Proposed Wisconsin Legislation May Expand Charter Schools, Reduce Teacher Licensing Requirements
Two last-minute additions to a bill in the Wisconsin state legislature that would reduce funding to universities would also have significant impact on K-12 education.
Last-minute additions to a
bill that would cut funding to
Wisconsin state universities would allow the licensing of charter
schools
throughout Wisconsin and reduce the requirements for being licensed as a
teacher in the state’s public schools.
The two provisions were added to the bill to reduce
funding to
Wisconsin universities by $250 million in a motion made during a meeting
of a
Wisconsin
Legislative Joint Finance Committee held May 29. The highly
controversial omnibus funding bill still must be approved in votes,
probably
the week of June 1, by both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature
and
signed by Gov. Scott Walker.
If passed as is, the bill would give the authority to
approve
charter schools to a wide range of agencies, depending on their location
in the
state. At the moment, Wisconsin state law only allows a limited number
of
private charter schools in the Milwaukee area.
The new law would give the authority to approve
charter
schools to a new Office of Educational Opportunity that would be
operated by
the University of Wisconsin system, the Waukesha County executive,
colleges run
by the state’s Indian tribes and a technical college district board in
the
southwestern part of the state.
The bill would also divert the average per-pupil
state funding
of $7,200 for K-8 schools and $7,800 for high schools from school
districts to
the charter schools for those students who transfer to them. A memo
prepared by
the Democratic members of the state legislature claimed the changes
would mean
a reduction of $800 million in state funding to public school districts
over
the next 10 years. However, Jim Bender, president of School
Choice Wisconsin,
called the memo “speculative.”
The second controversial provision of the funding
bill would
give school administrators the authority to hire teachers that have
bachelor’s
degrees but no state teaching license to teach English, math, social
studies or
science in the sixth through 12th grades. It would give those
administrators
the authority to hire anyone they wish – regardless of whether they have
a
license or degree – to teach non-core academic subjects.
The legislator who introduced the bill, Republican State
Rep.
Mary Czaja, said it was part of an effort to help rural school
districts that
may have trouble attracting qualified teachers. However, in a statement,
State
Superintendent Tony Evers said the move would make all teacher
licensing
standards irrelevant.
“It essentially takes the licensing system out of the
state’s
hands and puts in in 424 school districts’ hands,” Evers said.
The two proposals, along with many others, are part
of
Walker’s campaign to reduce university funding and eliminate tenure for
professors. During last week’s debates in the state legislature, Walker
was in
New Hampshire preparing for what is expected to be an imminent
announcement
that he is running for the Republican nomination for president.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.