The Assembly passed Assembly Bill 395 on a voice vote with little or no opposition on Wednesday, November 12th. This is a big victory for the SAA, as AB 395 has been an SAA priority this session. Special thanks to those SAA members that contacted their Assembly Representatives in support of the bill. I heard from numerous Assembly offices that SAA members responded in a big way to our legislative alerts on AB 395.

AB 395 would eliminate the 180-day requirement and retain the instructional time requirement. It enhances local control of education decision-making and simply affords local districts the flexibility to restructure their calendar and reinvest budget savings to improve student performance – if circumstances warrant and the community supports such action. The bill does not require a reduction of school days, nor does it override local master contract agreements.

The SAA believes that Wisconsin school districts should have the flexibility with which to meet state and federal accountability standards – and AB 395 helps provide that flexibility. You might recall that AB 395 was a part of the SAA School Mandate Relief Package developed earlier this year at the request of SAA members.

AB 395 now moves on to the Senate with strong momentum. The SAA is already working to achieve timely Senate consideration for the bill. If the bill passes the Senate, it goes to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto. WEAC and DPI opposition to the bill remains a cause for concern.