Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Education

State Supreme Court rules governor has oversight of school policy

By

Oversight of some school policies shifts from the state schools superintendent to the governor, following a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Court’s conservative majority sided with the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in its 2017 lawsuit against then state schools superintendent Tony Evers.

Evers claimed he did not need to get executive approval from then Governor Scott Walker, for rules Evers wrote for the Department of Public Instruction. WILL’s suit cited a state law passed that same year, which requires state agencies to get approval from the governor’s office and state Department of Administration, which is controlled by the governor.

State sends out $1.9 billion to schools for high cost programs

By

The Department of Public Instruction is delivering $1.9 billion in funding and grants to school districts this month.

That funding helps offset the costs of a number of important programs. Assistant state superintendent Bob Soldner says one part of that funding is going to schools who have special issues with transportation.

“Very rural, very widespread districts with few numbers of kids on a per square mile basis.”

Another major program that’s getting special funding is a push for more mental health services in school districts. Policy and budget director Erin Fath says that schools are often the first line of contact for many students with mental health needs. 

“Provide resources to support school districts as they try to get kids screened or assessed to help identify kids in need of mental health services and also get them connected. Lack of access can be a huge barrier to some families. That could be a result of living in a more rural area that just doesn’t have as many providers.”

Special education funding and grants for school technology programs are also part of the package.

Wisconsin secures settlement funds for victims of ITT Tech loan fraud scheme

By

Nearly 650 former students of ITT tech will be getting reimbursement of their student loans thanks to a settlement.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says ITT and a loan company conspired to defraud both students and the federal student aid program before it was shut down in 2016.

“They were misled, there were deceptive practices. And they shouldn’t have to pay the debts that they owe since they didn’t get the education that they should have. So this settlement helps bring the kind of relief to those students that they deserve.”

He says students who are just looking for a better future for themselves shouldn’t have to worry about being fleeced.

“They should have the confidence that the representations being made to them are accurate and that they can conduct business without being worried that they’re being deceived by the company they’re working with.”

Wisconsin will be getting $5.8 million in relief for students. Any student who needs help getting those funds should contact the Department of Justice.

Marquette to drop standardized test requirements for admission in 2020

By

Starting next fall, students seeking to apply to Marquette University will not be required to take a standardized test to get in.

Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Brian Troyer says they want to take a more holistic approach to admissions that looks at a student’s four years in high school, what they’ve done, and other factors. 

“Because we also know for many students, test anxiety or being anxious about their performance on one four hour test on a Saturday is often not really reflective of what a student can bring to our community.”

Acting Provost Kimo Ah Yun says that strong coursework through high school has been the predominant factor for admissions for years, and that this change will cement that. “Requiring standardized tests was never intended to dissuade individuals from applying who felt they had the capacity to succeed here. We acknowledge, however, that requiring the SAT or ACT may have led to this unintended consequence and aim to address that now.”

Troyer says students have a lot of options once they leave high school and that a test score shouldn’t shackle them to one choice. “But for those who are considering Marquette University or a four year degree, we want to represent in our admissions process the very best about who we are as an institution.”

The change will be going into effect for the 2020 school year.

JFC Republicans trim Evers’ K-12 budget

By

Republicans on the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted Thursday to limit an increase to public education spending to $500 million. Committee Republicans are defending their position on cutting back on Governor Tony Evers’ proposed $1.4 billion boost to K-12 public education. State Senator Luther Olsen said the Legislature is still increasing spending on students.

“It’s not like, well one guy has a proposal, and this is a cut from that. We’re talking about a number that is an increase on an actual number that was spent.”

Olsen says the Republican budget is a reasonable and prudent figure that reaches a goal of having the state provide 30 percent of a district’s funding. “And when I have talked to superintendents around the state, they’re realistic. And they said ‘If you can get us 30 percent, Luther, we will be very happy.'”

State Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Democrat on ther budget panel, said the Governor’s original funding plan comes from both his time as state superintendent and also from his months-long listening session tour for the budget. “It’s not Tony Evers’ wish list. It’s not a political budget. It’s not a ‘gotcha’ budget. This is what the people of Wisconsin want.”

