Jill Schams is getting her accordion ready as Oktoberfest nears. The Southern Bluffs music teacher and La Crosse Education Association president stopped by to debate whether the area is running low on squeeze boxes, what it takes to land a spot on the Oktoberfest Accordion Club float, and what happened when she blasted live polka in her classroom right as Superintendent Dr. Aaron Engel walked in.

Once the accordion talk settled down, Schams, the teachers’ union president, helped tackle some serious school policy — including the fight for universal free school meals, how local foundation grants fund classroom needs, the Lincoln Middle School final walkthrough, and why state budget surpluses aren't reaching local classrooms.

Episode Highlights:

• Saving the Polka Tradition: Hunting down local accordion players, prepping for the Oktoberfest float, and surprising elementary kids (and the superintendent) with live polka.
• School Lunch Realities: Why feeding every student should be a basic societal baseline rather than a mountain of bureaucratic paperwork.
• Funding the Gap: Breaking down the heavy lifting local foundations like the La Crosse Public Education Foundation do to keep classroom grants alive.
• State Budget Priorities: Why relying on short-term tax cuts and surplus funds fails to address fundamental, long-term public school funding needs.
• Preserving School Memories: Taking a quick look back at Lincoln Middle School's final open house and finding ways to honor local school history before consolidation.