Title: Racine Unified School District No. 1 (Wis.): Superintendent's Files
Inclusive Dates: 1923-1985

Creator:

• Racine Unified School District No. 1 (Wis.)

Call Number: Racine Series 130

Quantity: 10.2 c.f. (26 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Archives & Area Research Center, Library/Learning Center, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Parkside Library / Parkside Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, studies, statistical information, handbooks and manuals, and other materials documenting administration and implementation of public education in the City of Racine, Wis. Focus of the records is on planning, policy making, program development, and evaluation. The bulk of the records, from 1967 to 1982, reflect upheaval and reexamination of educational concerns with the major topical areas of desegregation, busing, litigation, alternative and magnet schools, bilingual education, flexible scheduling, school dropouts, gifted student programs, Headstart, special education, teacher contract disputes involving the Racine Education Association (the teachers' union), and administrative personnel issues. The Racine school district received national attention during the 1960's and 1970's due to its voluntary efforts to desegregate its schools.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-raci0130

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Racine's first schoolhouse was a frame structure opened and taught by Mr. Bradley in 1836. However, the formal establishment of four school districts in the county came the next year. School District No. 1 included the Town and Village of Racine and the first brick school was built in 1842. Subsequent boundary reorganizations occurred, including one in 1845 which saw the village subdivided into three districts. In 1852, one district was formed within the corporate limits of the city and the Mayor and City Council appointed two commissioners from each city ward to serve as the School Board. A City Superintendent was elected by the public and served for one year. The high school, which received state legislative approval in 1852 and opened a year later, was the first in Wisconsin.

In 1959, the Wisconsin legislature decreed that school districts without high schools must either establish one or consolidate with a district operating one. It also passed a law permitting the creation of a unified school district. In a move which became a national model for school consolidations, a Racine citizens' committee formed in 1960 to study school consolidation in eastern Racine County. It recommended a unified school district with central administration and a nine-member school board. The committee's recommendations were unanimously endorsed by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction, Racine City Council, and twenty-four small school districts which consolidated to form Unified School District No. 1 (later Racine Unified School District). The new district had a student population of 25,000 students in 1965. By the 1975-76 school year, the district included 28,757 students, about 1,450 teachers, 34 elementary schools, 8 junior high schools, and five high schools.

Racine schools saw incorporation of music and art into the curriculum in 1870. The first kindergarten opened in 1893 and ideation for a grade 7-9 junior high school, which occurred in 1919, cumulated in construction of Wm. McKinley Junior High School in 1921. Team teaching was introduced in the district in 1954. Many innovations came about in the 1960s and 1970s. These included Head Start, Follow-through programs, non-graded classes, Black studies, modular scheduling, an alternative high school, and a bilingual education program for Latino students.

The Racine Unified School District once again served as a national model with its much-publicized voluntary school desegregation. Between 1960 and 1970, minority population in Racine more than doubled to eleven percent with the minority school population reaching twenty percent. Thus, when J. I. Case High School opened in 1966 minority students were assigned and bused to the new facility to equalize minority population percentages in the other two high schools. A similar tactic was taken after construction of Gifford Junior High.

The Racine Board of Education went on record in 1968, “to take specific action to erase undesirable cultural-ethnic-racial imbalances.” Five years later, it passed a resolution that no school would have more than ten percent above the total minority student percentage figure in the district. A broad-based citizens advisory committee helped create a district redistribution plan which was adopted in 1974. Upon the recommendation of this committee, the district opened three magnet schools to provide parents with a wider choice of schools for their elementary-aged children. Red Apple School opened in 1974 with an open classroom concept and the Fine Arts School and Fundamental School opened in 1975, both housed within Stephen Bull Elementary School.

Six of Racine's school superintendents actively created the records in this series. A. H. Schafer held the position from approximately 1921 to 1952, followed by Ernest Lake (serving from 1952 to 1959), John Prasch (1959 to 1966), John Gunning (1967 to 1970), C. Richard Nelson (1970 to 1982), and Don Woods (1982 to 1991).

Administrative files of the Racine school superintendent spanning the period, 1923 to 1985, and encompassing the terms of six superintendents. Focus of the records is on planning, policy making, program development, and evaluation. The bulk of the records, from 1967 to 1982, reflect upheaval and reexamination of educational concerns with the major topical areas of desegregation, busing, teacher contract disputes, litigation, alternative and magnet schools, bilingual education, flexible scheduling, school dropouts, gifted student programs, Headstart, and special education. Although the files support inquiry into many areas of interest, they are not complete and represent a scattered sampling of educational approaches taken by the Racine school district towards a variety of pressing issues. There is breadth of subject matter, but frequently not much depth in any given subject.

