer to work at the number one ranked school in the state for the opportunity to be a part of one of Wisconsin&#039;s most diverse school communities. Composed of a rich mix of Latino, White, African American, Asian, and Indigenous students from across the socio-economic and political spectrum, South is in many ways a microcosm of both 21st Century America and the rapidly changing face of its suburbs. In my classroom sit students with rainbow earrings and MAG t-shirts, who carry family stories of contemporary global conflicts alongside Wisconsin&#039;s pioneer settlers. They play sports and act in plays together, engage adeptly in the give-and-take of a pluralistic space, all while forging a rich community from their collective teenage experience. The recent transition of the SDW school board from a nonpartisan body to a blatant panel of intolerance is gravely threatening this paradigm. Over my first five years with the district, central office and building administration encouraged the practice of research-based pedagogy in the classroom. In Social Studies this took the form of theme-based units that took deep dives into inquiry-based teaching and learning. Teachers were encouraged and provided support in the cultivation of a deep and diverse trove of lesson materials, from which they had the discretion to pull the topics and material that were most relevant to the interests of the students in the room. Then came the Covid mask debate and the death of George Floyd. From the largely adult and White angst in the community sprung a new school board intent on returning Waukesha to a flatter bygone era. This new board&#039;s reign began with the removal of masks before a large cross-section of the community was vaccinated. Soon after, the small rainbow colored &quot;Safe Zone&quot; signs that hung by many teacher&#039;s doors disappeared. Upon our return to our classrooms in August 2022, teachers found gaps in their shelves where &quot;controversial&quot; books had once stood. Remaining in district libraries were six copies of Mein Kampf. The day after, at a district meeting, history teachers were handed a heavily scripted curriculum, expected to be taught in lock step across schools, with the explicit dictate that all potentially controversial topics be presented to the board before entering the classroom. In Winter 2023, the board then ordered staff to address students by their assigned birth gender in the event that a student&#039;s wishes on the matter contradicted their parents. The direct slap in staff members&#039; faces came in the form of an email entitled &quot;Happy Holidays,&quot; sent to all SDW employees just a few hours before the 2021 Christmas break. In it, we were first instructed to remove all &quot;political, disruptive&quot; signage &quot;prior to winter break&quot; or &quot;it will be removed for you.&quot; We were then instructed to review &quot;Policy 3216 Staff Dress and Grooming Policy&quot; and to be &quot;cognizant of it as we return in January 2022.&quot; &quot;Happy Holidays&quot; was not mentioned until the second to last sentence of a full-page email. Over three holiday seasons South High staff had navigated a school shooting, a deadly virus, and a horrific parade massacre in which an SUV plowed through the school&#039;s marching band and left six dead - only to be told in a holiday email that we need to dress and groom ourselves better upon our return to work. The board had directed its superintendent to send a virtual stocking stuffed with coal to a teacher community rife with recent trauma, adding to its physical, mental, and existential exhaustion. The momentum of these various board decisions accompanied a shift toward a daily schedule in which teenagers begin their classes at 7:30am, and have a mere 30 minutes to move through a long lunch line then break bread with their classmates, within a packed day that makes the balance of rigor and joy a stretch for most everyone in the building. On March 20th I was called into a meeting to discuss my opposition to new board policies. It opened with &quot;These are our policies. You are expected to follow them. Is this your resignation?...&quot; After a two second pause,\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1.jpg 1063w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-815x1024.jpg 815w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-1-768x965.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1063px) 100vw, 1063px\" \/> <\/a> Click to embiggen.\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg\"> <img src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg\" title=\"freshwater-2\" alt=\"Part 2 of letter from Dr. Ross Freshwater: my convictions pushed me to respond with a firm, &quot;Yes. Yes it is.&quot; That one minute exchange was followed up with my offer to finish up the year, which was accepted. I am far from alone in my refusal to embrace SDW board policies. For the simple reason that they are steeped in a zero-sum game between the politics of extreme right-wing ideologists who view their largely White, Christian, Hetero take on the planet as a threatened competitor who is locked in a winner take-all competition with the people and ideas of a much more diverse and modern world. A board member&#039;s recent inquiry into why I don&#039;t teach the 3rd amendment_-which protects Americans from the forced quartering of U.S. troops- in my Criminal Justice class, of all courses, reinforces for me that fact. Do they believe their child should be instructed to call the sheriff to report a crime if a colonel comes knocking on their door to demand his troops crash on their couch? Are they fueled by the paranoid idea that a president turned king will send Redcoats to their home? I take pride in the fact that my classroom is a place where students of many backgrounds and persuasions often engage in meaningful discussions about the prominent issues and questions of our modern world. Anonymous student surveys reveal that the young people in my class feel they are in a safe space where they are free to discuss important topics that are relevant to their lives. The fact that kids in Bernie and Thin Blue Line t-shirts stop by after 3:05 reinforces for me the notion that those student survey responses are true. The SDW board aims to crush that inclusive spirit with a curriculum that is a mile wide, an inch deep, boring to many students, and antiquated to the point that it is offensive to many more. Over 40% of South&#039;s students come from families with direct ties to developing countries, yet they are now forced to learn the vocabulary word, &quot;Third World.&quot; Outside of Waukesha, that word was mostly retired over a decade ago. For good reason: It&#039;s offensive. What SDW students are not being taught is that Mexico has grown its economy to the point that it is the 15th largest in the world - a fact that could be a major point of pride for those students with ties to that country, who also comprise about 35% of the South community. The SDW board has instead chosen curriculums that stress the deficits of foreign cultures over their assets. When their family roots are framed as deficits within a class lesson, young people often shut down. When they are framed as developing assets, by teachers given the executive function to build bridges between knowledge and learners, those students&#039; interest in the topic often comes alive. Throughout my time at South, I have felt supported by building and central office admin who have worked tirelessly to help my colleagues and I deliver a relevant and rigorous curriculum steeped in research on best teaching and learning practices and coupled with joy. Increasingly, those leaders&#039; hands are being tied by a board that believes it should take an entire community down a regressive path. To use a metaphor, when I arrived I found a team that was building a well-designed Buick that was on the verge of being traded in for a Cadillac. That car was then pulled over by a new sheriff in town, commandeered, then traded in for an old Chevy with White Pride and Damn Straight bumper stickers slapped on the back. I could wait to be escorted to the city limits as first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel was for singing Dolly Parton&#039;s song about rainbows, or exit on my own terms. l&#039;ve chosen the latter. To so many of the students, staff, and admin of SDW, thank you. You are fantastic. Best, Ross Freshunter Dr. Ross Freshwater PhD, Education Leadership &amp; Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin MEd, Teaching &amp; Curriculum, Harvard University\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2.jpg 1044w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-248x300.jpg 248w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-848x1024.jpg 848w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/freshwater-2-768x928.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1044px) 100vw, 1044px\" \/> <\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions\/453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}