All choice school staff have to complete the DPI’s mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect training within six months after hire and at least every five years after, according to state law. School staff must complete the DPI’s training to fulfill the requirement. Training created by schools’ jurisdictions or other organizations doesn’t count. Schools [...]
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Current Events
A library of WCRIS weekly E-letters that keeps you updated on issues of concern to private schools
Principal Question: Transportation Utility Fees?
August 03, 2023
Question: I’ve heard neighboring towns are trying to charge a transportation utility fee. My town’s board has brought it up, and I’m worried about the impact on my school. Can they charge us a transportation utility fee? Answer: Many municipalities have just recently paused their efforts in charging a transportation utility fee (TUF) because of the Wisconsin Institute [...]
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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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Proposed Title IX Changes Impact Schools and Sports
August 03, 2023
An overhaul of Title IX regulations is expected this fall, according to a virtual town hall attended by WCRIS staff this week. The U.S. Department of Education released its proposed changes in April and is currently reviewing the hundreds of thousands of public comments, as required by law. Here’s what the town hall experts and [...]
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Lunch & Learns Return Sep. 6!
August 03, 2023
WCRIS is pleased to again host our free, member-exclusive Lunch & Learn webinar series in the 2023-24 school year. Join one of WCRIS’ lobbyists for the first installment on Sep. 6 at 1:30 p.m. He will recap our work during the legislative session, update you on new laws that affect private schools, summarize the proposed bills we’re [...]
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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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Key Takeaways: DPI on SNSP Eligibility
June 29, 2023
The DPI’ Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP) staff held a virtual training session last week for about 100 participants. For those who couldn’t attend, here’s what you missed: Interestingly, the presenters pointed a few questioning principals to this little-known public school FAQ, especially in the instance of a public school district refusing to develop an [...]
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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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Reading Wars
June 22, 2023
The Assembly passed Bill 321, nicknamed the “Right to Read Act”, yesterday, which attempts to overhaul how reading is taught, learned and tested in Wisconsin. Because of potential government overreach into choice schools, WCRIS testified in opposition to the Assembly’s reading bill and the Senate’s companion bill last week. After conferring with other leading organizations on literacy [...]
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