EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO READ AT GRADE LEVEL.

50% of Madison students, 75% of Latino students, and 90% of Black students read below grade level. We must do better.

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Hi, I'm Bret. A Fitchburg Dad on a Mission. Make sure every student reads at grade level. Every. Single. One.

As your Madison School Board Seat 3 Representative, my #1 Job will be to get all kids reading at grade level. I promise to do everything I can to make that our District's #1 Job too.

Helping kids read at grade level is hard work.
Let's work carefully, but urgently.

Accomplished literacy experts in our community recommend the following strategies.

Carefully Restructure Reading Instruction Time

  1. Create dedicated reading blocks in our schools.
  2. Mobilize staff to teach reading during this time.
  3. Group students by skill level rather than grade level during these reading blocks.
  4. Keep reading groups small (6-10 students) for targeted instruction.

Enhance our Current Tutoring Program

  1. Create a pipeline of well-trained (30+ hours) tutors made up of community volunteers, college students, and high school students. 
  2. Provide intensive support: 25-40 minutes, 4 days a week for struggling readers. 
  3. Expand tutoring beyond "Below Basic" to include all students below proficiency.
  4. Partner with community organizations like the Masonic Center for for specialized dyslexia tutoring.

Improve Accountability & Community Engagement

  1. Reject misleading statistics that mask the true scale of our reading crisis. 
  2. Make reading proficiency the central metric for district success. If it goes up, we are improving. If it goes down, we are failing. 
  3. Educate parents about reading benchmarks and warning signs. 
  4. Hold regular public forums focused specifically on reading proficiency.

Thank You,Teachers, for Teaching Me How to Read

Pre-K to 2nd grade are the critical years when students learn how to read. After that, students start to access more complex texts as they begin reading to learn.

My fantastic four - Mrs. Wagie (pre-K), Mrs. Harrison (K), Mrs. Burrows (1st), and Mrs. Montgomery (2nd) - taught me the foundations of reading. I had no idea the impact they were having on my future at that time.

Madison Schools are filled with fantastic teachers. As a community, we need to support them with high quality curriculum, time to learn the curriculum (not in place of their prep time), and competitive compensation that recognizes their experience and training.

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Schools Where Every Student Belongs

I believe that every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued in our schools. This includes our LGBTQ+ students, who too often face unique challenges in educational settings. As your School Board member, I commit to supporting policies that:

  • Ensure all students see themselves reflected in our curriculum and classroom libraries.
  • Protect students from bullying and harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
  • Provide professional development that helps staff create truly inclusive learning environments.
  • Respect students' privacy, dignity, and self-expression.
  • Engage meaningfully with LGBTQ+ families as valued members of our school community.
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