2025 WRCCS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

8:30am CDT

Tuesday July 22, 2025 8:30am - 8:50am CDT

Join the WRCCS Team, meet the community of participants, and prepare for your first day of the 2025 Annual WRCCS Conference!

**Slides link**

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Sarah Hackett is the Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools at CESA 9. She earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a graduate of the rural public school system in Wautoma, Wisconsin, and the small but mighty... Read More →

Tuesday July 22, 2025 8:30am - 8:50am CDT

Required

9:00am CDT

Intro to Authorizing

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

The role of the charter school authorizer is critical to ensuring success and accountability for charter schools. They allow governance boards to operate the school according to performance measures surrounding the mission, vision, and community expectations of the charter school. Learn how authorizing works in practice, legal responsibilities, benefits to authorizing, and more!

Speakers

Tim Scottberg

Associate Director, WRCCS

Tim Scottberg is the Associate Director for the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools, a statewide program at CESA 9. With a deep passion for education, Tim has served as the principal of Fond du Lac STEM Academy and as an associate principal at Fond du Lac High School. He... Read More →

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Authorizer

9:00am CDT

The District As the Community Center

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Presentation Slides

This presentation will guide Wisconsin charter school authorizers through the essential principles and practices of effective oversight. This presentation will cover key elements such as monitoring performance and ensuring accountability, all aimed at fostering successful and sustainable charter schools. Gain practical insights and tools to enhance your authorizing processes and support high-quality education.

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Authorizer

9:00am CDT

The Role of the School District Board & Relationship to Governance Boards (balancing autonomy and accountability)

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

The Wisconsin charter school law gives charter schools freedom from most state rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability for results. "Autonomy for Accountability" is the charter school motto. The Wisconsin charter school law gives charter schools freedom from most state rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability for results. This session will help you identify and maintain that balance.

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Tuesday July 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Governance Board

10:00am CDT

District Board Authorizing

Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Authorizer

10:00am CDT

Charter School Funding

Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Come learn from the Assistant Director of the DPI Parental Education Options team all about how charter school funding works. Mike will cover Independent Charter Schools funding for 2x and 2r schools, and how school district funding is calculated and passed to charter schools as well.

Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

10:00am CDT

Opening and Annual Checklists

Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Come learn about best practices for charter school governance boards. In this presentation, Tim will discuss roles and responsibilities, effective communication, and fostering positive board culture. Tap into a wealth of knowledge about ensuring accountability, enhancing board performance, and cultivating strong leadership for charter schools.

Speakers

Tim Scottberg

Associate Director, WRCCS

Tuesday July 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Governance Board

11:00am CDT

Contracts & Benchmarks

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

The charter contract is the agreement between the authorizer and governance board and is often used as a guide for the relationship between the two parties. Whether you are developing your first charter contract or you are planning on renewing your contract, this session is designed to help participants better understand the requirements and recommendations for the charter contract. Alex Roberson from the DPI charter school team will take you through the benchmarks document and highlight key areas that are often confusing during the chartering process. Bring your specific questions and ask the experts! (You should always consult your attorney)

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

11:00am CDT

Purchased Service Contracts

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

11:50am CDT

Wrap Up and Thank You!

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:50am - 12:00pm CDT

Thank you for attending the WRCCS Conference. Please join us to reflect on our day and learn about all of the support we will offer throughout the year.

**Slides Link**

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Tim Scottberg

Associate Director, WRCCS

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:50am - 12:00pm CDT

Required

12:00pm CDT

1:1 Networking with WRCCS Team & Consultants

Tuesday July 22, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT

More information coming soon!

Tuesday July 22, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT

General Session / ALL

8:30am CDT

Welcome to the WRCCS Annual Conference!

Wednesday July 23, 2025 8:30am - 8:50am CDT

Join the WRCCS Team, meet the community of participants, and prepare for your second (or first, if you're just joining us!) day of the 2024 Annual WRCCS Conference!

**Slides link**

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Tim Scottberg

Associate Director, WRCCS

Wednesday July 23, 2025 8:30am - 8:50am CDT

Required

9:00am CDT

Roles and Responsibilities Handbook

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Presentation Slides

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

9:00am CDT

Virtual Learning: National Best Practices

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

9:00am CDT

Charter Design - A year of Planning in 50 Minutes

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Designing and sustaining any school is a lot of work. There are many roles and responsibilities that a team member is responsible for in order to build capacity and develop the educator team. In this session we'll look at some practices that school teams can utilize as they are designing leadership roles in their schools - this can be for a new school or a school looking to redesign their leadership - using a Teacher-Powered School approach to shared leadership. This session is ideal for school leaders, teachers and administrators.

Speakers

Zaynab Baalbaki

Consultant, ZB Consulting

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Leadership

9:00am CDT

Knowing Your Policies or Telling Your Story

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Speakers

Sarah Hackett

DIRECTOR, WRCCS

Wednesday July 23, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Panel of Schools

10:00am CDT

Community Needs Analysis

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Presentation Slides

Join WRCCS Associate Director, Tim Scottberg, for a walkthrough of the updated Community Needs Analysis Tool. This session is designed for schools applying for the CSP Grant, design teams planning new schools, and schools approaching contract renewal. Tim will guide you through the toolkit's features and provide a tutorial on how to easily gather the data needed for a comprehensive analysis.

Speakers

Tim Scottberg

Associate Director, WRCCS

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

10:00am CDT

Independent Charter School Fiscal Management and Compliance

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

This session aims to answer the following questions:

What strategies do you use to prioritize spending and allocate resources effectively?
What are the key components of your financial reporting process to stakeholders, including the board and authorizer?
What are the most common financial challenges faced by charter schools, and how do you address them?
What is the role of the board in overseeing the school’s finances?

Join us for the insightful and helpful answers!

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

10:00am CDT

Leader Hosted Session: Highland - and how to juggle it all?

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

10:00am CDT

Updates to the WRCCS/DPI Model Charter Schools Contract

Wednesday July 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

11:00am CDT

Milwaukee Acadamy of Science

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

11:00am CDT

Virtual Charter School Compliance and Q&A

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Virtual Charter Schools (VCS) have a unique educational programming model along with additional statutory requirements, see Wis. Stat. §118.40(8). This session is designed to give participates an understanding of VCS legal requirements along with examples of common compliance concerns the department sees. This is also an opportunity to ask Cassi Benedict from the DPI Charter School Team questions on these requirements, so please bring your specific questions to ask!

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

General Session / ALL

11:00am CDT

Best Practices for Governance Boards

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Come learn about best practices for charter school governance boards with Chamomile Nusz. In this presentation, she will discuss roles and responsibilities, effective communication, and fostering positive board culture. Tap into a wealth of knowledge about ensuring accountability, enhancing board performance, and cultivating strong leadership for charter schools.

Speakers

Chamomile Nusz

Charter School Consultant, Circle Education

Chamomile Nusz is a co-owner of Circle Education LLC, a consulting service working to support innovative education. She works with the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools (WRCCS) supporting the development of high-performing charter schools throughout the state of Wisconsin... Read More →

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Governance Board

11:00am CDT

Leading a School with Vision, Purpose and Clarity

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Are you leading your school with a clear purpose and intentional culture? Many challenges faced by schools and districts today stem from a lack of shared understanding and alignment around their core purpose. Join us for a discussion around five key observations gathered from schools across the state. These findings highlight the crucial role of purpose-driven leadership and cultural alignment. In this session, we will provide and overview of strategies of successful purpose-aligned schools. Whether you're a school administrator, teacher, or board member, this session will support you with valuable insights and actionable steps to lead from where you are. We will share tools and actions for you to better fulfill the responsiility of leading your school's purpose, culture and educational outcomes.

Resources:
Leading with Vision, Purpose, and Clarity Slides
Existence/Purpose Statement Checklist

Speakers

Nick Pretasky

Director of Listening and Learning, Humanistic Leadership,

Nick's life work is to ensure every person has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. Nick is the founder and lead listener at Humanistic Leadership LLC where he supports leaders, teachers, and learners in all facets of education. He brings experience working in traditional... Read More →

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT

Leadership

11:50am CDT

Wrap Up and Thank You!

Wednesday July 23, 2025 11:50am - 12:00pm CDT

Thank you for attending the WRCCS Conference. Please join us to reflect on our day and learn about all of the support we will offer throughout the year.

**Slides Link**

Speakers