State Budget Impacts on School Finance
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 15, 2015
The DPI School Financial Services team has posted a table outlining the impacts of the recent state budget on school aids and the revenue limit. This resource is intended to provide a succinct source of information to help individual districts discern how the recent law changes may affect their district.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Urban Education Task Force Preliminary Schedule
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 11, 2015
As you may know, the Assembly Speaker has formed an Urban Education Task Force, which will be researching and discussing solutions to the most important issues facing Wisconsin’s urban schools. Official dates, locations and meeting topics were announced this week. Meeting information is as follows:
September 29, 2015 — Madison — Teacher Recruitment/Retention/Training
October 13, 2015 — Kenosha/Racine — Mental Health/Behavior/Truancy
November 10, 2015 — Green Bay — Education Alternatives: Technology for
Virtual/Online learning, Charters, Choice
December 8, 2015 — Eau Claire — Closing the Achievement Gap
January 26, 2015 — Milwaukee — Early Childhood Education/Alternative Schools
We will forward additional information when it becomes available.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
New Statewide Assessment Provider Selected
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 11, 2015
Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), a Midwestern assessment company with a Wisconsin office, received a letter of intent from the state to contract for the development, administration, and reporting of results for new assessments for Wisconsin students. Contingent on successful contract negotiations, state students will take the Wisconsin Forward Exam in spring 2016.
For more information, please see the DPI news release here.
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Proposed Energy Exemption Emergency Rule Released
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 11, 2015
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has released its proposed emergency rule regarding revenue limit exemptions for energy efficiencies for review. The proposed rule is a change to align PI 15 with the statutory changes made as a result of 2011 Wisconsin Act 32 and 2013 Wisconsin Act 20, thereby providing revenue limit exemptions by an amount spent by a school district on a project to implement energy efficiency measures.
The rule was submitted to the Wisconsin State Journal for publication in the Saturday, September 12th issue. The corresponding permanent rule was to be submitted yesterday for review by the Legislative Council Rules Clearinghouse before an agency hearing is scheduled. It will be at this point that the agency will accept public and written testimony regarding the rule and will consider final changes before the proposed rule is submitted to the Legislature.
The SAA will keep the membership informed of developments regarding this important rule change.
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AGR Trailer Bill Clears Assembly Committee
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 11, 2015
Yesterday, Assembly Bill 287, a trailer bill to fix a couple issues with 2015 Wisconsin Act 53 (Achievement Gap Reduction program), cleared the Assembly Education Committee on a 14-0 vote. The SAA supports AB 287.
Under the bill, an AGR contract must require a school board to implement one or more of the strategies described below in each class in each participating grade at each participating school. Under current law, the strategies described below related to class size and tutoring must be implemented in one or more classes in one or more participating grades at each participating school and the instructional coaching strategy described below must be provided for one or more teachers of one or more participating grades at each participating school. Under current law, a school board that enters into an AGR contract must implement one or more of the following strategies:
- Reduce the class size to 18 pupils or, if a classroom has at least two regular
classroom teachers, to 30 pupils; and provide professional development on small
group instruction. - Provide instructional coaching for teachers.
- Provide one-to-one tutoring to pupils who struggle with reading or math.
This bill also delays the first annual evaluation of the AGR program by one school year. Under the bill, DPI must first arrange for an annual evaluation of the AGR program in the 2018-19 school year.
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »