State lawmakers plan to make a final push to enact school reforms being the legislative session ends next week.
A proposal unveiled in Milwaukee Monday would set new guidelines for help struggling schools improve their academic performance. State Superintendent Tony Evers is calling on lawmakers to act quickly on the legislation. He says the proposal is a key part of efforts to focus on turning failing schools around.
The bill sets new requirements for helping under-performing schools; such as standardizing the curriculum across the district, implementing academic support systems, and evaluating the performance of faculty and administrators.
The bill would also allow the state Superintendent to get involved with the process if a district is falling behind for several years. The office would be able to direct school boards to take additional actions to improve student performance.
The bill is a major change from previous education proposals this session, such as mayoral control of Milwaukee Public Schools. Evers says the new reforms have the support of many past opponents
Evers says the bill should be able to pass before the Legislative session ends next week.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:13)