Blue Ribbon Commission To Meet May 7th
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 30, 2018
The Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding will hold a public hearing at 1:00pm on Monday, May 7th at Tomahawk Elementary School Auditorium.
The Blue Ribbon Commission will hear testimony from invited speakers, including representatives in the following areas: Florence County School District, Tomahawk School District, Northland Pines School District, Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, and Northwoods Broadband and Economic Development Coalition. Following the invited speakers, members of the public are invited to testify and share their thoughts on school funding with the commission. In order to ensure full participation from everyone in attendance, public testimony will be limited to 5 minutes per speaker. The hearing will conclude at 5:00 p.m.
As a reminder, here are the SAA’s discussion points for the Blue Ribbon Commission. The SAA encourages members to use this information as well as examples from your district and your own expertise, in developing your communications to the Commission. Stay tuned. The SAA will keep members informed of Commission developments.
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Schimel Wants Every School That Applies to Receive School Safety Grant
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 26, 2018
From WisPolitics.com …
Attorney General Brad Schimel yesterday said he would like to see every school that applies for a grant under a new $100 million program receive some state assistance to improve safety measures.
Still, he acknowledged with some 3,100 public and private schools in Wisconsin, there will be limited resources. He noted if every school received an equal grant, it would work out to an average of $31,000.
“We know that we’re going to come short of money,” Schimel said at a news conference at St. Dennis Catholic School on Madison’s east side.
The awards will be split into two categories: primary grants for baseline improvements to schools such as door locks; and advanced grants for schools that have already met minimum security thresholds.
Schimel said the goal is for every Wisconsin school building to have a single, locked entry point that includes shatterproof glass. He expects about a third of the money to go toward those costs.
The advanced grants could be used for improvements such as video intercoms and exit door alarms. The money can’t be used to hire new staff or cover weapons, vehicles or body armor.
The applications are due June 8, and Schimel said the Department of Justice received one last night just hours after the agency began accepting them. He hoped to have the awards finalized by mid-June, expecting few schools would wait until the deadline to submit their applications.
To qualify for the money, all full-time teachers, aides, counselors and administrators will have to have at least three hours training in Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Care/Trauma Sensitive Schools before the end of the 2018-19 school year or show staff have already received such training.
While DOJ will notify schools of the awards this summer, schools will not see the payment until after the projects are completed. Schimel said those who fail to meet the training requirement will not be reimbursed for the safety measures.
Schools also will have to partner with law enforcement agencies to ensure their plans will be effective.
“We owe our children and communities the promise of safe school environments.
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Schimel to Announce More Details on School Safety Initiative
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 25, 2018
From WisPolitics.com …
AG Brad Schimel today will announce more details on the state’s $100 million school safety initiative during a news conference at a Catholic school on Madison’s east side.
The grants will start going out in June, and public and private schools are eligible for the awards.
Schimel yesterday announced the parameters of the $100 million grant system. That includes two different categories: Primary School Safety Grants, for baseline improvements to schools such as door locks; and Advanced School Safety Grants, for schools that have already met minimum security thresholds.
Of the $100 million available, around $35 million will be allocated for the primary category and the remaining $65 million would be for the advanced one.
See the news release here.
See news story from Wisconsin Public Radio here.
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Concurrent Enrollment Fix Signed by Governor
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 17, 2018
Assembly Bill 805, the so-called “Concurrent Enrollment Fix”, was signed into law yesterday by Governor Scott Walker as Act 307. The SAA strongly supported this bill.
You might recall that the Early College Credit Program (ECCP) adopted in the 2017-19 State Budget increased school district fiscal exposure for participation in concurrent enrollment programs. Act 307 simply exempts concurrent enrollment programs from the new ECCP requirements. See this Legislative Council Amendment Memo for a good summary of the bill’s provisions.
Special thanks to Rep. Dale Kooyenga for authoring this legislation. Hats off as well to Elmbrook Superintendent Mark Hansen for his leadership in advocating for this important law change.
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Blue Ribbon Commission To Meet April 23rd
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 17, 2018
The Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding will hold a public hearing at 2:00pm on Monday, April 23rd at CESA 6, 2300 WI-44, Oshkosh, WI 54904.
Invited speakers include representatives from the following areas: Appleton School District, Neenah School District, Lomira School District, and CESA 6. Following the invited speakers, members of the public will be able to share their thoughts with the Commission. This public testimony will be limited to 5 minutes for each speaker. The hearing will conclude at 6:00pm.
As a reminder, here are the SAA’s discussion points for the Blue Ribbon Commission. The SAA encourages members to use this information as well as examples from your district and your own expertise, in developing your communications to the Commission. Stay tuned. The SAA will keep members informed of Commission developments.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »