End of the 2025-26 School Year: A Note from Dr. R

To the Class of 2026- Congratulations on reaching this incredible milestone. Your hard work, perseverance, and dedication have brought you to this moment, and we could not be more proud of all you have accomplished. As you prepare to take the next steps in your journey, remember the lessons learned, relationships built, and memories made along the way. We are excited to see the positive impact you will make in your communities and beyond. Best wishes for a bright and successful future.

Among our more than 590 graduates, each with unique talents, aspirations, and the potential to accomplish great things, I would like to offer special recognition to a few students whose achievements reflect the excellence found throughout the Class of 2026:

Brandon Landis: Your passion for theater and the performing arts has inspired those around you. We look forward to seeing where your talent takes you next, perhaps even on Broadway someday.

Yusef Gray: Through your commitment, leadership, and success on the basketball court, you have demonstrated what hard work can achieve. Best wishes as you continue your basketball career at the collegiate level.

Tobi Weimer: Your creativity, discipline, and dedication to the arts have made a lasting impression on our school community. We are excited to see you continue pursuing your passion and sharing your talents with others.

While these students are being highlighted today, they represent just a few of the many remarkable stories, accomplishments, and bright futures that make the Class of 2026 so special.

Strategic Plan: Destination West

This year, we launched our new Strategic Plan titled Destination West. Click here to view our Strategic Plan. Destination West provides a clear roadmap that aligns our district goals, resources, and actions to guide decision-making and improve student outcomes. The theme for our 2025-26 school year was Building Our Future Together. We focused on strengthening our core systems to ensure a strong academic and cultural foundation for all students.

Portrait of a Graduate

You can now find our Portrait of a Graduate in every school. This defines the traits students should develop by the time they graduate. It serves as a shared vision for student success that reflects our community’s values and aspirations while helping prepare students for college, career, and life readiness in a rapidly changing world. The Portrait of a Graduate also serves as a communication tool for families, staff, and the community about what it means to be a successful graduate of our district

Early Literacy

Throughout the school year, our staff focused on ensuring that students successfully learned the core reading and writing skills for their grade levels. This included using teaching practices aligned with the Science of Reading, specifically targeting foundational skills and growing our students' vocabulary. Because of this, our students have demonstrated a stronger awareness of letter sounds and an increased ability to decode words using explicit rules and patterns. Next school year, our focus will shift towards reading comprehension and writing. This will allow us to help students understand what they read more deeply while building strong, confident writing skills.

Mathematics Initiatives

This school year, our staff learning focused on teaching the priority standards at each grade level. We also refined our curriculum planning guides to provide greater clarity for both teachers and students on how math skills progress and build toward proficiency over time. Looking ahead to the next school year, our staff learning will focus on the mathematical practices that strengthen early numeracy skills, deepen conceptual understanding, and build fluency. Families interested in supporting these foundational math skills at home this summer are encouraged to explore our Family & Caregiver Math Practice Guide. Click here to view the Family & Caregiver Math Practice Guide.

Universal Social-Emotional Learning Screening

The FastBridge mySAEBRS survey is a short check-in that helps our school understand how students are doing socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. It is a universal screener, which means all students (in our case grades 2-11) complete it so we can make sure everyone is getting the support they need to be successful at school. The survey asks simple questions about things like stress, emotions, friendships, focus, and behavior. The goal is to help adults better understand how students feel, so we can provide appropriate interventions and support.

New Courses Added

This past year, our board approved the addition of three concurrent enrollment courses: English 101, English 102, and Precalculus. These courses are being offered in partnership with UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay, but they are taught within our schools by our teaching staff. The courses allow students to receive high school credit and college credit concurrently. This is an exciting step towards more students receiving transferable college credit while they are with us in WAWM.

Career and Technical Education

This year, we completed a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment to evaluate our Career and Technical Education programs and identify opportunities for growth. Through stakeholder feedback, student interest surveys, and labor market analysis, we confirmed strong demand for our current pathways and identified key priorities for strengthening student access to high-quality, career-focused learning experiences. Looking ahead to next year, we will focus on expanding opportunities for students to earn transcripted coursework, allowing them to gain valuable college credit while still in high school and better prepare for postsecondary education and careers. We also plan to increase opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized credentials, participate in Career and Technical Student Organizations, and engage in meaningful work-based learning experiences, including Youth Apprenticeships. Additionally, we will continue exploring future pathway expansion opportunities, including engineering related programming, while ensuring our current pathways remain aligned with workforce needs and student interests.

