Risk Management Award

On November 15, 2024, at its Fall Membership Meeting, Wisconsin Educators Risk Management Cooperative (WERMC) was pleased to recognize Greendale School District as the recipient of its 2024 WERMC Risk Management Award. This award is a testament to the District's unwavering commitment to promoting school safety and risk management.

Jonathan Mitchell, Greendale School District's Director of Business Services, was present to accept the District's award plaque, and a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by Community Insurance Corporation (CIC) to support the District's risk management initiatives. In recognition of their outstanding contributions, Jonathan, and team members, including Steve Lodes, High School Principal; Kelley Kranninger, School Nurse; and Steve Coombs, Building & Grounds Director, were also given certificates of recognition.

The WERMC Risk Management Award applications were evaluated based on four key criteria: Leadership in the District and Schools, Leadership in the Profession/Professional Development, Staff Development /Training/ Education/ Communication, and Problem Solving/ Adaptability/ Creativity/ Implementation and Follow-through.

Greendale School District exemplified these criteria by:

Leadership in the District and Schools

• Annually, representatives of the safety team, along with their Fire & Police Chiefs, do building walkthroughs and prioritize safety information.

• Conducted ongoing tabletop exercises for Cyber Security.

• Training for District Bus Drivers: Feedback from the training led them to change the traffic pattern for entry and exit at their high school to support their buses safely leaving the campus in the morning and afternoon.

Leadership in the Profession/Professional Development

• Presented at the WERMC Member Meetings (most recently Spring 2024), WASBO Facilities Conference, January WASB Joint Convention, and the Fall & Spring WASBO sessions.

• Jonathon Mitchell teaches Risk Management as an adjunct instructor at both Milwaukee School of Engineering and Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Staff Development/Training/Education/Communication

• Conducted staff CPR & AED training, NARCAN & Staff Medical Response Team training, and District Safety Team and District Reunification Training. In addition, they conduct an annual review of the Athletic & Robotics spaces for any potential safety issues.

Problem Solving/Adaptability/Creativity/Implementation and Follow-through.

• Greendale Schools also strategically plans to care for its facilities within available resources. The District has engaged a diverse group of students, parents, and community members in this work to help refine the priority levels of capital project plans over the next five to ten years using available resources.

The WERMC Risk Management Award was created in 2023 to recognize its members for advancement and innovation in leading the way in risk management for Wisconsin's Education Community. This award represents the pinnacle of outstanding performance by a District or CESA safety/risk management team or individual that has exemplified WERMC's mission to be leaders in a strong risk management framework, inspiring their teams and offering creative thinking to the risk management community. Nominations for the 2025 Risk Management Award will open in January.