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In the 2024-2025 school year, I was invited to join the Sauk Prairie School District Artificial Intelligence Committee by Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Chanda Kulow. Over the course of two years working with that group, I took a leading role in creating and delivering professional development for district staff.
That work evolved this year, as the committee focused on creating comprehensive AI guidance for the district. Along with collaborating on the text of the document, I conducted a student survey to guide the creation of an FAQ section based on actual student concerns, and I used existing district mission and vision language to craft AI-oriented mission and vision statements. This was important to me because as useful and exciting as this new technology may be, I'm acutely aware of the danger it poses to students, for whom it is the most powerful tool ever created to prevent the kind of deep thinking needed to gain knowledge and skill. I'm proud that our district is putting that understanding front and center, while not pretending that these incredible technologies can be ignored.
I've also started a series of AI newsletters for district staff, hoping to create an ongoing conversation that can evolve at a speed that at least attempts to keep up with the rapid advance of AI tools.
SPHS AI Guidance document in progress, and our favorite AI eagle (thanks Mr. Koscinski!)
As the language of the guidance document came close to being finalized, I facilitated the involvement of a few SPHS students with experience in digital design to produce print materials that will be distributed to the staff. They worked on selecting fonts for the guidance document and creating classroom posters for a few of the more prominent pillars of our AI guidance: transparency badging and the T.A.P.E. method for transparency.
The project had another major benefit to my growth as a school leader: it reinforced the value of working in partnership with the incredible people and resources at CESA 5. Curriculum Specialist Jake Boll was a key member of our committee, and his depth of knowledge about the various technology consortia, DPI initiatives, and leading districts allowed our work to flourish. Working with Jake reminded me of my time at PBS Wisconsin, where cross-institutional partnership was a daily expectation and necessity. I want to bring that mindset with me to my ongoing work at SPHS and in future leadership roles.
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