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Capitol Update January 19, 2024
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 19, 2024
- LRB 5615 – 1 was circulated this week to fund the continued operations of the Wisconsin Office of School Safety (OSS) through September 2025. This funding extension will allow the OSS to continue its work to proactively assist schools, prevent violence from occurring, mitigate trauma, and respond effectively if a crisis event does occur to promote recovery. Continued funding is needed as the OSS was not funded in the 2023-25 budget. While the legislature will still need to approve ongoing funding for the OSS as part of the 2025-27; LRB 5615-1 does provide a bridge to enable services to continue until deliberations on the state budget begin in 2025.
- LRB 5595-1 requires that if a school provides four-year-old kindergarten, the school board must offer four-year-old kindergarten using a community approach to early education, as defined by DPI by rule, and the school board must contract with each family child care center, group child care center, and head start agency (community-based provider) that holds a license issued by the Department of Children and Families; is in good standing with DCF. Additionally, the bill also requires that the contract between a school board and a community-based provider include a minimum net per pupil amount that is not less than 95 percent of the per pupil revenue limit that applies to four-year-old kindergarten pupils in the school district and several additional provisions related to transportation.
- The Assembly Speaker’s Taskforce on Childhood Obesity and the Taskforce on Truancy released several proposals which will be reviewed and provided in a separate email.
The Senate Education Committee will be holding a public hearing on January 23rd at 10:30 am. The hearing notice includes:
- Senate Bill 429 modifies the school start date mandates. Under the bill beginning in the 2024-25 school year, public schools are prohibited from starting fall classes until the Monday before Labor Day. Additionally, under the bill, if a public school starts fall classes before Labor Day, the public school must be closed on the Friday before Labor Day. Additionally, in the exceptions to the start date prohibition provided under current law, the bill changes September 1 to the Monday before Labor Day.
- Senate Bill 549 requires school districts to allow certain federally recognized organizations time during the school day to promote and recruit members – specifically, the Boy Scouts have testified that they have seen a rapid decline in their membership and are requesting a mandate to have access to our students during the school day. This bill would require that schools grant access to all students, on one day at the beginning of the school year.
- Senate Bill 653 increases the full-time open enrollment program transfer amount to $10,000 for the 2024-25 school year. DPI Fiscal Estimate
- Senate Bill 707 Requires DCF to create a grant program that may award grants of no more than $10,000 each to nonprofit organizations as reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the cost of books that the organizations provide in partnership with a national reading program that has been in existence since at least 2003 and that mails age-appropriate books free of charge to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. This bill is designed to replicate grant programs.
Additional analysis will be provided on Senate Bill 608, Senate Bill 742, and Senate Bill 917 which are on the agenda. Please reach out with any questions or if you need additional information if you are planning on reaching out to your legislators. Click here if you need the contact information for your legislators.
Thank you,
Dee
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