115.42(3)
(3) The department may not require, as a condition for renewing a person's teaching license, that the person have earned continuing professional education credits or their equivalent in the 5 years immediately preceding his or her application for renewal if he or she has been initially certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards during those 5 years.
115.42(4)
(4) The department shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this section, including rules relating to all of the following:
115.42(4)(a)
(a) The application process, including necessary documentation.
115.42(4)(b)
(b) The selection process for grant recipients.
115.42(4)(c)
(c) The number of times that a teacher may be exempt from continuing professional education requirements under
sub. (3).
115.42 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
PI 37, Wis. adm. code.
115.425
115.425
Professional standards council for teachers. The professional standards council for teachers shall do all of the following:
115.425(1)
(1) Advise the state superintendent on standards for the licensure of teachers, including initial licensure and maintenance and renewal of licenses, to ensure the effective teaching of a relevant curriculum in Wisconsin schools.
115.425(2)
(2) Propose to the state superintendent standards for evaluating and approving teacher education programs, including continuing education programs.
115.425(3)
(3) Provide to the state superintendent an ongoing assessment of the complexities of teaching and the status of the teaching profession in this state.
115.425(4)
(4) Propose to the state superintendent policies and practices for school boards and state and local teacher organizations to use in developing effective teaching.
115.425(5)
(5) Propose to the state superintendent standards and procedures for revoking a teaching license.
115.425(6)
(6) Propose to the state superintendent ways to recognize excellence in teaching, including the assessment administered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and master educator licensure, and to assist teachers to achieve excellence in teaching.
115.425(7)
(7) Propose to the state superintendent effective peer assistance and peer mentoring models, including evaluation systems, and alternative teacher dismissal procedures for consideration by school boards and labor organizations.
115.425(8)
(8) Review and make recommendations regarding administrative rules proposed by the department that relate to teacher preparation, licensure and regulation.
115.425(9)
(9) Propose to the state superintendent alternative procedures for the preparation and licensure of teachers.
115.425(11)
(11) Report annually to the standing committees in each house of the legislature that deal with education matters on the activities and effectiveness of the council.
115.425 History
History: 1997 a. 298;
1999 a. 32 s.
176.
115.43
115.43
Precollege scholarships. 115.43(1)
(1)
Definition. In this section, “ economically disadvantaged pupil" means a pupil who satisfies the income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch under
42 USC 1758 (b) (1).
115.43(2)
(2) Scholarships. The state superintendent shall:
115.43(2)(a)
(a) Annually set goals relating to increasing the percentages of economically disadvantaged pupils who graduate from high school and are prepared for postsecondary school education.
115.43(2)(b)
(b) From the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (3) (fz), award precollege scholarships, on a competitive basis, to economically disadvantaged pupils who enroll in a technical college or in college or university classes or programs designed to improve academic skills that are essential for success in postsecondary school education. The state superintendent shall give preference to economically disadvantaged pupils who are inadequately represented in the technical college and University of Wisconsin Systems.
115.43(2)(c)
(c) In consultation with postsecondary educational institutions, promulgate rules establishing criteria for the review and approval of applications for scholarships under
par. (b).
115.43 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
PI 22, Wis. adm. code.
115.435(1)(1) A school district that satisfies all of the following criteria may apply to the department by October 15 of each school year for a grant to supplement aid under
s. 121.08:
115.435(1)(a)
(a) The school district had an enrollment in the previous school year of fewer than 500 pupils.
115.435(1)(b)
(b) The school district is at least 200 square miles in area.
115.435(1)(c)
(c) At least 80 percent of the real property in the school district is exempt from taxation under
s. 70.11, taxed as forest croplands under
subch. I of ch. 77, owned by or held in trust for a federally recognized American Indian tribe, or owned by the federal government.
115.435(2)
(2) No later than June 30 of the current school year, the department shall, from the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ad), pay each school district that satisfies the criteria under
sub. (1) $350 for each pupil enrolled in the school district in the previous school year. If the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ad) is insufficient to pay the full amount under this subsection, the funds shall be prorated among the entitled school districts.
