Like other public school districts, MMSD has been impacted by the Trump Administration’s  cuts — and then the reinstatement of those funds — to education grants. Many of those funds will be cut for the 2026-2027 school year as the recently passed federal bill was passed and signed into law by Trump.

“It gives us some room to withstand, perhaps, some of the threats,” Gothard said about the $100 million in operating funds that were approved by referendum. “Long term, I don’t think anyone knows. I’m happy that we are able to retain what we believe to be $3.4 million in federal funding. But this is likely only the start as well. A lot of the funds that are being discussed in the executive order hold-back came out of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the War on Poverty of the Johnson Administration to help especially large cities that have large percentages of children living in poverty provide resources to directly support and intervene in a way that could help children learn. It seems very antithetical that on one hand we have people who want school achievement and they want results and then on the other and, they would take away support that goes with that work.”

The Madison school budget is very dependent upon the per pupil funds that are provided by the state of Wisconsin. In recent history, the Madison school population has remained pretty constant at 26,000 students. Gothard hopes that Madison will be on the grow once again as the Madison area’s population continues to dramatically rise.

“It’s important for us to have our schools have a healthy enrollment so they get the staffing and supports that they need,” Gothard observed. “But it’s also important for our district as a whole. I want to make sure that as Madison grows, that we are a district of choice, that we are a destination school district for this region. Something that we are working really hard right now with our community partners with the work that we are doing, with what is soon to be some new initiatives in the district is we are creating an identity for the district. Lastly, I will talk about our Building for the Future Plan. Madison used to be the malls. West Towne and East Towne used to be the border. We’re seeing a lot of growth outside of that. There are areas of the city that are being developed right now that don’t have a school attendance area. Madison is expected to grow by 100,000 people in the next 25 years. I want to be ready for the Madison Metropolitan School District to receive, serve and grow with that development as well.”

One thing that may hamper that potential student body growth is the housing market in Madison.

“I think two things that we are competing with are birth rates are down nationally,” Gothard said. “And then there is the price of housing and the availability of housing in Madison and even Dane County. It’s not lost on me that every time we ask our community to increase our revenue through taxation that it is also an increase in the property tax for our homeowners. It’s a subject that is really delicate in terms of making sure that as a community, it embraces all who want to live here. For some, there aren’t a lot of options. People love Madison. It could be that single folks come here and maybe leave and say, ‘You know what? It’s time to settle down. We love Madison. We’re going to come back.’ The hope is that we continue to make a really strong impression on people and they know it’s the place that they want to be. It’s more than a destination school district. Madison, Wisconsin is clearly the place to be.”

And with the growth of new housing in MMSD’s overall attendance area, MMSD may have to consider the construction of new schools in these outlying areas.

“We are certainly nearing the need for an additional middle school,” Gothard said. “Both Toki and Gillespie have healthy enrollments. And as that community continues to grow, I can see in the future a discussion about new facilities. Currently we own two parcels of land. We own eight acres of Acacia Ridge, which is west of the radio towers off of Watts Road. And we own 20 acres by Deer Creek Church off of Sprecher Road on the far east side. In both areas, I think there is excitement and plans to develop. I believe that strong communities are centered around schools, community centers and places where people worship and gather. I definitely want MMSD to be part of that real world with a variety of different activities and amenities.”

Gothard is proud of the measures that MMSD is implementing to improve overall student performance.

“We have a lot going on,” Gothard exclaimed. “Some of the things I like us to focus on is we are expending our full day 4-K program. We’re going to pilot our first ever five-day program at Olson Elementary School. This has become so important as child care has become scarce or expensive and we are able to offer a full-day free program for families. It’s important for the scholars, the four-year-olds, but it is also important for our families as well. I’m excited about that. Our numbers are increasing. We are going to continue our Math for Reading initiative to get our community involved in literacy for our students and helping students unlock their reading potential.”

The Madison public schools don’t have a district-wide cell phone policy. It’s almost as if pilots are going on in the individual schools that someday will inform a future district-wide policy.

“We have an Acceptable Use policy that has been in place forever with the rise of email,” Gothard said. “Many of our schools have adopted their own guidelines. It isn’t uncommon for some of our schools right now to have what would be considered a cell phone policy that is very similar to some other districts. At best, I think we are learning the models for what could be a districtwide policy. What is currently working well in our schools and is that something that the Board of Education could adopt in the future? But there is no districtwide policy at this time that specifically guides the use of cell phones other than what the school guidelines are and what the Acceptable Use policy states.”

The district is also grappling with how artificial intelligence impacts Madison’s schools.

“We have to look back,” Gothard said about how students use available technology to get a leg up. “It was a 3” by 5” index card in my time. Students wrote answers to to tests and then hiding them in their long sleeves. We’ve had these distractions before. AI is mind-jarring in terms of what could be accomplished. But there has to be appropriate guidelines. There has to be responsible use. And as I’ve shared a few times, AI to me might bring students to a new level of learning. Our job as educators is to say, ‘Alright, what’s next?’ I come from the days of memorizing times tables and things like that. I think there is such a world of learning that students today are exposed to that I never was. I don’t think that’s wrong. I just think we need to find a way to adapt how and what we are teaching. And always support students to learn more, to grow. It’s just that bar is so high in terms of what is available.”

There is one AI use that Gothard finds unacceptable, the social side to it.

“Young people are using AI for relationships,” Gothard said. “They are getting information from AI versus a trusted adult or friend. That is real concerning.”

What makes Madison so special, in Gothard’s view is the outside community organizations like 100 Black Men holding their annual back to school get together that enhance the education of Madison’s children.

“An easy reason that brought me back to Madison is the community has always been so giving with so many opportunities,” Gothard said. “We can expose children to outside organizations that help students whether it’s in in-school or out-of-school time. But also what it gives back to the community. It’s always fun for me to hear our adults talk about what they experienced. I attended a program called Pedals & Pixels this week. It’s by Bikes for Kids and Black Girls Magic. The children got bikes and Black girls got bikes and they biked around the city and took photos of things that they saw and they wrote about them. I heard the students talk about those things. That’s what it is all about.”

Madison’s public schools continue to adapt to an ever changing environment. And Superintendent Joe Gothard is leading the way.