Regulations proposed by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are threatening schools’ religious liberty and right to free speech. Under the proposed regulations, maintaining separate restrooms and dressing areas for men and women could be considered harassment, among other provisions that may contradict your school’s mission and values. All employees should have the right to [...]
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Current Events
A library of WCRIS weekly E-letters that keeps you updated on issues of concern to private schools
69 Results found for category: Advocacy
WCRIS Investigating Ways to Patch the Pipeline
October 19, 2023
To help its members troubleshoot staffing vacancies, WCRIS staff attended the Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Administrators (WASPA) Teacher Shortage Summit in Madison last week. The conference was informative and an excellent opportunity for WCRIS to share its ideas and solutions with state and public and private school experts. WCRIS distributed a handout at the [...]
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WCRIS Attends State of Education Address
September 21, 2023
WCRIS staff attended the State of Education address given by DPI Superintendent, Dr. Jill Underly, this week alongside several other education advocacy organizations and state lawmakers. The event was held in the Rotunda of the State Capitol, and the address included an update of education legislative changes and the DPI’s goals for the next year. [...]
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New Anti-Discrimination Bill Introduced; Anti-Choice Package Circulates
September 14, 2023
Several bills were released by state lawmakers this week, including a proposal that would cover gender identity and expression across state law. The proposed bill would impact school spaces, like locker rooms and gyms. While this proposal could drastically affect several of our member schools, it’s unlikely that it will pass because of the Legislature’s [...]
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New Task Force on K-12 Truancy
September 07, 2023
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos recently assigned lawmakers to a task force that will investigate the state’s rising rates of K-12 truancy. An August report found that student absenteeism increased for the sixth straight year in 2021-22. The bipartisan task force will be traveling around the state to identify root causes of truancy, investigate the relationship between truancy [...]
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Lunch & Learn: New Regulations for Private Schools
August 24, 2023
Wondering what all the chatter is about reading rules? How about crime reporting? Increased voucher amounts? Join WCRIS lobbyist and staff on Sep. 6 at 1:30 p.m. for a recap of new regulations for K-12 choice schools and a preview of what this fall’s special legislative session could look like. These new regulations only apply to [...]
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Governor Signs State Budget, Right to Read Act
August 03, 2023
Education Funding Until the Year 2425? Gov. Evers signed the Republican-generated 2023-25 state budget in early July, but not without putting his powerful veto pen to work. Most notably, he cleverly pieced together an increase in public school funding for the next 400 years by striking out words, a few numbers and a hyphen. Public [...]
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Right to Read Act Signed by Governor
July 20, 2023
Gov. Tony Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 20, known as the Right to Read Act, yesterday after weeks of tireless revisions from the Legislature. It overhauls how teachers teach and students learn reading in grades K-3 in public, charter and choice schools. It promotes phonics; prohibits a teaching strategy called “3-cueing;” changes student assessments; requires more [...]
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Voucher Schools Face New Reading Regs
June 29, 2023
UPDATE: Gov. Tony Evers signed this bill into law on July 19, 2023. The DPI can now begin its rule-making process. Stay tuned to Current Events for updates. Despite WCRIS’ warnings about government overreach and the regulation of voucher schools in the state’s reading bill, it now awaits the governor’s signature. He hasn’t indicated whether [...]
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Grand Compromise: Trading Voucher Gap for Shared Revenue
June 22, 2023
The dollar amount per student participating in all Parental Choice Programs is increasing because Gov. Evers (quietly) signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 11 on Tuesday. The vouchers will raise to following amounts beginning in the 2023-24 school year, according to WisPolitics: $9,500 per K-8 student; $12,000 per high school student; $14,677 for any student in the [...]
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