On May 4, the Senate education committee recommended passage of Senate Bill 182, a bill to return local school board control of the school start date beginning in the 2022-23 school year, on a unanimous 7-0 vote. The WASB supports local school boards having sole authority to establish the school calendar and supports repealing existing state statutes restricting the school start date. We thank Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) for authoring this legislation and for advancing it out of committee.
The Assembly companion bill, authored by Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) was referred to the Assembly education committee on March 23 and has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.
Also passing unanimously out of committee on May 4 were companion bills (Assembly Bill 162 & Senate Bill 177) to change the payment of equalization aids to four equal installments (25% each) in September (currently 15%), December, March, and June (currently 35%). This would be phased in by increasing the September payment by 2% and decreasing the June payment by 2% each year for five years. The WASB supports these bills and thanks authors Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) for bringing them forward.
