What School Bills Did, and Didn’t, Pass?
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 24, 2014
Erin Richards of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel penned an interesting article this weekend in which she takes a look at what happened to the major education bills before the legislature this legislative session.
See Journal Sentinel Story here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Assembly Passes Senate Accountability Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 21, 2014
After intense debate in the Assembly Republican Caucus yesterday, the Assembly did not take up a flawed accountability proposal (ASA 1 to SB 286) that included sanctions for low-performing schools. Instead they concurred in SB 286 as passed by the Senate. The SAA supported this action. The bill now moves on to the Governor’s desk.
See Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Assembly Concurs in SB 478 (Fund 80)
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 21, 2014
The Assembly yesterday passed Senate Bill 478 (as amended) , and messaged it back to the Senate. We anticipate Governor Walker will sign it into law in the coming weeks. For more information about the bill, see the SAA’s March 19 post on Senate passage.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Senate Passes Fund 80 Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 19, 2014
Yesterday, the state Senate passed SB 478 (as amended), relating to school district expenditures for community programs and services. Given the intense political pressure to pass legislation on this issue, the SAA worked with the authors of SB 478, Senator Cowles and Representative Steineke, and the DPI to fashion the framework for the amended bill that passed the Senate yesterday.
The bill (as amended) does 3 things:
1) It directs DPI to promulgate rules defining “eligible costs” for community programs and services under Fund 80 and provides that only those expenditures that are eligible costs under the rules are excluded from a school district’s revenue limit;
2) It requires each school district’s annual audit report to provide information about the district’s expenditures for community programs and services; and
3) It allows the DPI to decrease the revenue limit otherwise applicable to a school district in any school year by an amount equal to the school district’s ineligible expenditures for community programs and services in the previous school year. The amount of the decrease, if any, does not affect the base for determining the school district’s revenue limit for the following school year.
We anticipate that the Assembly will concur in Senate passage of SB 478 on Thursday.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
SB 589: On To The Governor’s Desk
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 19, 2014
In floor action yesterday, the Assembly concurred in the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 589, relating to removing the current 180-day requirement. The bill generated no opposition. It now awaits Governor Walker’s signature.
The SAA strongly supported this legislation from its inception (See SAA testimony here). Special thanks to Senator Luther Olsen and Representative Steve Kestell for bringing the legislation forward and for allowing the SAA to participate in the bill development process.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »