State Budget. Please visit our State Budget Action Page.
Civil and Voting Rights
Immigration Chaos. Wisconsin Democrats are circulating bills (LRB-1618, 1688) to limit the ability to detain immigrants in schools and similar places where safety is paramount. “Kids deserve to feel safe in school, people deserve to seek medical care without fear of separation or detainment,” the authors say.
Capitol Flags (AB 58). A proposal to limit the flags that can be flown at the State Capitol, resulting in certain flags – including the Pride flag – from being raised. Governor Evers has been flying the Pride flag at the Capitol since 2019.
Limiting Governor’s Veto (LRB-0312). Restricts the governor’s partial veto authority. This proposal comes after Governor Evers’ veto extending a minimum increase for public school funding for the next 400 years. Evers’ move, which faces a Supreme Court challenge, would ensure local public schools would no longer be subject to funding freezes. The practice, used to balance the state budget but leaving schools without even an inflationary increase, forces schools to go to referendums to keep open.
Access to public high schools for military recruiters (SB 10). Mandates that recruiters have access to common areas in high schools during a school day and to school-sanctioned events.
Youth Membership Groups (SB 11). Allows representatives of certain federally chartered youth membership groups, such as the Boy Scouts, to provide information to pupils on public school property during school hours.
WIAA Open Records (SB 16). Prohibits a school district from being a member of an interscholastic athletic association unless the association elects to be governed by the state’s public records and open meetings laws. The bill includes exceptions for records of an interscholastic athletic association pertaining to individual referees or individual pupils.
Detaining anyone alleged to be not lawfully present in the U.S. (LRB-1618 & 1688). Prohibits any official from engaging in the detention of an individual if the individual is being detained on the sole basis that the individual is or is alleged to be not lawfully present in the United States. The bill applies only to a detention that occurs in a public building or facility, school, place of worship, place where child care services are provided, or place where medical or other health care services are provided. The bill prohibits expending any moneys to aid in the detention of an individual if the individual is being detained on the sole basis that the individual is or is alleged to be not lawfully present in the United States.
Requiring national motto in public schools and public buildings (LRB 1631 & 1025). Requires public buildings to display the national motto, “In God We Trust.”. Beginning in 2026-27 school year, the bill also requires that the national motto, “In God We Trust,” be displayed in each public school classroom, including charter school classrooms. Under current law, each school board and governing body of a private school must display the U.S. flag in the schoolroom or from a flagstaff on the school grounds during the school hours of each school day.
Curriculum and Academic Freedom
Cursive Writing (AB3/). Requires cursive writing in elementary school as part of English Language Standards. 24 states currently incorporate cursive writing in state standards. Groups registering against include school boards, superintendents and Catholic schools.
Changing Assessment Standards (AB1 / SB 18). This bill would change assessment standards, AKA cut scores, on school report cards to require them to align to the NAEP standards, rather than the state standards educators teach in school every day. DPI Testimony
Civics Curriculum (AB4 / SB30). Requires instruction in civics in elementary and high school as a graduation requirement, beyond current requirements which already call for students to pass the U.S. Citizenship test to graduate. Proponents said 36 other states require this additional, dedicated instruction in civics outside of what is already being taught. A proponent from the Center for Civic Education, speaking for the bill, said he wants to see more time spent on instruction, acknowledging that there are costs associated with additional staff time, professional development and the pressure for schools to prioritize reading and math given the focus on test scores. Moms for Liberty also testified for the bill, generalizing that schools used to teach civics for about an hour a day but now only teach it one day a week and expressed concern about students being allowed to retake the civics test for graduation.
Inspect School Materials (AB5). Requires districts to comply with requests to inspect a textbook, curriculum or instructional material within 14 days. Under the bill, each school board must post a list of adopted textbooks on the school board’s website. Despite the requirements for schools to follow open records law and that districts already share their materials, proponents say districts may not be as transparent as they should be. The DPI spoke against the bill, wondering if this might be an effort to sow distrust by inferring materials are not currently available. Ed groups registering against include those representing school boards and administrators.
