SAA Special Ed Substitute Teacher Bill Circulating
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 6, 2013
Representative Steve Kestell and Senator Luther Olsen, the respective Assembly and Senate Education Committee chairs, are circulating for co-sponsorship legislation that explicitly authorizes a school district, county, and CESA to contract for substitute teaching and paraprofessional staffing services and makes the costs of such a contract eligible for special education aid. Representative Kestell and Senator Olsen are forwarding this legislation at the request of the SAA. We are very grateful for the education committee chairs’ support. 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.
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State Government Revenue Not Out of Line
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 2, 2013
Despite claims that Wisconsin is a high-tax state, it is actually about average in most measures of revenue and spending among the states, according to new figures from the Census Bureau. Wisconsin ranked 19th out of the 50 states in taxes and fees per person in fiscal year 2011, before the deep spending cuts included in the 2011-13 budget.
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48 New Voucher Schools Register With DPI
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 1, 2013
Forty-eight private nonsectarian and religious schools and school systems registered with the Department of Public Instruction by the July 26 deadline to accept students for the 2013?14 school year through the newly created Wisconsin Parental Choice Program.
For additional information see DPI news release.
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New Requirements for Fund 80
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 23, 2013
The law firm of Davis & Kuelthau recently posted a client update regarding the new Fund 80 requirements for school districts. The SAA believes this is valuable information for SAA members. We regularly receive these updates and have chosen to distribute this information to the SAA membership with the permission of the law firm of Davis & Kuelthau.
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WERC Publishes Annual Election Rules; Act 10 Case Law Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 23, 2013
The Boardman & Clark law firm recently posted a legal update regarding Act 10 case law and the WERC’s publication of annual certification election emergency rules. The SAA believes this is valuable information for SAA members. We regularly receive these updates and have chosen to distribute this information to the SAA membership with the permission of the Boardman & Clark law firm.
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