Erpenbach said that under budget cuts from the Walker administration, school districts were forced to resort to local referenda to keep themselves afloat. “For a long time, school districts have been starved, to the point where they are taxing themselves because the state is not living up to its constitutional obligation to make sure that we provide an education for people.”

The Republican budget increase of $500 million over the two year budget cycle includes a $97 million dollar increase for special education.

Assembly Republicans propose $500 million increase in K-12 funding

By

State Assembly Republicans are proposing a $500 million increase in K-12 education funding. That falls short of the $1.4 billion increase proposed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. But, “this will be the highest level of investment that we’ve ever made in our public schools in the history of Wisconsin,” said Speaker Robin Vos.

This Republican plan would include the state’s commitment to fund two-thirds of K-12 costs, includes the first increase in more than a decade in special education, an area in which Wisconsin lags other states.

But Representative Chris Taylor, a Madison Democrat who serves on the Finance Committee, says it doesn’t cut it. “If public schools were there priority, they would have funded Governor Evers’ proposal,” Taylor said.

The Joint Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on K-12 budget on Thursday.
–

Kohl donates $10 million to UW’s La Follette School of Public Affairs

By

Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl is donating $10 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. The donation, announced Sunday during the Class of 2019 graduation ceremony, is the largest in the La Follette School’s history and will fund research, public outreach and teaching.

Kohl donated $1.5 million to the school in 2106 to launch the Herb Kohl Public Service Research Competition. His most recent gift will extend the research competition and support several new efforts. Kohl graduated from UW in 1956.

Cheatham to resign as Madison schools superintendent

By

A leadership change is in the works for Wisconsin’s second largest school district. Madison Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham will be stepping down at the end of August. In an email to district parents, Cheatham says she’ll be joining the faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the fall. Cheatham has been superintendent in Madison since 2013. Before that , she worked in the Chicago Public School District.

It’s been a tough year for Cheatham as the district has dealt with high profile cases, sparking racial tensions and recently, concerns over student safety with several reported sexual assaults at the high schools.

The Madison Metropolitan School District includes four high schools, one alternative high school, 11 middle schools, and 31 elementary schools. There were just over 27,000 students enrolled in MMSD for the 2013-14 school year.

WIBA

UW-Stevens Point ends plans to cut majors because of staff reduction

By

Plans to scrap several humanities majors at UW-Stevens Point have been cancelled because staff have quit.

UWSP spokesperson Nick Schultz said on Wednesday that nearly 90 staff and faculty have left the campus over the last two years.

That’s freed up enough of the budget to keep several language majors, a history and geoscience major, and two art majors.

The campus had been considering more cuts over the past several years due to declining enrollment and budget deficits.

Protest spurs cancellation of Erik Prince event at Beloit College

By

A lecture by Blackwater Worldwide founder Erik Prince at Beloit College was canceled Wednesday night after students piled chairs onto the stage where he was supposed to speak and pounded percussion instruments in protest.

Students draped a banner reading “ERIK PRINCE = WAR CRIMINAL” across the stage about 45 minutes after the lecture was scheduled to begin. The event was canceled shortly after.

Prince is widely known as the founder of Blackwater, a private military company. The company has been heavily criticized for its role in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2007, Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi citizens in Baghdad. U.S. military investigations after the incident found the Blackwater guards were at fault in the incident. Four guards were tried and convicted in U.S. federal court on charges stemming from the massacre.

Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student organization, expected to host Wednesday’s event in Moore Lounge in Pearsons Hall. About 175 people had filled the room for the lecture. Some left visibly upset after more than a dozen students swarmed the empty stage.

After a Beloit College representative announced the cancellation, protesters celebrated by cheering and beating drums. A statement from the college condemned the actions. “As an institution of higher learning, open dialogue on all topics is one of our core principles. Tonight’s events fell unacceptably short of this core principle, and we condemn the behavior of those who disrupted the event. The college will begin an investigation immediately.”

WCLO