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Governor Evers Acts on K-12 Proposals
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 6, 2026
The Governor has until April 9 to act on legislation sent to him at the close of the 2025-27 Regular Legislative Session. Last week, Governor Evers acted on dozens of bills. The Governor vetoed a slate of issues around transgender youth and a requirement that Wisconsin participate in the Federal “Scholarship Tax Credit” program. Later in the week, he signed three bills and vetoed four others. An additional 8 K-12-related proposals are awaiting the Governor’s action.
Bills Signed into Law
2025 Wisconsin Act 185 (SB-785)
This bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to maintain on the Department of Public Instruction’s website an online licensing portal that is searchable by the public at no cost. Under the bill, the portal must include information related to license holders who are investigated by DPI. Specifically, the portal must include for each license holder who is under investigation the name of the license holder and the outcome of the investigation, including if the investigation was terminated because the license holder voluntarily surrendered the license during the investigation. The portal must also include the name of each individual whose license is revoked by DPI. Under current law, DPI must post on its website the name of each license holder who is under investigation and the name of each individual whose license is revoked by DPI as a result of an investigation.
2025 Wisconsin Act 186 ( AB-1004)
This bill prohibits school boards, governing boards of charter schools, and governing bodies of private schools participating in a parental choice program or the Special Needs Scholarship Program (an education employer) from entering into any agreement that 1) has the effect of suppressing or destroying information related to immoral conduct by an employee, 2) affects the ability of the education employer or its employees to report immoral conduct, or 3) requires the education employer to expunge information about substantiated allegations or findings of immoral conduct from any documents maintained by the education employer. The bill also provides civil immunity to an education employer that, upon request from a prospective employer, provides information about the conduct of a current or past employee, including information about immoral conduct. The civil immunity provided in the bill is in addition to the civil immunity under current law for employment references. Under current law, an employer who provides a reference to a prospective employer is presumed to be acting in good faith and is immune from civil liability that may result from providing the reference.
2025 Wisconsin Act 189 (AB-530)
Assembly Bill 530 prohibits operating a drone over school property unless specific exceptions apply. These exceptions include:
- Authorization by the school authority: Operation is permitted with express approval from the school board or governing body with jurisdiction over the school, or their designee.
- Public safety purposes: Operation is allowed in the direction of the chief of a public protective services agency (such as law enforcement, tribal law enforcement, fire, or EMS) for purposes outlined in the bill.
Assembly Amendment 1 narrows the scope of the prohibition by specifying that it applies only when:
- The school is open to pupils for instruction, or
- The property is being used for a school-authorized event.
The amendment also:
- Requires school authorities to respond to drone operation requests within five business days.
Clarifies that the public safety exception may be authorized by either the sheriff or the chief of a public protective services agency, as applicable.
On March 2, the Governor signed a bill that allows school districts to record both video and audio inside school buses. State law previously allowed cameras in school buses, but the rules for recording audio were unclear. Act 160 allows these devices to be installed, provided the school board adopts a policy authorizing their usage. Upon the adoption of these policies, school boards must provide a notice to pupils and parents/guardians and clearly post this policy on the school bus. Any recordings captured by the devices must remain confidential and may be used only by school officials and law enforcement personnel for investigations, school disciplinary actions, and criminal prosecutions related to events occurring on or near the school bus. The new law applies to charter, private, and tribal schools.
Bills Vetoed
SB-389: Repealing the 400-Year Veto. Veto Message
SB-699: Alternative methods of providing pupil transportation services. Veto Message
AB-460: Pupil eligibility for parental choice programs based upon participation by a sibling or a dependent child of the pupil’s parent or guardian. Veto Message
AB-582: Dual enrollment programs, creating the Council on Dual Enrollment, and transfer of postsecondary course credits. Veto Message
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