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New state literacy law will fund a Wisconsin Reading Center; Janesville leaders flag costs, staffing and implementation questions
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Summary
State legislators told Janesville School District leaders the new literacy law creates a Wisconsin Reading Center with a $50 million appropriation and up to 64 state-funded literacy coaches; district officials said curriculum, training and specialist shortages could limit the laws near-term impact.
State legislators and Janesville School District leaders met Aug. 18 to review a recently passed literacy law that creates a statewide Wisconsin Reading Center, appropriates $50,000,000 to support early-literacy work and requires a shift toward a "science of reading" approach emphasizing phonics.
"It is that the state will spend $50,000,000 to create a new literacy office known as the Wisconsin Reading Center, and they will hire reading coaches," Rep. Sue Conley said while summarizing the bill for the Board of Education legislative committee. Conley said the law creates a Council on Early Literacy, requires DPI to nominate a director subject to senate confirmation, and includes a sunset date of July 1, 2028.
The law prescribes multiple implementation details that district leaders said deserve further clarification. Rep. Conley said the council must recommend science-based Kthrough 3 curricula to the Department of Public Instruction and that schools will be eligible for grants that reimburse up to 50% of curriculum costs. She also described new assessment requirements and a parent complaint process that can lead to circuit-court action if a school is found noncompliant.
District officials told legislators Janesville has already begun aligning around science-of-reading materials and training. "We have recently last year adopted one of the approved curriculums that is part of the science of reading," Allison DeGraff, the districts director of learning and innovation, said, noting the district adopted the Wonders program from McGraw Hill and has trained principals and instructional coaches in LETRS and the AIMS Pathway.
But DeGraff and Superintendent Mark Holzman highlighted practical barriers. DeGraff said a Kthrough 5 curricular adoption cost for Janesville runs about $1,200,000 and that the district has invested in training cohorts ("about $22,000 for 30") to prepare teachers for instructional shifts. Holzman said the law limits the number of state-assigned literacy coaches a district may receive (no more than four for any district other than Milwaukee, which may receive up to 10) and that, given Janesvilles size (20 schools, ninth largest in the state), each coach would likely be spread thin across many teachers and buildings.
Legislators acknowledged the limits. Conley said the $50,000,000 is a two-year allocation in the current biennial budget and that details about the DPI grant process and coach assignments would be worked out. "There's a lot of details to be worked out and implemented," she said, and offered to follow up with DPI to clarify timelines and the grant application process.
What's next: District leaders asked legislators to remain engaged as the district implements changes and to consider fixes if the district encounters unanticipated legal or operational barriers. Legislators encouraged ongoing communication; Rep. Conley asked the district to flag red flags or implementation problems so the Legislature could consider adjustments in future sessions.