School Sports Teams K-12 (AB 100 / SB 117). Requires school policies for sports teams to be determined by gender and limit participation to the gender of a student at time of birth. Passed Assembly, referred to Senate committee on operations, labor and economic development.
School Sports Teams – College (AB 102/SB 116). Requires school policies for sports teams to be determined by gender and limit participation to the gender of a student at time of birth. Passed Assembly, introduced in Senate.
Funding
70% Operation Expense Mandate (AB6 / SB32). Requires districts use 70% of operation expenses for direct classroom expenditures and administrative pay or face reduction of state funding. The author of the bill said he’s bringing the bill forward to re-designate resources as a step to “solve problems” in public schools. He said the average in WI is 73%, but said “some” are not. He clarified that teacher pay is part of the direct expenditures. The author also couldn’t say if that would tie the hands of local school boards to set pay in their districts. The DPI is opposed to this, noting vague definitions and that the state already limits what districts can spend through revenue limes and that the move usurps authority of locally elected school boards.
Blocking large referendums from being counted toward state aid (AB 81). This bill would change how equalization aid is calculated for most school districts, excluding any money raised through referendums exceeding $50M. According to the Republican author’s, “This bill targets referendums that would significantly draw from the pot of money that is to be shared by all school districts” and specifically mentioned Milwaukee Public Schools’ recent referendum.
Limiting school operating referenda (LRB-0526 & 1934). Eliminates recurring operating referenda and limits a nonrecurring operating referendum to no more than four years.
Extraordinary Session (AB 150 / SB 149) Requires legislature to convene an extraordinary session if an executive order of the president of the United States freezes federal aid to the state. Introduced in Assembly & Senate.
Higher Education
Technical colleges’ lease of their facilities (WI SB26). This bill allows a technical college to lease its facilities to others for the operation of a child care center.
Tuition and fee remission for veterans and dependents in UW and technical college (LRB 1653). This bill modifies the residency requirement for the tuition and fee remission program for certain veterans and their spouses and children enrolled in University of Wisconsin System schools and technical colleges by eliminating the five-year durational residency requirement for veterans and their spouses and children.
Licensure
Misconduct and Discipline
Safety and Health
Healthy School Meals for All. The Healthy School Meals for All bill (LRB-1300/P1) is intended to ensure that every student in Wisconsin can have a nutritious breakfast and lunch regardless of their family finances. It would reestablish the policy that was in effect during the covid-19 pandemic that ended at the start of the 2022-23 school year. “Investment in healthy school meals pays back many times over,” WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen said. “It improves students’ educational outcomes and health, saves families time and money, removes stigma for low-income families, it is equitable, and it supports Wisconsin’s local farmers.” Note: This bill was introduced last session as SB 720/AB 754.
Cell Phone Bans in Schools (WI AD2). Prohibits pupils from using wireless communication devices during instructional time. The bill mandates the ban for cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers and gaming devices. Exceptions include 1) for emergencies and perceived threats, 2) to manage a pupil’s health care, 3) for a use included in an individualized education program or 504 plan, and 4) for a use authorized by a teacher for educational purposes. The bill also authorizes a school board to include other exceptions if the school board determines that doing so is beneficial. The bill was referred to the Committee on Science, Technology, and AI, which will hold a hearing on Tuesday, Feb 11.
Vouchers and Privatization
Workforce
Ending Work-from-Home. Requires all state employees to return to in-person work by July 1, 2025. The bill’s author cited a report from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau outlining the extent of telework in state government. The author’s announcement stated, “For example, the audit revealed that an average of only 5.3% of workstations were in use at the Department of Public Instruction… It’s “unconscionable” for 5% of DPI’s employees to be working in-person while teachers across the state are in their classrooms five days a week.”