Catholic Parents Urge Archdiocese to Drop Common Core
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 29, 2014
I found this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article interesting. Public schools are not the only ones embroiled in the Common Core circus.
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Student Poverty Rate Continues to Climb
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 28, 2014
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced today that the percentage of public school students eligible for subsidized school meals increased for the current school year to 43.3 percent, continuing an upward climb that spans the decade. This measure of poverty increased one-tenth of a percentage point from last school year and is up 13.8 percentage points from the 2003-04 school year.
Additional information is available here. A spreadsheet and 2013?14 map of free and reduced-price meal data is available here. An animation of the changes in subsidized meal eligibility is on the DPI YouTube Channel.
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Olsen: What is the Purpose of the Voucher Program?
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 28, 2014
State Senator Luther Olsen, in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article this morning, was spot-on in questioning the purpose of the state’s voucher program. He also questioned how the state would fund a runaway entitlement program that would pay for every child attending private school.
State Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), chair of the Senate Education Committee, looks at the (voucher) program differently than (Senator) Vukmir. He said it’s not about kids on the outside looking in to private schools; it’s about kids on the inside looking out for a check.
“The question is, what is this purpose of this program? Is it a program to help poor kids get out of public schools, or is it a program to pay for the tuition of kids who are already in private schools?” Olsen said. “It’s pretty obvious from the last two go-rounds (of applications) that it’s the latter.”
Olsen said the Legislature and governor will have to decide if the program is going to be a new entitlement program, and if so, how the state would pay for every child in a private school.
See the entire article here.
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Clark: Time to Stand Up for Rural Schools
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 23, 2014
Earlier this week, Representative Fred Clark (D-Baraboo) issued an interesting column highlighting the work of the Speaker’s Task Force on Rural Schools and calling for strong action to meet the needs of our Wisconsin rural schools.
As you know, Representative Clark is not seeking re-election to his Assembly seat. We will miss his steadfast support for public education and his passion for the vitally important role played by Wisconsin’s rural schools.
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UW Proposes Covering Dual Enrollment Tuition Costs Next Year
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 23, 2014
UW System President Ray Cross has proposed covering tuition costs for high school students who take UW courses over the next academic year.
Cross said in a statement that the UW’s Course Options program, established in the last state budget, requires school districts to pick up some of the cost for those courses, placing a burden on districts and raising concerns that the cost could be passed on to students.
He called the proposal a “stop-gap” to provide lawmakers “the time they need to address the concerns and consequences related to the law’s funding mechanisms.” The plan, which would be funded by the UW System, is set to go before the Board of Regents in August.
“By taking courses that count toward both high school graduation requirements and college credit, students benefit in two ways: they reduce their cost of a college degree and they complete that degree sooner,” Cross said. “That’s good for them and good for Wisconsin.”
Gov. Scott Walker praised the plan in the UW statement, adding he intends to work to find “a long-term resolution to the concerns President Cross is addressing through his stop-gap plan.”
Tony Evers Letter to School Superintendents
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