Tuesday, February 5, 2013
State lawmakers take issue with "double dipping" public employees, but a Racine Unified School administrator says this may hinder them from getting quality substitute teachers.
State lawmakers want to change the rules on boomerang employees -- public employees retiring and then returning to public jobs, according to a story by our media partners at WISN Channel 12. The story featured Racine Unified School District Superintendent Ann Laing, who retired in 2007 and was formally re-hired by the school district a year ago. The story also highlighted how the district has 200 people "double dipping." And while officials with Racine Unified say they have good reasons to re-hire retirees and people who are "effective educators," state lawmakers say it's not right. Laing has been acting as interim superintendent since Dr. Jim Shaw retired in the summer of 2011. “[The pay increase] is due to the very, very comprehensive …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Administrators with the Racine Unified School District will hold the state of the district address on Oct. 9.
Racine Unified Superintendent Ann Laing, and special guests Racine mayor John Dickert and United Way of Racine County president David Maurer will give the state of the district address at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Wadewitz Elementary School, 2700 Yout St., in the newly remodeled library. The address will be just after a 4:30 p.m. celebration honoring SC Johnson and all those who contributed to the completion of the new Wadewitz Library. Wadewitz Elementary was the grand prize winner during last year’s Racine Reads: Dream Big! initiative that challenged Racine students to read 1 million books.
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Monday, July 9, 2012
Wind Point Elementary was almost closed earlier this year, but with long-term structural deficits plaguing the Racine Unified School District, it might be back on the chopping block.
Racine Unified School District officials are looking at possibly closing at least one elementrary schools to avert an impending long-term structural deficit in the 2013-14 school year. Administrators and several Racine Unified School Board members discussed the impact of vouchers on their budget 2012-13 budget and future budgets, the possibility of school closures, and the need for a marketing strategy at their Audit Committee meeting held Monday. Wind Point Elementary, a school that district administrators wanted to close earlier this year but was spared, may be on that list next year because of anticipated budget shortfall. Goodland Elementary was also on that closure list, but it wasn't specifically mentioned at the meeting. David Hazen…
Monday, January 23, 2012
Board President Bill Van Atta said he's happy Dr. Ann Laing accepted the position.
Update, 8:30 am, Jan. 24: The Racine Unified school board met on Jan. 23 to formally offer Dr. Ann Laing the job of Superintendent of Racine Unified School District. She has been acting as Interim Superintendent since Dr. Jim Shaw retired last summer. Her official start date is Feb. 1, 2012 and her contract runs through June 30, 2013. Laing will receive a $5,000 increase to her current $150,000 annual salary on Feb. 1, 2012 when she officially becomes superintendent. “[The pay increase] is due to the very, very comprehensive nature of the superintendent position,” said school board President Bill Van Atta. She also will get a bump to $160,000 on July 1, 2012. Her benefits package also includes a $650 a month car allowance, $55 a month for …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
“We have been doing some right things, and we need to continue to do some right things,” said Dr. Ann Laing, interim superintendent for Racine Unified.
More than 100 Racine Unified teachers and community stakeholders gathered on Oct. 11 for the district’s fifth-annual State of the District Address. It was those community members that Interim Superintendent Dr. Ann Laing singled out as the most important partner for the district moving forward. Racine Mayor John Dickert echoed those thoughts in remarks he delivered to attendees. “In the city of Racine, we focus on partnerships and we focus on working together,” Dickert said. “One of the first things that Dr. Laing did was she came in and met with me, and said, ‘How are we going to work together to create a better Racine?’” The district remains committed to embracing the North Star vision for its students, as well as data-driven, student-…
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
“This survey reinforced what we already knew and highlighted areas that we need to work on and improve,” said Stacy Tapp, RUSD Director of Communications.
Parents and community members generally gave average ratings to the quality of Racine Unified School District education in its 2011 community survey. Yet those same constituents agree half or less than half the time that there are adequate opportunities to express concerns about important issues – or that those concerns will be taken seriously. Findings of the survey – conducted March 15 through April 8 – were presented to the School Board’s Communications Committee on Sept. 19. The survey was distributed via email and available online-only. “This survey reinforced what we already knew and highlighted areas that we need to work on and improve,” said Stacy Tapp, RUSD Director of Communications. “We’re committed to having a two-way dialogue …
Friday, September 16, 2011
New school year, interim administrator gives Unified a sense of renewal.
The dawn of a new school year along with a change of leadership has created a sense of renewal throughout the Racine Unified School District. It has also created an opportunity for the interim administrator Ann Laing to put into motion a trio of dependent goals that, if successful, will change the trajectory of learning throughout the district. These goals begin with an internal cultural shift that may seem subtle to the outside community. "We at central office have tended to work in insulation from each other and work in silos," Laing said during a one-on-one interview at the beginning of the school year. "I am working with people on creating teams so we can be aligned." This move toward the team approach is geared to aligning the …
Linda Busha
11:53 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
Pension is based on 3 highest years of earnings, number of years of service and a formula factor. Which means if you retire earlier, you have fewer years of service which results in a smaller pension. more ›