Governor Scott Walker has signed legislation that allows Wisconsin school districts to hire vocational education teachers who lack traditional teachers licenses.
The “experience-based” licenses cover a broad range of vocational-education subjects, from agriculture to business marketing. Critics have said it will lower the bar on teacher standards and create an uneven licensing system around the state. But the bill’s authors and some school districts have pointed to a critical shortage of vocational teachers, and the need for flexibility to attract experienced professionals to the classroom or discontinue popular courses.
The legislation passed the Assembly and Senate on partisan votes.