Planning and District Goals

Planning Process

In December 2020, a team of educators from the Rosendale-Brandon School District began work on the 2022-2025 Information (Library Media) and Technology Plan. As an initial step, the multi-year budget and rough draft were approved by this team on November 12, 2020. Members of the team included District Technology Coordinator, Noah Saecker; three media technology specialists, Pamela Mumm, Sue Fellerer, and Cindy Bailey; and technician, Heidi Kopf  The second draft was approved by the committee November, 2022 with a change in technician to Matt Storz.

Upon completion of the rough draft and budget, the team continued to meet to digest the data collected through the online processes and to write the language for the 2022-2025 integrated Information Literacy and Technology Plan. The Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan and the Future-Ready Framework guided our goals and objectives for this plan. In the fall of 2022, the Technology Administrator was asked to separate the technology plan from the library plan, creating two separate long range plans.  The library media technology specialists continued to work on the long range library plan until completion in 2023.

Relationship of This Plan to the Rosendale-Brandon School District's Goals

Historically, the actions of the Rosendale-Brandon School Board have demonstrated its support of technology by developing and maintaining infrastructure, supporting professional development, and approving changes to curriculum to move forward with 21st century skill sets as discussed in Future Ready Schools and the Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan. The School Board has demonstrated their commitment to information and technology literacy by employing highly trained library media technology specialists at each school, ensuring equitable access to digital resources as well as the devices needed to fully participate in changing technologies. In addition, the board's actions support the core values of the State of Wisconsin's vision for digital learning.

A Brief History of the Evolution of the Library Media and Technology Program

Successful library media programs at elementary, middle, and high schools have one important element in common: the certified media specialist. When you find a library media technology specialist, you’re also more likely to find:

• Collaborative teaching

• Effective reading motivation

• Students educated in Media Literacy

• Books, digital resources, and electronic reference works for students to explore

• Increased use of the library’s print and digital resources

• Students scoring higher on standardized tests

Since 1988, the Rosendale-Brandon School District has employed a media specialist at each school. The media specialists provided weekly classes for students in grades K-5 and worked collaboratively with grades 6-12. Due to fluctuating grade enrollment numbers, the time each media specialist spends at each school has also fluctuated. For example, the Rosendale Primary School’s media specialist only worked 65% FTE until 2000; that position is no longer there, and instead is now a split position between Rosendale Primary and Brandon Elementary Schools. In 2007, fixed scheduling was restricted to grades PK-3 with flexible scheduling put in place for grades 4-5.

In the mid-1990’s, the media specialists wanted to introduce computer technology to the district, initially with an automated circulation system for each media center and eventually with school-wide networks of computers. Fortunately, they found a strong supporter in the district superintendent, Ron Milton. Because the district needed to remodel and add on to all four schools at that time, Mr. Milton also promoted the inclusion of wiring infrastructure costs within the successful 1996 building referendum. Thus, the media specialists and the superintendent became the de facto core technology team.

The core technology team wrote the first district technology plan for 1997-2000 with some assistance from CESA 6. Next the group applied for a Technology Learning Challenge Fund (TLCF) grant and received $80,000. The bulk of the grant paid the first year salary of a newly hired district technology coordinator and enabled the purchase of equipment for a staff training computer lab. The same team also developed the second plan for 2000-2003. In early 2001, the media specialists decided to write a combined plan as was recommended by the DPI. They requested and received from the state an extension on the due date of the library media aspect. The technology coordinator, the support technician, and the three media specialists continue to function as the working technology team for the school district.

The library media technology specialist roles have changed throughout the years as they have taken on more classroom responsibilities by teaching technology courses, providing professional development, as well as becoming the first point of contact  for technology issues. In 2017, declining student enrollment at the Brandon Schools also further changed the library media specialist position. The Brandon School's library media technology specialist was still responsible for the Library Media Center, first point of contact for technology support for the building, professional development, middle school technology courses, and traveling to Rosendale Intermediate School to teach 8th grade computer science courses was added to the LMTS course load. 

In 2021, another change occurred in the roles of the library media technology specialists with the consolidation of Brandon Middle School into Rosendale Intermediate School, creating a new school: Rosendale Brandon Middle School.  The library media technology specialists adapted to the shift by realigning the library media technology specialists to better serve the demands of the district.  Pam Mumm became the elementary media technology specialist serving Rosendale Primary and Brandon Elementary Schools and picked up a section of 8th grade Language Arts at RBMS, Sue Fellerer became the intermediate and middle school media technology specialist and middle school technology teacher, serving Rosendale Intermediate and Rosendale Brandon Middle Schools, and Cindy Bailey remained as the high school media technology specialist, serving Laconia. Although their positions changed, the responsibility of each position remained the same.

Former Library Plan