'UPFRONT' recap: Each school district should make mask decision, Underly says
FEMA will be in Wisconsin 'for the long haul' running mass vaccination sites in three cities
Share
Updated: 9:30 AM CDT Apr 11, 2021
'UPFRONT' recap: Each school district should make mask decision, Underly says
FEMA will be in Wisconsin 'for the long haul' running mass vaccination sites in three cities
Share
Updated: 9:30 AM CDT Apr 11, 2021
Hide Transcript
Show Transcript
I’M JOYCE GARBACIAK. WISCONSIN VOTERS ELECTED A NEW SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. PECATONICA AREA SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT JILL UNDERLY DEFEATED FORMER BROWN DEER SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT DEB KERR BY 16 POINTS IN THE ELECTION THIS PAST WEEK. DR. UNDERLY WILL TAKE OFFICE IN JULY. SHE JOINS US NOW ON UPFRONT. THANK YOU FOR BEING LISTLESS TODAY DR. UNDERLY: I AM EXCITED TO BE HERE. JOYCE: YOU’RE GOING TO LEAD IN A YEAR THAT FEATURED HYBRID LEARNING AND STOPS AND STARTS. WHAT CAN DPI DUE TO HOST -- DO TO HELP? DR. UNDERLY: THEY CAN GIVE THE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE SCHOOLS ARE OPEN AND THEY CAN OPEN SAFELY. CERTAINLY THERE IS GUIDANCE AND ADVICE, BUT THERE IS ALSO RESOURCES. DPI WILL HAVE SOME ABILITY TO MAKE SURE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS GET THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE KIDS CAN BE FACE-TO-FACE. JOYCE: WITH SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON SAFETY PROTOCOLS, SHOULD TEACHERS BE REQUIRED TO GET THE VACCINE? DR. UNDERLY: WE KNOW WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS, IF YOU HAVE THE VACCINE, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO GET COVID. CERTAINLY, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE STAFF AND THAT STAFF ARE SAFE IS WHAT WE NEED. I AM HESITANT TO EVER REQUIRE ANYBODY TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD IMPACT THEIR PERSONAL HEALTH AND I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. JOYCE: WHAT ABOUT MASKS? ONE KENOSHA COUNTY DISTRICT IS NO LONGER REQUIRING STUDENTS AND STAFF TO WEAR THE MASKS AND ANOTHER IS VOTING TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT LATER THIS MONTH. ARE MASKS NECESSARY? DR. UNDERLY: I THINK THEY ARE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS. AS FAR AS MITIGATING STRESS, THEY SAY MASKS IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO DO SO. IF THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO KEEP OUR BUILDING OPEN, WE SHOULD BE WEARING MASKS. AGAIN, THAT IS MY RECOMMENDATION. I BELIEVE IN THE SCIENCE, BUT EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR THEMSELVES. JOYCE: LET’S TALK ABOUT LEARNING LOSS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN STUDIES ABOUT IT, ONE SHOWING THAT ONE LOST PROGRESS IN NINE MONTHS ALONE. DR. UNDERLY: I THINK WE NEED TO MEET THE KID WHERE THEY ARE. WE CAN CERTAINLY DO SOME POLICY CHANGES SUCH AS MOVING UP THE START DATE IF THAT IS SOMETHIG WE CAN GET A WAIVER FOR. I THINK THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS NEED TO LOOK BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE SCHOOLS. CERTAINLY, OFFERING AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, OFFERING ENRICHMENT AND MEDIATION. IF THEY WANT TO OFFER SUMMER PROGRAMMING, THAT IS A GOOD WAY TO GO FORWARD. I FEEL THAT WE HAVE TO GIVE OURSELVES AND OUR KIDS GRACE AND I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNING ABOUT -- THE CONCERN ABOUT LEARNING LOSS, BUT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR KIDS HAVE SURVIVED THE PANDEMIC AND WE HAVE TO MEET THEIR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS AS WELL. ANY WAY THAT WE CAN GET MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TO OUR KIDS, IF WE CAN GET MORE COUNSELORS INTO OUR BUILDINGS, THAT WILL GO A LONG WAY AS FAR AS HELPING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. JOYCE: MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS RETURN TO IN PERSON LEARNING FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN THIS COMING WEEK. SOME PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE NERVOUS AS THE VARIANTS ARE SURGING. IT IS NOW A GOOD TIME FOR THEM TO GO BACK? DR. UNDERLY: IS THAT IS WHAT -- IF THAT IS WHAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DETERMINED, THAT IS THE APPROACH WE NEED TO GO. WE KNOW THAT KIDS LEARN BEST FACE-TO-FACE AND IF WE CAN DO SO SAFELY THROUGH PPE AND MASK USE AND HANDWASHING AS WELL AS PHYSICAL, I THINK WE CAN DO IT. MY SCHOOL HAS BEEN OPEN. A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN WISCONSIN HAVE BEEN OPEN. WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT EVERY DISTRICT WILL BE DIFFERENT. A LOT OF BUILDINGS ARE OLDER AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HVAC SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND SIZES OF CLASSES. I THINK IT IS GOING TO BE CASE-BY-CASE, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN AND THE FEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH THE VARIANTS. BUT WEARING MASKS, WASHING HANDS, GETTING THE VACCINE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT CAN MITIGATE THAT. JOYCE: YOU MILWAUKEE TEACHERS UNION WAS JUST SAYING -- THE MILWAUKEE TEACHERS UNION WAS SAYING THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PLAN THAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND THEY ARE URGING THE SCHOOL BOARD TO COME UP WITH A PLAN BEFORE CLASSES START THIS COMING WEEK. I AM WONDERING IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER OFFERING THEM SOME GUIDANCE. DR. UNDERLY: I THINK THAT IS WHAT THE GUIDANCE IS, IT IS THROUGH THE CDC. EVERY SITUATION IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. THAT IS THE POLICY POINT. WE CANNOT PROVIDE A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL BECAUSE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MILWAUKEE IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MARINETTE OR THESE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. AS FAR AS THE POLICY SIDE, CERTAINLY FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES AND DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE, I THINK THAT IS WHAT WE CAN DO. JOYCE: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE ELECTION THAT JUST CONCLUDED, WHILE TECHNICALLY IT IS NONPARTISAN, POLITICS DID PLAY A ROLE AS YOU WERE SUPPORTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE UNIONS AND YOUR OPPONENT, SUPPORTED BY CONSERVATIVE CAUSES. MORE THAN $1 MILLION FUNNELED INTO THIS CONTEST. WHY DO YOU THINK SO MUCH MONEY WAS SPENT? DR. UNDERLY: AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU LIVE, PEOPLE LOVE THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I KNOW THAT DR. KERR AND I HAD THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WE HAD CERTAIN POLICIES THAT SET US APART. THOSE POLICY PIECES, ESPECIALLY AROUND SCHOOL FUNDING, COULD BE DIVISIVE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN TRULY LOVE THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THAT IS WHY I WAS SUCCESSFUL. JOYCE: TALK ABOUT DIVISIVE, THE NIGHT OF YOUR WIN, SIMPLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS TWEETED THAT THE TEACHERS UNION OWNS DPI AND THAT HE WOULD NOT SUPPORT PUTTING ANOTHER NICKEL INTO THIS BUREAUCRACY. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT? DR. UNDERLY: THAT COMMENT MADE ME REALLY SAD BECAUSE HE DOES NOT KNOW ME AND I FEEL THAT I AM SOMEBODY WHO WANTS THE SAME THING AS MOST PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN DO, WE WANT STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I FEEL THERE IS PLENTY OF COMMON GROUND AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH REPRESENTATIVE VOS, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE. I DON’T MINE, TOO PEOPLE VOTED FOR, BUT WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT IS ABOUT KIDS AND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WE NEED TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE SUCCESSFUL. JOYCE: HOW DO YOU PROVE HIM WRONG THAT YOU ARE NOT BEHOLDEN TO THE UNION? DR. UNDERLY: I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF COMMON GROUND. WE WANT GREAT SCHOOLS. WE NEED GREAT TEACHERS IN THOSE SCHOOLS TOO. YOU CANNOT SEPARATE THE TWO. YOU HAVE TO HAVE TOGETHER, GREAT TEACHERS AND GREAT SCHOOLS. I WANT THE RESOURCES TO FLOW INTO OUR SCHOOLS, I AM NOT ABOUT HOARDING OPPORTUNITIES OR RESOURCES FOR DPI. MAKING SURE WE CAN GET THE FUNDING TO OUR SCHOOLS TO HELP WITH MENTAL HEALTH, CREDIT RECOVERY, STAFFING AND MORE, LIKE I SAID, I AM ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND I FEEL THAT IS WHAT THE REST OF THE STATE WANTED AS WELL IN A CANDIDATE FOR STATE SUPERINTENDENT. MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER IS MY GOAL. I WELCOME THOSE CONVERSATIONS. JOYCE: WE WISH YOU THE BEST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, NEWLY ELECTED DR. JILL UNDERLY. DR. UNDERLY: THANK YOU. JOYCE: THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT SAYS VOTERS WHO MAY HAVE MOVED WILL NOT BE IMMEDIATELY PURGED FROM VOTER ROLLS. THE DECISION, SIDING WITH THE STATE ELECTIONS COMMISSION, CAME FRIDAY IN A CASE CONSERVATIVES HAVE BEEN PUSHING FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. YOU’LL FIND THE WEEK’S ELECTION NEWS ON THE ELECTION BLOG KEPT BY OUR EDITORIAL PARTNER, WISPOLITICS.COM. WISCONSIN’S SECOND LARGEST CASINO IS ON TRACK TO BE BUILT IN BELOIT. NEXT, MATT SMITH REPORTS, THE HURDLE THE CASINO PLAN HAS JUST CLEARED, AND THE ONE THAT