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Board hears summary of recent state education bills and vetoes
Summary
At its regular meeting the Stoughton Area School District board received a legislative update on several recently signed education bills and a list of vetoed proposals, and was urged to advocate for use of state surplus funds for special education aid.
At the Stoughton Area School District Board of Education meeting, board member Lisa Pew summarized recent state action on K–12 legislation and vetoes and urged continued local advocacy for special education funding.
Pew told the board that “the governor has signed six education-related bills into law and he vetoed 12 others since the last time we met,” and she reviewed what the signed measures would do. The actions she named included Act 185, which requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to add information to its online licensing portal about license holders who have been investigated by DPI; Act 186, which limits confidentiality agreements about employee immoral conduct and provides civil immunity for employers that report such information to prospective employers; and Act 189, which bans operation of drones over school buildings while school is in session. Pew also described Act 160, which allows installation of audiovisual recording devices on school buses if the local board adopts policy governing their use; Act 95, which creates and funds a pilot for science-teacher professional development; and Act 101, which expands the types of medical professionals who may write absence notes to include advanced practice registered nurses.
Pew listed several notable vetoes, including measures that would have altered transportation rules (15-passenger vans), expanded choice-program eligibility for siblings regardless of income, required notarized parent sign-off for a student’s name or pronoun change at school, adjusted dual-enrollment regulations, and other items. She said the governor has asked for a special legislative session on partisan redistricting but it is unclear whether the legislature will return. Pew relayed a recommendation from the Wisconsin school boards association that districts and residents press the governor and legislators to prioritize additional special-education aid from any state surplus.
The board did not take action on the state items; Pew encouraged residents to contact legislators about priorities for K–12 funding and policy. The district will monitor any special-session activity and school-board association guidance.
