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Legislative Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 7, 2025
Assembly Committee on Education, 10:00 am, Thu, Mar 6
- AB 101 School District Reports (Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations) Requiring school districts to report information related to American Indian children attending school in the school district.
- AB 103 School Policies (Dittrich, Barbara) School board policies related to changing a pupil’s legal name and pronouns. (Co-Sponsorship period ended 3/3)
- AB 100 Athletic Sports (Dittrich, Barbara) Designating athletic sports and teams operated or sponsored by public schools or private schools participating in a parental choice program based on the sex of the participants. (Co-Sponsorship period ended 2/28)
Public Hearing Summary:
At a packed Assembly Education Committee hearing on AB 103, requiring parental permission for school staff to use a student’s preferred name and pronouns, Democrats argued it could let school boards block legal name changes.
Wisconsin law allows those 14 and older to change their name without parental consent. Under AB 103, principals would set students’ names and pronouns at school, and changes would require school board review, parental input, and legal documentation.
Bill author Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, framed the bill as a “parents’ rights” measure, comparing name changes to other parental consent requirements in schools. Others who testified warned the bill could let districts reject legal name changes and create conflicts between parents.
After hours of testimony, the committee then debated AB 100, Dittrich’s proposal to ban transgender women and girls from competing in sports matching their gender identity. AB 103 and AB 100 face an uncertain fate in the Senate and ultimately, Governor Evers has already vowed to veto them if they reach his desk.
AB 101 expands the requirements of the annual school district reports, requiring each school district to report the numbers, ages, and tribal affiliation of American Indian children attending the school district beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. This bill has been recommended for several sessions by the standing Legislative Council Study Committee on Tribal Relations. It previously passed the Assembly but has failed to gain traction in the Senate.
Joint Legislative Audit Committee, 1:30 pm, Tue, Mar 4
Public Hearing & Executive Session
- Proposed Audit: School and School District Accountability Reports, Department of Public Instruction
Public Hearing Summary
The co-chairs of the Joint Audit Committee are moving forward with an effort to review how the Department of Public Instruction created new benchmarks for standardized tests. The audit was approved on party lines 6-4. (Media Coverage: Co-chairs Release, JS Online)
State Budget
A comparative summary document is available on the DPI’s Policy, Budget and Research Team webpage: 2025 Biennial Budget
Stay tuned for an announcement on statewide budget hearings which will likely begin in early April. It is anticipated there will be four hearings across the state.
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