There are, however, notable exceptions. The tenure of C. Richard Nelson (1970-1982) as superintendent closely coincides with the bulk of the materials. Nelson actively led public discussion on desegregation issues by appearing on local television and radio talk shows in the mid 1970's. Materials relating to Racine's voluntary efforts towards school desegregation form a collection strength and are most prominent from 1966 to 1975. Although there are separate categories relating to busing and desegregation, researchers are advised to check communications, meeting minutes, programs and projects, statistics, and school categories as well.

Communications between the superintendent and the Mayor and Common Council, School Board, principals, and Racine citizens also form a collection strength. Despite gaps in this correspondence, researchers will be able to glean district, city government, and citizen views on a variety of issues.

There are minutes of meetings of several groups including central office staff, consultants' group, some school teaching departments, principals, and student representatives. Minutes (1967-1981) of consultant group meetings are fairly complete and provide additional information in areas related to curriculum, research and development, and federal programs. Meetings with principals took several forms. Good sets of meeting minutes exist for meetings held with all district principals and with separate groups of elementary, junior high, and high school principals.

There is occasional and scattered material relating to curriculum including subject areas (e.g. art), school level, reports of promotion and failure, and miscellaneous topics. There is also some material relating to school facilities, parental involvement, planning, and summer school programs. Records pertaining to specific schools is haphazard.

Although some areas may not have sufficient depth of information to satisfy the researcher, documentation of such program areas as gifted children, alcohol and drug abuse, improvement in dropout and truancy rates, bilingual education, special education, and federally mandated programs is accomplished through reports, studies, statistics, and correspondence. Legal cases are of interest as several involve special education placement disputes. Mae Freeman Ryan's lawsuit, 1938-1939, challenged the Board's decision to dismiss her after her marriage.

• History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin.  Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. pgs. 416-420.
• Racine: Belle City of the Lakes and Racine County Wisconsin.  Stone, Fanny S., ed. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1916. Vol. I. pgs. 177-203.
• Reeves, Thomas C. “Education and Culture.” In Racine: Growth and Change in a Wisconsin Community.  Edited by Nicholas C. Burckel. Racine, Wis.: Racine County Board of Supervisors, 1977. Pgs. 419-447.

• Racine Parent-Teacher Association United Council (Wis.). Scrapbook, 1935-1971. (Parkside Micro 11).
• Racine Unified School District No. 1 (Wis.). Board of Education:
  Minutes, 1920-1966. (Racine Series 10).
  Proceedings, 1840-1903. (Racine Micro 4).
  Index to the Board of Education Proceedings, 1852-1938. (Racine Series 94).
• Racine Unified School District No. 1 (Wis.). Clerk. Records, 1920-1965. (unprocessed).
• Wisconsin. Cooperative Educational Service Agency No. 18. Records, 1962-1978. (unprocessed).

Processing Information

Processed by Anne Parsons, UW - Milwaukee Graduate Student, 1998. Revised by Natalie Rubocki and Gayle Martinson, SHSW, 1998.

	Administration
Box   1 Folder   1	Administrative Organization, 1968, 1978-1979
Box   1 Folder   2	Annual Reports, 1930-1954
Box   1 Folder   3	Consultant's Report to Racine Common Council Committee on Finance, 1933
Box   1 Folder   4	District Boundary Maps
	Personnel
Box   1 Folder   5	Management by Objectives, 1972-1983
Box   1 Folder   6	Performance Evaluation of Administrators, 1972-1977
Box   1 Folder   7	Position Descriptions, 1978
Box   1 Folder   8	Staff Development for Administration & Central Office Staff, 1975-1977
Box   1 Folder   9	Policy Handbooks
Box   1 Folder   10	School Board Powers and Duties
Box   1 Folder   11	School/Community Relations Office, 1981
Box   1 Folder   12	Brochures and Newsletters
Box   1 Folder   13	Athletics, 1979, 1983
Box   2 Folder   1	WIAA Conference, 1978-1980
Box   2 Folder   2	Busing, 1968-1973 Note: See also Desegregation
Box   2 Folder   3	Busing if Two Miles, 1971-1973
Box   2 Folder   4	Busing if Under Two Miles, 1968-1975
Box   2 Folder   5	Emergency Busing Fund, 1976-1977
Box   2 Folder   6	Meetings with Municipalities
Box   2 Folder   7	Petitions to Committee of the Whole Meeting, 1968
Box   2 Folder   8	Pupil Transportation Correspondence, 1969
Box   2 Folder   9	Racine Bus, 1974-1979
	Committees
Box   2 Folder   10	Citizens' Advisory Committee on the Educational Problems of Racine, 1933
Box   2 Folder   11	Flow-Through Advisory Committee [Exceptional Education Funds], 1979-1980
Box   2 Folder   12	Year Round School Committee, 1971
	Communications
Box   3 Folder   1	Mayor and Common Council, 1927, 1945-1961
Box   3 Folder   2	Principals
Box   3 Folder   3-5	School Board, 1931-1983
Box   4 Folder   1	Department of Public Instruction, 1957-1960, 1979
Box   4 Folder   2	DPI's Thirteen Standards
Box   4 Folder   3	Desegregation Plan, 1974-1976
Box   4 Folder   4	Health Programs
Box   4 Folder   5	High School Problem, 1954-1958
Box   4 Folder   6	Miller, D.W. (Horlick High School Principal), 1946
Box   4 Folder   7	Non-Resident Students, 1960
Box   4 Folder   8	Public-Parochial Question, 1928-1949
Box   4 Folder   9	Social Security for Teachers, 1956
	Superintendent's Personal Correspondence
Box   4 Folder   10	Kiwanis Club of Racine, 1973-1976
Box   4 Folder   11	Lutheran Human Relations Association of America, 1974-1977
Box   4 Folder   12	Taxpayers and Citizens, 1968-1980
	Curriculum
Box   4 Folder   13	All Day Kindergarten, 1984-1985
Box   4 Folder   14	Curriculum Council, 1970-1972
Box   4 Folder   15	DPI Standards, 1975
Box   4 Folder   16	Instructional Improvement, Grades 7-12, 1982
	Reports of Promotion and Failure
Box   4 Folder   17	1930-1945
Box   5 Folder   1	1946-1955
	Schools
Box   5 Folder   2	High Schools, 1968-1982
Box   5 Folder   3	Junior High Schools, 1968-1979
	Subject Areas
Box   5 Folder   4	Art, 1981
Box   5 Folder   5	Citizenship, 1971-1972
Box   5 Folder   6	Drivers' Education, 1971
Box   5 Folder   7	Family Life and Human Sexuality, 1981-1982
Box   5 Folder   8	Foreign Language, 1984
Box   5 Folder   9-10	Vocationa/Career Education, 1973-1977
	Desegregation
Box   5 Folder   11-12	1966-1977
Box   6 Folder   1	1974-1979
Box   6 Folder   2	Anti-Desegregation, 1975
Box   6 Folder   3	Federal Correspondence, 1975-1976
Box   6 Folder   4	Milwaukee Desegregation Order, 1976
Box   6 Folder   5	Minority Groups, 1966-1971
Box   6 Folder   6	NAACP Report, 1967-1972
Box   6 Folder   7	Racial Imbalance, 1972
	Dropouts and Instructionally Exempt Students
Box   6 Folder   8	Dropout Program, 1974-1981
Box   6 Folder   9	Exempt Study [High School Dropouts], 1973-1977
Box   6 Folder   10	Exempt Study Vol. I, 1973-1974
Box   6 Folder   11	Exempt Study Vol. II, 1973-1974
Box   6 Folder   12	Follow-up Study on 1978-1979 Senior High Academy Students
	Enrollment
Box   6 Folder   13	Enrollment and Racial Distribution, 1975-1976
Box   6 Folder   14	Enrollment by Grades, 1930-1950
Box   6 Folder   15	Junior High Enrollments, 1974-1977
Box   6 Folder   16	Open Enrollment, 1975-1977
	Facilities
Box   7 Folder   1	Architect Selection, 1973-1974
Box   7 Folder   2	Auditoriums: Park and Horlick, 1938-1948
Box   7 Folder   3	Building Surveys, 1958
Box   7 Folder   4	College of Racine, 1974-1975
Box   7 Folder   5	Construction Manager or Contractor Selection, 1973
Box   7 Folder   6	Evaluation of Junior High Industrial Arts Facilities, 1975
Box   7 Folder   7-8	Facility Needs Planning
Box   7 Folder   9	Sites, 1957
Box   7 Folder   10	Stadium, 1923
Box   7 Folder   11	Vocational School Facilities Steering Committee Final Report, 1972
Box   7 Folder   12	Washington Center School Accessibility, 1977-1982
Box   7 Folder   13	Western Complex, 1961-1978
	Legal Cases
Box   8 Folder   1	Byrd vs. School Board, 1975
Box   8 Folder   2	Greenbaum vs. Racine Unified School District, 1978
Box   8 Folder   3	Holy Trinity Community School vs. Unified School District No. 1 of Racine County, 1983
Box   8 Folder   4	Matson, Monty Case, 1975-1976
Box   8 Folder   5	Ryan, Mae Freeman vs. Board of Education, 1938-1939
Box   8 Folder   6	Styberg, Mrs. Anna Hess vs. Board of Education, 1935-1938
	Meetings
Box   8 Folder   7	Central Office Staff, 1967-1971
Box   8 Folder   8-9	Consultants' Group, 1967-1981
Box   8 Folder   10	Misc. Teaching Departments, 1969-1970
	Principals
Box   8 Folder   11	, 1963-1966 [announcements]
Box   9 Folder   1-5	1969-1979
Box   10 Folder   1	1980
Box   10 Folder   2-3	Elementary Principals, 1970-1981
Box   10 Folder   4-5	Junior High Principals, 1969-1981
	Senior High Principals
Box   10 Folder   6	1968-1973
Box   11 Folder   1-2	1974-1981
	Students
Box   11 Folder   3	High School Student Representatives, 1971-1974
Box   11 Folder   4	Junior High Student Representatives, 1972-1973
Box   11 Folder   5	Student Response to the “37” Rules, 1969
	Parents
Box   11 Folder   6	PTA
Box   11 Folder   7	Parent Involvement Surveys, 1973-1975
	Planning
Box   11 Folder   8	Long Range Planning, 1976-1979
Box   11 Folder   9	Middle School Plan, 1972-1973
	Programs and Projects
Box   12 Folder   1	Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, 1973
Box   12 Folder   2-5	Bilingual Program, 1972-1984
Box   12 Folder   6	Career Opportunities Program, 1973-1974
Box   12 Folder   7	Cooperative Programs, 1969-1970
Box   13 Folder   1	Driver Education Program, 1970
Box   13 Folder   2	Educational Standards Program, 1979-1981
Box   13 Folder   3-4	Four School Project
	Gifted Children
Box   13 Folder   5-7	Gifted Children Program, 1971-1978
Box   13 Folder   8	Early Program for Gifted Children, 1975-1976
Box   14 Folder   1-3	Lighthouse Program for Gifted Students, 1976-1980
Box   14 Folder   4-6	Head Start, 1974-1980
Box   15 Folder   1	Follow-Through Program, 1973-1974
Box   15 Folder   2	International Baccalaureate Program, 1984
Box   15 Folder   3	Mexican-American Programs, 1970-1973
Box   15 Folder   4	Middle School Advocacy Program, 1983
Box   15 Folder   5	Programs Receiving Federal Funding, 1972-1975
Box   15 Folder   6	Racine Child Development Study Project, 1972-1973
Box   15 Folder   7	Reading Programs, 1972-1974
	Special Education
Box   15 Folder   8	Concerns, 1973
Box   15 Folder   9-11	Exceptional Education Program, 1974-1982
Box   16 Folder   1	Further Unified Special Education (FUSE)
Box   16 Folder   2	Main Streaming
Box   16 Folder   3	Pre-Primary Program
Box   16 Folder   4-5	Prescriptive Instruction Center (PIC)
Box   16 Folder   6	Programs for Specific Handicaps
Box   16 Folder   7	Project COPE
Box   17 Folder   1	Reports and Correspondence, 1973
Box   17 Folder   2	Special Education Handbooks
Box   17 Folder   3-5	Special Education Needs Program, 1974-1976
Box   18 Folder   1-5	Title I: Educationally Disadvantaged, Low Income, 1973-1982
Box   19 Folder   1-3	Title VII: Desegregated School Aid, 1973-1978
Box   19 Folder   4	Salaries, 1941-1960
	Administrative Salaries
Box   19 Folder   5	1974-1980
Box   20 Folder   1	1977-1980
Box   20 Folder   2	Hay Study [Administrative Salaries]
Box   20 Folder   3	Hay Study [Administrative Position Descriptions], 1973
Box   20 Folder   4	Principals' Salaries, 1938-1947
	Scheduling
Box   20 Folder   5-6	Flexible Modular Scheduling, 1969-1979
Box   20 Folder   7	Senior High Schools Organizational Patterns Committee [Open Enrollment and Scheduling], 1976-1978
	School Attendance and Boundary Areas
Box   21 Folder   1	Attendance and Truancy Committee Final Report, 1984
Box   21 Folder   2	Case, J. I. and Washington Park Boundary, 1974-1976
Box   21 Folder   3	Compulsory School Attendance, 1967
Box   21 Folder   4	Optional Programs [Magnet Schools], 1975
Box   21 Folder   5	Private School Attendance Areas
Box   21 Folder   6	Pupil Placement
	Schools
Box   21 Folder   7	Elementary Schools
Box   21 Folder   8	Crestview School, 1971-1976
Box   21 Folder   9	Howell School, 1972
Box   21 Folder   10	Olympia Brown School, 1975-1982
Box   21 Folder   11	Red Apple Optional Elementary School
Box   21 Folder   12	Sturtevant Grade School, 1940-1961
Box   21 Folder   13	Wadewitz School [Special Education], 1978-1979
Box   22 Folder   1	Junior High Schools
Box   22 Folder   2	Gifford Junior High School, 1974
Box   22 Folder   3	High Schools
Box   22 Folder   4	The Academy
Box   22 Folder   5-7	Walden III [Alternative High School]
Box   22 Folder   8	Magnet Schools
	Staffing
Box   23 Folder   1	Additional Staffing Recommendations, 1975-1976
Box   23 Folder   2	Administrative Help at the Elementary Schools, 1976
Box   23 Folder   3	Anderson-Roethle Report, 1977-1982
Box   23 Folder   4	Reductions
Box   23 Folder   5	Staff Elections, Resignations, and Transfers, 1957-1958
Box   23 Folder   6	Staffing and Desegregation Plan, 1975
Box   23 Folder   7	Staffing Needs
Box   23 Folder   8	Staffing Ratio, 1968-1977
Box   23 Folder   9	Student Records, 1972-1974
Box   23 Folder   10	Handbook on Pupil Records, Elementary and Secondary, 1973-1975
	Summer School
Box   23 Folder   11	1968-1972
Box   24 Folder   1	1972-1981
	Teachers
Box   24 Folder   2	Dress Code for Teachers, 1977
Box   24 Folder   3	Faculty Attitude Survey, 1976
Box   24 Folder   4	In- Service Training, 1976-1982
Box   24 Folder   5	Convention Attendance, 1976-1979
Box   24 Folder   6	Institute Day, 1971-1978
Box   24 Folder   7	Symposium on Special Education, 1973
Box   24 Folder   8	Teacher Orientation, 1974
	Racine Education Association [Teachers' Union]
Box   24 Folder   9	Arbitration, 1985
Box   24 Folder   10	Lunch Program, 1973-1974
Box   24 Folder   11	Merit Pay Agreements, 1975-1976
Box   25 Folder   1-4	Negotiations/Grievances: REA, 1978-1979
Box   25 Folder   5	Policy on Desegregation, 1974-1975
Box   25 Folder   6	Racine Unified School District vs. Racine Educational Aides' Association, 1982
Box   25 Folder   7	Salary Schedules, 1979
	Statistics
Box   25 Folder   8	Racial Distribution and Dropout Statistics, 1972-1974
Box   25 Folder   9	Statistical Report, 1969
Box   25 Folder   10	University of Wisconsin Freshman Profile, 1975-1978
	Testing
Box   26 Folder   1	Four School Cluster, 1973-1974
Box   26 Folder   2	Metropolitan Achievement Tests, 1971-1973
Box   26 Folder   3	Metropolitan and Otis Lennon Results, 1974
Box   26 Folder   4	Reading Diagnostic Feedback Tests, K-6, 1973-1974
Box   26 Folder   5	Test Results: Stanford Achievement Test, 1973
Box   26 Folder   6	United Fund, 1972-1977
Box   26 Folder   7	United Way, 1978-1979