Your Continued Help is Needed
Last week, WCRIS educators flooded the Capitol with 980 e-mails urging lawmakers to pass SB 711, which was amended to count private school teachers experience in the new teacher life license process.
The bill is now before the Governor for review.
Under current law, the DPI can not issue a life license to a provisional license holder unless the provisional license holder has successfully completed six semesters of teaching, administrator or pupil services experience AND unless a public school board has certified that experience to the DPI.
Current law also requires life licenses be invalidated if a teacher is not actively employed by a school district for five or more consecutive years.
Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, chair of the Assembly Education Committee, and Senator Luther Olsen, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, each introduced an amendment to an existing bill that eliminated the requirement that school boards certify successful completion of semesters of experience, AND it will require the DPI to define by rule what it means to successfully complete a semester of experience.
The amendment to SB711 gives the DPI authority to define “regularly employed in education,” rather than requiring employment be in a public school district.
The bill passed the Assembly 92-1. Rep. Jarchow opposed it. One seat is vacant and five Assembly representatives were recorded as not voting (Kolste, Kremer, Kulp, Murphy, Zimmerman.)
The Governor’s office is aware of the importance of this bill to private school teachers, said WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling. “His staff anticipates he will be supportive of the bill.”
Teachers should use WCRIS’s advocacy portal to send legislators a thank you e-mail for passing SB 711 as amended to address teacher licensure issues. The Governor’s office will receive a copy of your note, which will help telegraph the widespread support for the bill.
