Assembly Passes Several Education Bills Today
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2022
In floor action today, the State Assembly passed several education bills today, including the following (SAA positions added in bold):
AB-495 Firearm Possession (Brooks, Rob) Possession of a firearm in a vehicle on school grounds by a person with a license to carry a concealed weapon. Am. 1 tabled, 60-35. Passed, (Voice Vote). Messaged. SAA Opposes.
AB-843 Firearm Education (Pronschinske, Treig) Comprehensive firearm education for high school pupils. Passed, (Voice Vote). Messaged. SAA Opposes.
SB-235 Schools (Bradley, Julian) Measuring a school district’s improvement for the school and school district accountability report. Am. 1 adopted, (Voice Vote). Passed, (Voice Vote). Messaged. SAA Supports.
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Bond Referendum Bill Clears Senate Committee
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2022
The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Legal Review and Consumer Protection recommended for passage today on a 3-2 party-line vote Senate Bill 448, relating to including with a referendum question for issuing bonds a statement of the estimated interest accruing on the amount of the bonds. The SAA opposes SB 448. Please see below the testimony SAA submitted to the Committee on the bill, along with a memo from Attorney Allison Buchanan of Quarles & Brady in which she expresses her concerns about the bill from a bond counsel perspective.
Stay tuned.
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Wisconsin Falls Further Below National Average on K-12 Spending
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2022
In September 2020, you might recall that the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) released a report in which it used 2018 U.S. Census Bureau data (the most recent available at the time) to conclude the following regarding Wisconsin’s K-12 spending trends in comparison to the rest of the nation:
- In 2002, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 12th highest in the nation; 11% above the national average.
- In 2018, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 24th highest in the nation; 2.6% below the national average. (Subsequently, these figures were modified up, with Wisconsin ranking 23rd highest; and 2.2% below the national average).
Recently, the SAA reviewed 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau (the most recent available) and found (with WPF staff corroborating the accuracy):
- In 2019, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 25th highest in the nation; 4.5% below the national average.
In our estimation, Wisconsin’s continued decline below the national average is significant. More to come. The conversation continues.
Census Bureau summary table for 2018
Census Bureau summary table for 2019
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Vos Strips Ramthun of Staff Over “Election Lies”
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has taken away the lone staff member assigned to Rep. Tim Ramthun, telling WisPolitics.com today the move was made after his fellow Republican told “bold-faced lies” about his GOP colleagues.Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, has introduced a series of measures in recent weeks seeking to revoke Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes cast for Joe Biden even though Leg Council has said it’s not possible.In a recent communication, he accused Vos, R-Rochester, and former Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, of approving drop boxes for the 2020 election. Vos said Ramthun has also falsely accused Republicans of signing a deal with Hillary Clinton’s lawyers to authorize them.He called it “not just a downright lie. It’s preposterous.”Ramthun’s lone staffer is being reassigned to Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna.
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DPI Submits Modified ESSER III Plan to JFC
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …DPI wants to use a smaller pot of federal COVID-19 funds to reward districts that provided in-person instruction during the pandemic.This comes after the U.S. Department of Education rejected an earlier proposal from GOP lawmakers to use more of the money for the effort.The new DPI plan would use some of the money that Republicans wanted to distribute based on in-person instruction to instead create new grant programs plus another initiative to distribute the funds. The plan was submitted to the GOP-run Joint Finance Committee yesterday.The proposal now faces the 14-day passive review process with JFC. If no member objects, the plan would take effect. If someone does, the committee would then meet to vote on a proposal.The offices of the co-chairs said late yesterday they didn’t have a comment on the Department of Public Instruction proposal.The disputed pot of money totals $114.6 million. JFC in May approved a motion to use those funds to reward districts that provided in-person instruction for at least 50 percent of the 2020-21 school year.But the federal government objected to pulling $77 million for that effort from a pot of money that was earmarked for addressing learning loss. Those funds were required to target students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.Under the new DPI proposal:*$37.6 million would still go toward districts that provided in-person instruction. That money is from an unrestricted pot of discretionary funds, and it would benefit 151 districts.*of the just more than $77 million that was earmarked for learning loss, $10 million would be set aside for two new grant programs. One would be a $5 million competitive grant program for districts and community-based organizations for services outside of school. The other $5 million would target high school students who have been chronically absent during the pandemic.*the remaining $67 million would be used to ensure that all districts receive a minimum per pupil amount and per pupil grant.See the DPI proposal here.
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