AMPLIFY YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS STORY
CELEBRATE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
EDUCATOR APPRECIATION

AMPLIFY YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS STORY

It’s important to share examples of the amazing things happening in our public schools across Wisconsin. Amplifying the work of our public schools and the students, educators and staff who bring them to life helps to show that they deserve the conditions they need to do what they do best.

Take inspiration from these five videos in the PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNITE US SERIES, created by Eau Claire-based award-winning videographers Micah Davis and Steve Betchkal of Soul Shine Creative Studios. Contact us to tell your story – every public school district in Wisconsin has great educators like these!

Read here: A Conversation with Video Creator Micah Davis of Soul Shine Creative Studio

CELEBRATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Public Schools Week 2025: February 24 – 28

DAY 1: SPREAD THE LOVE!

UPDATE YOUR PROFILE PIC using our template to spread the love for our public schools!  
1. Click this link to our Canva template
2. Upload or drag your favorite picture of yourself (centered and smiling and not too close-up is best). When you drag and hover your photo over the round “frame,” it should drop right in – if it lands as a rectangle just click delete and try again)
3. Click “share” to download the file and save as a jpg file
4. Upload to your socials as your profile pic Feb. 24-28 and share!
 Too much work? Don’t have Canva?  Send us your photo and we’ll whip one up for you. 

DAY 2: SHARE YOUR STORY

Celebrate #PublicSchoolsWeek by sharing the reasons YOU support your local public schools. Shout out educators. Share a story of something amazing happening in your district. Tell others why you think public schools are worth fighting for. #MakeItLocal and tag your friends/teachers/district and us @WisconsinNetwork (Facebook) @WiscEdNetwork

Click here for our Tell Your Story toolkit with tips and ideas on how to make this fun and easy!

DAY 3: TAKE ACTION!

CLICK HERE FOR OUR ACTION TOOLKIT: 5 WAYS TO TAKE ACTION DURING PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK!

ONE WAY TO TAKE ACTION: Show your support by signing and sharing our petition calling on Gov. Evers to sign a budget that takes a significant step toward closing our funding gap by fully funding special education!

Follow our socials today today for opportunities to share news, information, and connect the dots from the state budget to the April 1 elections.

DAY 4: SUPPORT LOCAL ACTION with STATEWIDE IMPACT

Be the reason Wisconsin students thrive by supporting our grassroots organizing efforts statewide and urging others to do the same. Our Network supports local action with statewide impact year-round, and it’s never been more important to take a stand, where we live to stand up for strong public schools! Click here to make a difference!

DAY 5: JOIN US for a DAY OF ACTION! MADISON FRI. FEB. 28

Local kids need YOU to come to Madison to help close out Public Schools Week with a clear message: we love our public schools and our kids are counting on us to demand and deliver the resources they need to thrive!

Meet in the Rotunda of the State Capitol at 11:30 for an event that begins at 12:00 sharp. Bring your referendum yard signs!!! (no sticks) Register here!

Can’t make it to Madison? Here are a few things you can do locally to take action:

  • Amplify! Follow us for video and other coverage of the Day of Action event and help us share the referenda and local stories we’re sharing in Madison – and add your own!
  • Contact your elected officials TODAY! CALL! EMAIL! FOLLOW THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Tell them why YOU are celebrating Public Schools Week and share your concerns for local students! Let state leaders know you are paying attention to the state budget process and share your concerns. Follow our Budget HQ pages for updates, legislative action workshops, and action opportunities!
    FIND YOUR LAWMAKERS HERE
    BONUS ACTION! Invite them to visit with your group/district/community locally during the important budget process and plan an event where they can hear from you and others in your community.
  • Organize! Make a plan locally to gather and amplify budget testimony, and build a local team of public education champions to join us in our budget action this spring. Hold a meeting or info session to gather community concerns. Reach out to our organizing staff if you want help or consultation on how to get a local team started – or how to rekindle the flame on your referenda team!

THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING AND SUPPORTING WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS DURING PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2025

EVEN MORE ways to #MakeItLocal and get involved:

  • Contact your lawmakers. Tell them why you support public education and tell them to fully fund your local public schools. Here’s a sample letter to get you started!
  • Thank-you cards, Valentines, and other tokens of appreciation: Send cards, notes, and cookies to the educators and staff in your school. Don’t forget administrators and your district office! Make it a party by holding card-making events with parent groups, student orgs, and other local teams. BONUS: DELIVER THOSE CARDS TO LAWMAKERS ON OUR DAY OF ACTION!
  • Guest lessons: Invite a retired teacher, a parent, or a student to conduct a lesson in the classroom.
  • Showcase student work: Decorate a public space with kids’ drawings and artwork. Make sure to post a picture on social media with the hashtag #PublicSchoolsWeek and #PSW24.
  • Host a dinner: Share in a community meal with current and retired educators and staff from your school. 
  • Community slideshow: Have members of the community submit photos showing why they love their public schools — and combine them into a slideshow.
  • Attend a school board meeting during the week to express your appreciation.
  • Bookmark the Learning First Alliance’s Public School Proud website for opportunities to register your events (no matter how small) and a Public Schools Week 2025 toolkit.
  • Create a local hashtag and try to get it trending in your community. Example: #WeLoveMiltonSchools
  • Write a letter to the editor or op-ed for your local paper sharing why you love your schools.
  • Contact your local paper and news stations to inform them of your events and invite them to cover the week!
  • Schedule interviews or call into local radio stations to express your public school pride.
  • School board resolution: this really shows that your district is on board with your plans
  • Join us at the Wisconsin State Capitol for our Public Schools Week Day of Action on Feb. 28 in Madison. LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE

EDUCATOR APPRECIATION…IN ACTION!

Teacher appreciation week – May 5-9, 2025 – is annual event that we view as a reminder not only to appreciate, celebrate, and thank the teachers who have made a difference in our own lives, but also to put #AppreciationInAction by demanding the cultural and political conditions, compensation, and professional respect these amazing teachers really need to do what they do best.

To the educators in our state: thank you for everything you do. Your work is at the core of Wisconsin’s future, and you bring our public schools to life every day.

#AppreciationInAction is one of the key pillars of what it means to be a public school champion, and we hope you’ll join us in taking concrete steps to show educators that you care — and that you’ve got their back. We must act to oppose deprofessionalization and divisive rhetoric, lift up and spread the positive stories about what teachers in our public schools really do, and take action to deliver the conditions our teachers really deserve.

THANK YOU, WISCONSIN TEACHERS!

Ways to show your appreciation in action:

  • Download and share the graphics below, and/or consider making one your profile picture on social media!