Contact Legislators on Common Core
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 23, 2013
One of the most common questions I have been receiving of late from SAA members goes something like this, “Come on, do I really need to be concerned about the anti-Common Core movement?”
Yes, you do.
The “Stop Common Core” crowd has an active and effective grassroots lobbying effort in Wisconsin and they are having an impact in the State Capitol. I understand that many consider them to be “off the mark” on this issue. However, we ignore them at our peril.
I have provided links to a couple of anti-Common Core websites for your information, as well as a link to DPI’s Common Core Toolkit for administrators to use in communicating with their communities.
Please take a few minutes to contact your legislators about the Common Core. The misinformation on this issue is enormous. If we don’t effectively counter it, we could have a real mess on our hands.
For your convenience in contacting your legislators, I have provided links to the Senate Directory, the Assembly Directory as well as Who Are My Legislators.
Thank you.
Stop Common Core In Wisconsin Truth In American Education
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Speaker Announces Rural Schools Task Force
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 20, 2013
Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has announced the 12 members of the bipartisan Speaker’s Task Force on Rural Schools.
Assembly representatives include: Rep Mary Czaja (R-Irma), Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Eleva), Rep. Ed Brooks (R-Reedsburg), Rep. Mary Williams (R-Medford), Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz), Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater), Rep. Chris Danou (D-Trempealeau), Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Cross Plains) and Rep. Mandy Wright (D-Wausau). Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander) is serving as chair of the task force and Rep. Fred Clark (D-Baraboo) is the vice-chair.
The Speaker has charged the task force with studying the following areas:
• Creating partnerships among school districts
• Exploring new avenues to share innovations, efficiencies and best-practices
• Addressing future transportation needs
• Mapping out strategies for long-term financial stability
• Developing tactics for handling declining enrollment
• Maximizing opportunities to incorporate advanced technology
The first meeting will be in Rhinelander with a subsequent meeting to be held in Merrill. Meeting dates and additional locations will be forthcoming. A task force report on the findings and recommendations will be expected early next year.
The SAA is already meeting with the newly-appointed members of this task force to discuss the needs of rural schools and how the SAA can be a resource to the task force. The work of this task force is a priority for the SAA.
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Association of American Educators
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 18, 2013
The Association of American Educators (AAE), the nation’s largest organization of professional educators, is seeking members and making inroads in Wisconsin. Please be advised the organization appears to be pro-voucher and is linked to several other pro-voucher groups operating in Wisconsin.
See AAE’s website.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Bill Would Allow Non-Public Students to Participate on Public School Teams
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 18, 2013
A proposed legislative bill announced last Friday by Wisconsin State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) would mandate that students enrolled in a charter school, home school environment, or a virtual school be allowed to participate in interscholastic activities at the public school for the district in which they reside.
Current WIAA rules prohibit home-schooled or virtual school students from participating in athletics at another school.
The bill, LRB 2032/3, would also mandate that students enrolled in a private school who wish to participate in a sport not currently offered by their current school would be allowed to participate on their home public school team.
So for example, if a student at Winnebago Lutheran wanted to play hockey, since the school doesn’t currently offer it, if they resided in Fond du Lac they could play on the Fondy hockey team without Winnebago Lutheran having to enter into a co-op agreement.
According to Thiesfeldt, the purpose behind the bill is to allow all students interested in taking part in interscholastic athletics the opportunity to do so.
A former teacher at Lutheran schools for 22 years, including 15 years in Wisconsin, Thiesfeldt spent several years teaching and coaching at Winnebago Lutheran in the past.
Thiesfeldt indicated that he did not consult with the WIAA prior to developing the legislation, and they were not made aware of it until this morning. He will seek co-sponsors in the coming days and hopes to advance it to the committee process in the next few weeks, with a goal of passage and implementation for the 2014 season.
According to Thiesfeldt, the bill would bring Wisconsin in line with others around the country, as approximately half of the states have a similar law currently.
The full text of the proposed legislation can be found below. Please contact the SAA with any concerns you may have about this bill draft.
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SB 271 Clears Committee With SAA Support
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 13, 2013
SB 271, relating to substitute special education teachers and paraprofessional staffing services, cleared the Senate Education Committee unanimously (9-0) yesterday with SAA support.
You might recall that Senator Luther Olsen and Representative Steve Kestell, the respective Senate and Assembly Education Committee chairs, forwarded this legislation at the request of the SAA. SB 271 explicitly authorizes a school district, county, and CESA to contract for substitute teaching and paraprofessional staffing services and makes the costs of such services eligible for special education aid.
Hats off to Tom Owens, Director of Business Services for the Stevens Point Area School District (SPASD) and Tom Wohlleber, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD), for their excellent testimony in support of SB 271. I want to give special thanks as well to Tabatha Gundrum, MCPASD Director of Employee Services, for her invaluable support in answering legislators’ questions about the nuts and bolts of the MCPASD relationship with Teachers on Call.
A brief explanation of the bill appears below:
Historically, coordinating the placement of substitute teachers for any given school day has been a time-consuming, labor-intensive process for public school districts. In recent years, increasing numbers of school districts have turned to contracting for substitute teachers with private service firms.
These firms have evolved to handle all aspects of district substitute staffing needs including recruitment, background checks, substitute placement on a daily basis, and processing substitute payroll and benefits. Many districts find these firms to be efficient, cost-effective staffing solutions that free up district staff for other more pressing administrative duties.
However, there is a problem as it relates to special education substitute teachers and paraprofessionals. Currently a school district will not receive state special education aid for the costs of contracting with a substitute staffing service.
Under current law if school district personnel coordinate the placement of special education substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, the district will receive state special education aid for those substitute staffing costs. But, if the district contracts with a substitute staffing service for the placement, they will not receive state special education aid for those costs.
Therefore, school districts that utilize cost-effective substitute staffing services are being penalized under current law for using those services for their special education substitute staffing needs. This bill solves this problem by explicitly authorizing a school district to contract with substitute teaching staffing services and makes the costs of such a contract eligible for special education aid.
Tom Owens Testimony 091213 TOC Stevens Point Cost Analysis v2 – WI 2012-13 Performance
Tom Wohlleber Testimony 091213
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »