During the July 11 Waukesha School Board meeting, members had a lengthy discussion about the district’s membership with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, before ultimately voting 8-1 to quit.
Board members said the organization no longer represents the values evolving school boards have.
Some of those “values” have to do with controversial legislative bills that were debated during the last session.
The Wisconsin Association of School Boards opposed a bill that would have excluded trans women and girls from playing sports. The group also opposed bills related to “curriculum transparency,” competitive bidding for school districts and allowing paraprofessionals to become teachers.
School Board member Eric Brooks said the association supports bills that are easy to get behind, like Act 20, the statewide reading initiative.
“When it comes to the issues that I think a lot of people deeply care about and that are maybe a little bit more contentious in nature, they seem to more often than not go against what many people in this community value,” said Brooks, who also works for Republican State Sen. Duey Stroebel.
In 2021, COVID-era frustrations led to big gains for Republican-backed candidates on Wisconsin school boards, especially in the Milwaukee suburbs.
