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GOP legislators request Gov. Evers prioritize districts with in-person instruction for federal funds

GOP legislators request Gov. Evers prioritize districts with in-person instruction for federal funds

In keeping with the theme of getting all K-12 students back to in-person instruction, and foreshadowing a potential preview of how state funds might be allocated to schools in a legislative budget counter-proposal, numerous key GOP legislators have sent a letter to Gov. Evers asking him to prioritize federal funding for districts with full-time in-person instruction over those providing instruction in a virtual or hybrid format. The letter was signed by 52 GOP lawmakers including nearly every GOP member of the Joint Finance Committee. (more…)

Governor’s proposed budget addresses “meal shaming,” funds school breakfast reimbursements

Gov. Evers’ proposed 2021-23 state budget includes a number of provisions related to school meals, including provisions intended to address so-called “meal shaming” – a term used to describe practices that single out children with unpaid school meal debts. 

“Meal shaming” was the subject of legislation during the 2019-20 legislative session which did not pass, and also generated a resolution—Resolution 6.17 (see below) adopted by the 2020 WASB Delegate Assembly. (more…)

Assembly education committee schedules informational and public hearings this week

The state Assembly Committee on Education, chaired by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) will hold an informational hearing and a public hearing on Thursday, March 4 at 9:30 am in room 412 East of the State Capitol. The informational hearing will include testimony from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) regarding progress on the dyslexia guidebook that was required to be developed by Wisconsin 2019 Act 86.

Immediately following the informational hearing the committee will receive public testimony on the following proposals: (more…)

Interview with Sen. Chris Larson, Senate education committee ranking member

Recently, I conducted a brief interview with Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Education, to get his thoughts on the governor’s budget proposal for schools and other legislation. This is the latest in a series of interviews I will be conducting with key state lawmakers to provide legislative insight on the state budget. We thank Sen. Larson for taking the time to join us!

Sen. Larson told me that Gov. Evers’s K-12 budget is a realistic and moderate proposal and is optimistic about the potential of bipartisan agreement during the budget process. That being said, he doesn’t see much chance of his GOP colleagues agreeing to freezing vouchers, voucher accountability measures, or the grant program to replace race-based mascots as proposed by the governor. 

You can watch the full interview below: (more…)