115.435(3)
(3) The department shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this section.
115.435 History
History: 1999 a. 9,
185;
2001 a. 16.
115.435 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
PI 10, Wis. adm. code.
115.436(2)
(2) A school district is eligible for sparsity aid under this section if it satisfies all of the following criteria:
115.436(2)(a)
(a) The school district's membership in the previous school year was no more than 745.
115.436(2)(c)
(c) The school district's membership in the previous school year divided by the school district's area in square miles is less than 10.
115.436(3)(a)(a) Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, from the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ae) and subject to
pars. (b) and
(c), the department shall pay to each school district eligible for sparsity aid $300 multiplied by the membership in the previous school year.
115.436(3)(b)
(b) If the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ae) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under
par. (a), the department shall prorate the payments among the eligible school districts.
115.436(3)(c)1.1. Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, in any fiscal year in which the department has paid the full amount due to eligible school districts under
par. (a) and an unencumbered balance remains in the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall, subject to
subd. 2., pay to each school district that received aid under this section in the previous school year but does not satisfy the requirement under
sub. (2) (a) in the current school year $300 multiplied by the membership used to determine the payment received by the school district under
par. (a) in the previous school year.
115.436(3)(c)2.
2. If the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (ae) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under
subd. 1., the department shall prorate the payments among the school districts eligible to receive aid under
subd. 1.
115.437(1)(1) In this section, “number of pupils enrolled" has the meaning given in
s. 121.90 (1) (intro.) and includes 40 percent of the summer enrollment. “Number of pupils enrolled" does not include pupils described in the exception under
s. 121.90 (1) (f).
115.437(2)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), annually on the 4th Monday of March, the department shall pay to each school district an amount equal to the average of the number of pupils enrolled in the school district in the current and 2 preceding school years multiplied by $75 in the 2013-14 school year, by $150 in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, and by $250 in each school year thereafter. The department shall make the payments from the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (aq).
115.437(2)(b)1.1. The department shall make the payment under
par. (a) for the 2015-16 school year on the 2nd Monday of July, 2016.
115.437(2)(b)2.
2. The department shall consider the amount paid from
s. 20.255 (2) (aq) under
subd. 1. to be money appropriated to
s. 20.255 (2) (aq) in the 2015-16 school year for purposes of calculating the change in the amount of statewide categorical aid per pupil under
s. 118.40 (2r) (e) 2p. from the 2014-15 school year to the 2015-16 school year, from the 2015-16 school year to the 2016-17 school year, and from the 2016-17 school year to the 2017-18 school year.
115.437 History
History: 2013 a. 20;
2015 a. 55; s. 35.17 correction in (2) (b) 1.
115.44
115.44
Early identification program. 115.44(1)
(1) The state superintendent shall establish an early identification program as part of the Wisconsin educational opportunity program under
s. 115.28 (23). Early identification program costs shall be paid from the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (1) (a). The early identification program shall assist minority and economically disadvantaged pupils in grades 8 to 12 in pursuing higher educational opportunities by providing direction toward attainment of career goals.
115.44(2)
(2) Biennially, the state superintendent shall provide the governor and any appropriate standing committee of the legislature information on the performance of the early identification program and the postsecondary educational progress of the pupils who were enrolled in the program. The information shall include the number and ethnic backgrounds of the pupils who were enrolled in the program and college acceptance, retention and graduation rates of the pupils.
115.445
115.445
Four-year-old kindergarten grants. 115.445(1)
(1) A school board may apply to the department for a 2-year grant under this section to implement a 4-year-old kindergarten program.
115.445(2)(a)(a) In the first school year of a grant awarded under this section, the department shall pay the school board up to $3,000 for each 4-year-old kindergarten pupil enrolled in the school district. In the succeeding school year, the department shall pay the school board up to $1,500 for each 4-year-old kindergarten pupil enrolled in the school district.
115.445(2)(b)
(b) The department shall award grants under this section beginning in the 2008-09 school year and shall give preference in awarding grants to school boards that use community approaches to early education, as defined by the department by rule. If the funds in the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (dp) are insufficient to pay all eligible school boards, the department shall prorate the payments.
