2011 - 12 Legislative Session

 

           

 

 

 

Regular session proposals:

 

 

Charter School Expansion               Senate Bill 22 / Assembly Bill 51               WCRIS Position: Neutral                          

Creation of a statewide charting authority with unlimited restrictions to create charter schools in Wisconsin.

Update:  Amendment added which excludes the authorization of charter schools by a statewide board in school districts with less than 2,000 students.  Amendment excludes 3/4 of the school districts in WI.

 

 

 

Concussions sustained in youth sports      Assembly Bill 259 / Senate Bill  243          WCRIS Position: Support

Develop information for coaches, parents, and atheletes regarding the risk of head injuries; require youth athletes suspected of a head injury to be removed from play until they receive written clearence to play from a health care provider.

Update: Proposal amended to provide immunity from civil lawsuits for coaches, officials and volunteers acting in good faith to comply with the law.  This amendment was suggested by the Edgewood High School Athletic Department. 

 

 

Med Policy / Staff Training Law                  Senate Bill 45 / Assembly Bill 62             WCRIS Position: Support

Repeal of Act 160, relating to school medication policies and staff training. 

Update:  Proposal amended to retain training requirements for any application that is injected, inhaled, rectally administered or provided through a feeding tube. 

Senate Bill 45 passed the State Senate on 10/27/11; State Assembly on 11/1/11.

PASSED:  2011 WI ACT 86

 

Meds: Use of an epinephrine auto-injector by authorized students      Senate Bill 204       WCRIS Position:  Support

             PASSED:  2011 WI ACT 85

 

 

MPS: Sale of unused property                    Senate Bill 20 / Assembly Bill 37              WCRIS Position:  Support

Authorizes the City of Milwaukee to sell city-owned properties used for school purposes.

PASSED:  2011 WI ACT 17

 

 

Milwaukee School Choice Program

  1. Assembly Bill 92:   Elimination of the enrollment cap; expansion to Milwaukee County         

WCRIS Position:  Support      PASSED:  2011 WI ACT 32 - State budget

       2.   Assembly Bill 94:   Simplifies administrative requirements for participating schools            

 WCRIS Position:  Support      PASSED:  2011 WI ACT

       3.   Senate Bill 174:   Program restrictions; Milwaukee and Racine                                           

WCRIS Position:  Neutral      Update:  Passed State Senate

       4.   Senate Bill 234:   Parental Choice: budget clean-up                                                             

WCRIS Position:  Support     PASSED:  2011 WI ACT 47

 

 

Special Needs Scholarships             Assembly Bill 110                                       WCRIS Position:  Support        

Provides scholarships for special needs students to attend the school of their choice. 

 

 

Tuition Tax Credit                              Senate Bill 69 / Assembly Bill 112              WCRIS Position:  Support

Provides a non-refundable individual income tax credit for tuition expenses incurred at a private school in Wisconsin.

Information sheet

 

Tuition Tax Exemption                       Senate Bill 364                                            WCRIS Position:  Support

Provides a tax exemption of up to $2,000/student for tuition-related expenses

 

 

Private schools / Early Child Care Centers - licensure             Assembly Bill 215         WCRIS Position:  Support   

Requires a private school that provides care for children under 3 years old to to be licensed as a child care center. 

 Update:   Amendment added at the request of WCRIS to exclude accredited private schools from the license requirement.

 

 

 

State Budget items:

I. 4K start-up grants support -    Included in State budget

Governor retained an annual funding level of $1.35 million. Provides start-up grants averaging around $800 per student for districts with a "community approach" to providing 4K services.

II. Transportation: "Parent Contracts" oppose -   Eliminated from State budget

Governor changes the amount our larger families are eligible to receive through a parent contract, an annual stipend in lieu of bussing services. The contract amount would be determined based on a "per family" calculation instead of a "per student" basis. This policy is already current law in the Milwaukee Public School District.

III. Mandate relief support -   Eliminated from State budget

Governor proposes eliminating the following mandates which pertain to religious and independent schools:

  1. Air quality task force; the creation of air quality standards in public and private schools support
  2. Health insurance; mandatory coverage of birth control support
  3. Adjustments made to Act 160, relating to medical policies and staff training support

IV. Milwaukee School Choice Program support

1. Expands eligibility to all students, regardless of family income - UPDATE: Increased to 300% of the federal poverty level

2. Expands boundary of eligible schools from the City of Milwaukee to the County - UPDATE: Boundaries eliminated all together

3. Eliminates current enrollment cap set at 22,000 students - UPDATE: Included in State budget

 

 

Archives:

2009-10 Legislative Session

Name of Bill Description of Bill WCRIS POSITION AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON BILL. This cell will grow in height to accommodate whatever text is typed in here. The cells are a fixed width, but they could be modified.