Funding Public Schools By Referendum
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 31, 2016
Check out this interesting article in the Madison Capital Times on funding public schools by referendum.
The article discusses a legislative fiscal bureau (LFB) memo prepared at the request of Representative Gordon Hintz (D) – Oshkosh.
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US DOE Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 26, 2016
The US Department of Education sent the following to the Chief State School Officers regarding a proposed rule on accountability, state plans, and data reporting for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Today, the U.S. Department of Education released for public comment a set of proposed regulations to give states clarity in rethinking their accountability, data reporting, and consolidated state plans. This marks an important step along the path to implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in a way that allows the law to live up to its potential as a tool for enhancing educational excellence and equity.
The Department considered hundreds of comments from the public and held over 200 meetings and events across the nation, receiving input from a variety of stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, school leaders, state and local administrators, tribes, civil rights organizations, and business leaders. Because of this input, the proposed regulations hold great promise for helping schools in every community become more equitable – so all students get what they need to learn, grow, and succeed in college and career.
The Department is interested in hearing from all stakeholders, including States, and looks forward to receiving comments during the public comment period over the next 60 days (until August 1). We take these comments seriously, understanding the final regulations will be stronger because of that input.
The proposed regulations will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, May 31. In the meantime, you may view the proposed regulations, a fact sheet, a chart comparing these proposed regulations to No Child Left Behind(NCLB), and the Department’s press release on the ESSA resources web page. There will also be blog posts outlining our proposal on our Homeroom Blog and Medium. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or your contact in the Office of State Support (OSS).
We will be following up on additional opportunities for you and your staff to engage around the proposed regulatory language. We plan to hold two webinars in the next few weeks, with the first occurring on Thursday, June 2. More details will be forthcoming to your staff in the next day. Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of our country’s children. We look forward to our continued work together on this important issue.
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Schimel Joins Lawsuit Challenging Obama Transgender Policy
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 26, 2016
From WisPolitics:
Republican AG Brad Schimel’s decision to join a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s new bathroom policy for transgender people is drawing responses from across the political spectrum.
And both sides said their main goal is to protect children in Wisconsin.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said Schimel’s decision is no surprise considering Gov. Scott Walker’s “backwards approach to governing the state.” The Madison-area Dem said the state, instead of fighting the policy, should seek ways to make schools safe for the most vulnerable students.
“It’s a poor and pitiful attempt to catch a dying wave of shameful political attacks on transgender youth,”Pocan said, “in an effort to advance an antiquated ideology.”
On the other side, Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, and Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, sent out an “open letter to Wisconsin’s parents and children” on the issue. The lawmakers were behind the “Student Privacy Protection Act,” which would have established rules for the bathrooms transgender students can use; it failed to become law in the past session.
“The Wisconsin Legislature will take a stand against the bullying and intimidation tactics of the federal government,” according to the letter, “ensuring that state and local rights are maintained by making the privacy and safety of Wisconsin students of utmost importance.”
The Obama administration, earlier this month, established a Title IX policy that lets public school students use the bathrooms that match their gender identities. The policy forces all recipients of Title IX money to treat people according to their “internal sense of gender.”
Wisconsin and 10 other states, led by Texas, sued yesterday. Schimel argued the policy conflicts with the language of Title IX and state law, which prohibits discrimination based on “sex” but not gender identity.
The policy also sacrifices “the privacy and safety of the nation’s children,” said Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action. The group has joined more than 30 other state-level organizations in sending a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, and other congressional leaders urging them to take legislative action to stop the policy.
“Real students at every grade level will be affected by the policies this mandate forces on our schools,” Appling said.
But the policy is really about equality for the LGBT community and the requirement that states follow federal law, Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa said. The Milwaukee Dem said Republicans have “sunk to a new low in their attacks on LGBT people.”
“I’m more than disappointed that Attorney General Schimel, the top law enforcement official in the state, who we’re supposed to be able to look to for protection, instead chose to use his power to protect bigotry,” Zamarripa said.
See Pocan’s news release.
See the open letter from Kremer and Nass.
See the Wisconsin Family Action news release.
See Zamarripa’s news release.
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Senator Vinehout: School Funding Hits Home
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 26, 2016
Check out the interesting column on school funding from Senator Kathleen Vinehout.
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DOE, DOJ Guidance Letter on Transgender Students
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 23, 2016
From the Legal Side…
The Strang Patteson Law Firm has recently published this Legal Update that discusses the Departments of Education and Justice guidance letter on transgender students. The guidance letter was released on Friday, May 13. The SAA regularly receives these legal updates and we believe this is valuable information for SAA members. We are distributing this update to SAA members with the permission of Strang Patteson.
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