Six years of partnership, accountability and measurable progress give employer community confidence in continued investment in Janesville’s schools
JANESVILLE, Wis. — The Forward Janesville Board of Directors, Education Council and Government Relations Council have voted unanimously to support the School District of Janesville’s 2026 operating referendum.
The decision reflects far more than a single ballot question. It is the latest step in a commitment Forward Janesville made to the community six years ago: support strong public schools while expecting transparency, accountability and measurable progress in return.
In 2020, as the community considered an operating referendum, Forward Janesville made a deliberate commitment to better understand the School District’s finances, performance and long-term needs. The organization supported investment in public education with an equally clear expectation that investment be accompanied by accountability.
That commitment deepened over the following years. In 2022, Forward Janesville and the School District formally established the SDJ–FJI Education Council to strengthen communication between the district and community, support priority district goals, and expand opportunities connecting students to community and work-based learning.
Since then, Forward Janesville business and community leaders have had a front-row seat to both the challenges facing the district and the work underway to address them.
Today, they see meaningful evidence of progress.
That progress — combined with the systems now in place to sustain it — gives Forward Janesville confidence that continued community investment is warranted.
On the most recent Wisconsin Forward Exam, Janesville students in grades 3–5 outperformed the state average in both reading and math. Reading proficiency was 7% higher than the state average, with fourth-grade reading improving by more than eight percentage points. In math, grades 3–5 also scored 7% above the state average, while sixth-grade math improved by more than seven percentage points year over year. The districtwide ACT composite score rose to 18.9, just 0.2 points below the state average, while Janesville’s ACT English Language Arts score of 18.5 exceeded the statewide score of 18.4.
The district is also showing greater workforce stability. Staff retention reached 92.1%, including 94.3% among certified staff and 89.2% among classified staff. Staff turnover declined by 2.6 percentage points, and the district welcomed its smallest new-hire class in seven years.
Just as important to Forward Janesville is how those results are being achieved.
Rather than relying solely on annual goals, the district is building a more disciplined system for continuous improvement, including measurable scorecards, leadership development, staff feedback, 100-day improvement cycles and efforts to identify barriers and “Bright Spots” across the organization. For Forward Janesville, that matters: Accountability means not only setting goals, but measuring performance, learning from results and improving consistently over time.
This commitment to accountability extends to the School District’s partnership with Wisconsin Policy Forum to create benchmarking dashboards to show their performance against peer school districts with a direct link on the district’s website. Very few districts have taken this proactive approach.
Leadership continuity strengthens confidence
Forward Janesville is also encouraged by the School District's recently announced superintendent succession plan. Superintendent Mark Holzman is expected to retire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 school year, with Dr. Allison DeGraff positioned to become superintendent for the 2027–28 school year.
Forward Janesville views the deliberate development of internal leadership talent and a planned transition as another sign of organizational strength. It provides continuity for the progress already underway while preserving institutional knowledge and allowing Superintendent Holzman to continue leading that work throughout the coming school year.
Education is economic development
Over the past year, Forward Janesville has also become increasingly intentional about communicating a broader message to employers, families and the community: Education is economic development, and our workforce of tomorrow is sitting in our classrooms today.
Through its Keep Kids Learning initiative, Forward Janesville has worked to help the community understand that workforce development begins long before a student applies for a first job.
It begins with students learning to read. It requires students showing up for school. It depends on excellent teachers and strong school leaders. And it grows when students can see a connection between what they learn in the classroom and the opportunities available in their own community.
That philosophy is reflected in the Education Council’s ongoing priorities of workforce development, community partnerships and a commitment to excellence. The Council has also made expanding work-based learning, Youth Apprenticeship and stronger connections between local employers and students central elements of its work.
Forward Janesville believes businesses cannot wait until students graduate to begin thinking about the talent pipeline. A strong future workforce is built through strong schools today.
A vote of confidence — and continued accountability
It is through that sustained involvement — not from the sidelines, but through years of direct partnership — that the Forward Janesville Board and Government Relations Council reached their unanimous decision to support the 2026 operating referendum.
The referendum, on ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, would allow the district to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $18.5 million annually beginning in the 2027-28 school year, providing continued support for staffing, student programs, academic support services, classroom resources and other operating needs.
Forward Janesville’s support does not mean the work is finished, nor does it lessen the expectation for continued accountability.
It means that after six years of asking hard questions, working alongside district leadership, reviewing results and watching systems change, Forward Janesville believes the district has demonstrated progress worthy of continued community investment.
“In 2020, Forward Janesville made a commitment to support strong schools while also asking for accountability. We have spent the years since then staying close to the work, asking questions, reviewing outcomes and helping build stronger connections between our schools, employers and community. Today, we see measurable progress and a stronger system for sustaining it,” shared Shar Hermanson, President and CEO of Forward Janesville. “Our workforce of tomorrow is sitting in Janesville classrooms today. With the perspective we have gained through years of direct engagement with our schools, Forward Janesville believes this referendum is one of the most important investments our community can make in its future.”
Forward Janesville will continue working alongside the School District through the Education Council while using Keep Kids Learning to help employers and community members understand the connection between educational success, workforce development and Janesville’s long-term economic vitality.
Strong schools build strong students. Strong students build a strong workforce. And a strong workforce builds a stronger Janesville.
About Forward Janesville
Forward Janesville is Janesville’s Chamber of Commerce and a private economic development leader in ensuring business and industry's continued health and prosperity in the Janesville-Beloit Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). We deploy our team, ideas, and resources to help our members and community become stronger, together. For more information on Forward Janesville, visit www.forwardjanesville.com or call 608-757-3160.