115.445(3)
(3) The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section.
115.445 History
History: 2007 a. 20.
115.445 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
PI 16, Wis. adm. code.
115.45
115.45
Robotics league participation grants pilot program. 115.45(1)(a)
(a) “Allowable expenses" includes fees, kits, and supplies required to participate in a robotics competition, travel expenses to a robotics competition for eligible team members, and a stipend for the mentor of an eligible team.
115.45(1)(b)
(b) “Eligible team" means a robotics competition team consisting of pupils in any of the grades 9 through 12 and at least one mentor.
115.45(1)(c)
(c) “Robotics competition" means a competition that requires participating teams to design, construct, program, and operate robots and that is sponsored by a nonstock, nonprofit corporation, described under section
501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from taxation under section
501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, having as one of its organizational purposes encouraging young people to develop an interest in science, engineering, technology, and math.
115.45(2)(a)(a) No later than April 1, 2016, the department shall notify school boards, operators of charter schools under
s. 118.40 (2r) and
(2x), and administrators of home-based private educational programs that applications for grants under this section will be accepted from eligible teams through a date set forth in the notice. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, an applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the amount awarded under this section.
115.45(2)(b)
(b) From the appropriation under
s. 20.255 (2) (dr), the department shall award a grant of up to $5,000 to eligible teams selected from the applicants under
par. (a). Grant funds awarded under this section may be applied only towards allowable expenses.
115.45(3)
(3) The department shall publish on its Internet site a list of grant recipients and submit to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under
s. 13.172 (3) a report on the program under this section.
115.45 History
History: 2015 a. 280.
115.46
115.46
Interstate agreement on qualification of educational personnel. The interstate agreement on qualification of educational personnel is hereby enacted into law and entered into with all jurisdictions legally joining therein, in the form substantially as follows:
INTERSTATE AGREEMENT ON QUALIFICATION
OF EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL
115.46(1)
(1) Article I - Purpose, Findings, and Policy. 115.46(1)(a)(a) The states party to this agreement, desiring by common action to improve their respective school systems by utilizing the teacher or other professional educational person wherever educated, declare that it is the policy of each of them, on the basis of cooperation with one another, to take advantage of the preparation and experience of such persons wherever gained, thereby serving the best interests of society, of education, and of the teaching profession. It is the purpose of this agreement to provide for the development and execution of such programs of cooperation as will facilitate the movement of teachers and other professional educational personnel among the states party to it, and to authorize specific interstate educational personnel contracts to achieve that end.
115.46(1)(b)
(b) The party states find that included in the large movement of population among all sections of the nation are many qualified educational personnel who move for family and other personal reasons but who are hindered in using their professional skill and experience in their new locations. Variations from state to state in requirements for qualifying educational personnel discourage such personnel from taking the steps necessary to qualify in other states. As a consequence, a significant number of professionally prepared and experienced educators is lost to our school systems. Facilitating the employment of qualified educational personnel, without reference to their states of origin, can increase the available educational resources. Participation in this compact can increase the availability of educational manpower.
115.46(2)
(2) Article II - Definitions. As used in this agreement and contracts made pursuant to it, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
115.46(2)(a)
(a) “Accept", or any variant thereof, means to recognize and give effect to one or more determinations of another state relating to the qualifications of educational personnel in lieu of making or requiring a like determination that would otherwise be required by or pursuant to the laws of a receiving state.
115.46(2)(b)
(b) “Designated state official" means the education official of a state selected by that state to negotiate and enter into, on behalf of that state, contracts pursuant to this agreement.
115.46(2)(c)
(c) “Educational personnel" means persons who must meet requirements pursuant to state law as a condition of employment in educational programs.
115.46(2)(d)
(d) “Originating state" means a state, and the subdivisions of the state, if any, whose determination that certain educational personnel are qualified to be employed for specific duties in schools is acceptable in accordance with the terms of a contract made pursuant to
sub. (3).
