Opening the Decade

The Association entered the 1980’s with a foundation of accomplishments in the 1970’s that would provide the philosophies and structure for continued growth.  As the decade began, all 16 VTAE boards were official members of the Association.  A full complement of committees was actively working that included: legislative, awards, budget, nominations, bylaws, liaison with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), and a special committee on the Association meeting structure.

The Association’s positive relations with VTAE State Director Robert Sorensen were evident as he completed his first year of service in 1980.   Local board members were serving on the state board’s standing committees, also reflecting a positive working relationship.  Some early concerns about a boards association within the district administrators association appeared to have passed and an ongoing positive working relationship was taking root.  The president of the Boards Association attended meetings of the administrators association as its guest.

In the fall of 1980, the Milwaukee Sentinel published allegations against the MATC-Milwaukee district director and members of the MATC board.  The board was subsequently replaced by the appointing authorities.  The district director would be acquitted of all charges.  The media attention fueled a Legislative Audit Bureau investigation and audit of six VTAE districts.  At a special meeting of the executive committee on this matter, the Association’s leadership reviewed the Legislative Audit Bureau’s report on the six districts.

Plaum writes, “During this time, a policy statement on the conduct of Association business was developed and adopted.  The end result of all this activity was the achievement of greater unity among all district board members.  Noted also was the involvement and leadership of the Boards Association in development of uniform guidelines for district policies.  These policy guidelines addressed the major concerns of several audits conducted throughout the VTAE system.  Subsequently, all district boards developed and adopted policies.”13

The Maturing Organization

Plaum writes, “The spring, 1981, quarterly meeting heard and adopted the recommendations of a special study committee reviewing the structure and format of the quarterly Association meetings.  The basic structure and format were retained with some minor changes, such as seating arrangement.”14  The committee recommended:

·          Retaining the quarterly structure.

·          Retaining the Friday/Saturday, two day format, with Friday afternoon (1-5:30) as the Association business session, followed by an evening social, and a Saturday session for in-service education.

·          Retaining a schedule rotating around the districts.

·          Seeking to incorporate the local district’s presence and flavor into each meeting.

1980’s – The Maturing Years