Multi-Level Systems of Support

This year, we continued strengthening our Multi-Level Systems of Support (MLSS) framework to ensure every learner receives the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support they need to thrive. Through the use of data-driven decision-making, targeted interventions, and collaborative problem-solving, our staff worked proactively to identify student needs and provide the right support at the right time. As we look ahead to the next school year, we are excited to build on this foundation by further refining our districtwide MLSS processes and practices. A key focus will be defining and strengthening the layers of behavioral support available to students through a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework. This work will begin by strengthening universal Tier 1 practices that explicitly teach, reinforce, and support positive student behavior, while also developing clear Tier 2 and Tier 3 systems for students who require additional levels of support. We will continue to strengthen the systems, structures, and practices that ensure consistent implementation across classrooms and schools. By enhancing both our academic and behavioral support systems, we will create more equitable learning environments in which all students can access the instruction, interventions, and supports they need to succeed.

November 2024 Referendum

Facilities

This year, we completed facility projects across multiple buildings. This included a renovated fieldhouse at West Allis Central, new roofing (Horace Mann, Nathan Hale, Pershing, West Allis Central), new HVAC (Dottke, West Milwaukee), and exterior concrete replacement at Frank Lloyd Wright. This summer, work will continue at Frank Lloyd Wright, Irving, Nathan Hale, and Pershing. Click here to learn more about the projects that are underway.

Operational

Over the past year, our compensation committee (made up of administrators and teachers with varying levels of experience, and representatives from each school level) collaborated to develop a compensation model that supports the recruitment, retention, and recognition of high-quality teaching staff. This compensation model was rolled out to staff this past Spring and is reflected in contracts for this upcoming school year.

We continue to be grateful for the community’s support in passing the November 2024 facilities and operational referendums, which have allowed us to invest both in our people and in our schools.

2026-27 School Year Information

Updated Board Policy 5136: Personal Communication Devices

On October 31, 2025, the state legislature enacted Wisconsin Act 42, requiring all Wisconsin school boards to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026, generally prohibiting students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time. On Monday, May 11, 2026, the West Allis-West Milwaukee Board of Education approved revisions to Board Policy 5136, Personal Communication Devices, to align with the requirements of Wisconsin Act 42. While there are several revisions, the most significant is that the use of Personal Communication Devices (PCDs) is prohibited during instructional time. PCDs include: cellular/mobile telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, gaming devices, smartphones, e-readers, smartwatches, wearable technology, auditory devices (headphones, earbuds), and any other web-enabled device of any type. The revised policy will take effect beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Lockers

Next school year, all secondary students will be assigned a locker for use throughout the school day. Students are encouraged to take advantage of Jump Start (see below) to locate their locker, practice opening it, and become familiar with their schedule, including planning locker stops between classes as needed. Taking time to prepare before the first day of school can help students feel more confident and ready for a successful start to the year.

Student Identification Cards and Lanyards

Students will also receive identification cards (IDs) and lanyards at Jump Start (see below). We encourage students to attach their ID to their lanyard and keep it with them throughout the school day. IDs will play a larger role in daily school operations next year. Additional information will be shared prior to the start of the school year.

Online Registration

Online registration will open on July 17, 2026. Online registration must be completed for every student each school year. All primary custodial guardians must update key information such as contact details, media preferences, technology agreements, and more. We'll send reminders and offer in-school support for families who need assistance. Secondary families, please make sure to complete online registration prior to Jump Start.

Jump Start

This summer, we are hosting Jump Starts for our Intermediate and High School Students. Jump Start is an opportunity for students to:

Receive class schedules and locker assignments
Walk their schedules
Pay school fees, purchase locks for lockers, and complete school meal applications
Pick up materials
Learn about Yearbook and Parent Groups
Take their school pictures and receive their ID

Please see the information below on dates and times:

Intermediate School (Frank Lloyd Wright and West Milwaukee) Jump Start: August 31st, 8:00am-4:00pm
Dottke Project-Based Learning High School Jump Start: August 21st, 8:00am-6:00pm
Nathan Hale High School and West Allis Central High School Jump Starts:

9th and 12th Grade: August 14th, 8:00am-6:00pm
10th and 11th Grade: August 21st, 8:00am-6:00pm

*Students are encouraged to attend on their assigned day. However, if they are unable to attend their assigned day, they may attend the alternate date.*

Summer Recreation Opportunities
Be sure to check out the fun Summer Recreation Opportunities in the Summer Guide. Click here to view the Summer Guide. Stay connected with West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation & Community Services on Facebook (@wawmrcs) and Instagram (@wawmrcs) or visit wawmrec.com. Rec is for EVERYONE, and we would love for you to get involved. #WeRECommendIt. Please click the links for more information on some exciting programs for this summer:

Back to School Bash

We are looking forward to kicking off the school year again with our Back to School Bash. This event will take place on August 26, 2026, from 5:00-7:00pm at the West Allis Farmers Market. The free event will include food, games, activities, performances, and more!

Stay Connected

We continue to share the exciting things happening in our schools on social media, in our newsletter, and at events in our community. Be sure to stay connected with us on Instagram (@wawmschooldistrict), Facebook (@wawmschooldistrict), and YouTube (West Allis-West Milwaukee School District)!

With gratitude,

Dr. Robinson