Governor’s Race
Governor Walker has not officially announced yet that he
will run for re-election, but he did say on Monday that “I don’t see any way I
don’t run for governor again.” This statement came as result of rumors
that Governor Walker will not be running for re-election, and will instead
focus on a 2016 presidential run.
Wisconsin Public Radio: Walker
Dismisses Rumors That He Won’t Seek Re-Election
Assembly Special Election
A special election for the vacant 82nd Assembly
District seat was held on Tuesday. Republican Ken Skowronski beat out
Democrat John Hermes in the election. The special election was needed as
a result of former Republican Representative Jeff Stone accepting a position as
head of the state Public Service Commission’s water division.
School District Health Insurance Study
Representative John Jagler (R-Watertown) and Senator Glenn
Grothman (R-West Bend) have introduced Assembly
Bill 579 and Senate
Bill 438, which would require the State Superintendent to annually collect
detailed information about the cost of health insurance benefits from each
school district in the state.
Under the bill, the state superintendent shall include in
his or her report, for each school district, the total health care benefit cost
incurred by the school district and the average of the health care benefit cost
incurred, by the school district, per school district employee for all school
district employees that receive health care benefits from the school district.
AB 579 has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Labor
and SB 438 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Education.
Biometric Data Collection
Representative Tom Larson (R-Colfax) has introduced a bill
which prohibits a school from collecting biometric data, such as fingerprint
identification or retinal scanning, from a student unless a parent or guardian
has provided written consent. The bill is in response to the
recommendations approved by the Assembly Select Committee on Common Core
Standards. There is no known school district that is currently collecting such
data and the Common Core standards do not include the collection of biometric
data. The bill is currently circulating for co-sponsorship.
Representative Tom Larson: Larson
Introduces Biometric Data Bill
Collection of Student Information
Representative Don Pridemore (R-Erin) introduced a bill that
puts limits on the collection of a student’s personal information. The
bill includes provisions which limit who is able to access a pupil’s records,
which information is provided to a parent or guardian when requested, requires
consent to provide personally identifiable student data to a research
organization and to maintain records of such disclosures. It also
prohibits the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) from collecting more
student data than it is permitted to, from providing such data to a federal
agency and it requires that DPI post on its website the data that it collects
and why.
The bill addresses one of the recommendations made by the
Assembly Select Committee on Common Core Standards. It is currently
circulating for co-sponsorship.
Representative Don Pridemore: Pridemore
introduces bill to protect student information
Union Re-certifications
On Thursday, voting closed for the annual re-certification
elections of the 400 unions representing teachers, school support staff and
school office workers in the state. The purpose of the voting is to see
whether members want the union to continue to represent them in negotiations on
base wage increases based on inflation, the only collective bargaining that Act
10 permits. Act 10 also requires that 51% of the union’s eligible voters
approve of the re-certification.
Somewhere between 80-90% of the school worker’s unions
received enough votes to continue to wage negotiations.
Wisconsin State Journal: Most
Wis. School unions survive elections
Race-Based Mascots
On Thursday Governor Walker signed AB 297 into law as 2013
Wisconsin Act 115,which makes it more difficult to challenge the use of
race-based mascots and school nicknames.
Act 115 essentially reverses a 2010 law that required the
Department of Public Instruction to review a school’s use of a race-based
mascot or nickname if a complaint was filed against the district. Under Act
115, complaints on offensive mascots or nicknames will now be referred to the Department
of Administration instead of DPI and must be accompanied by a petition signed
by members of the community equivalent to 10% of the district’s student
population. The Act also shifts the burden of proof from the school
district to those filing the complaint.
AB297 passed through the Assembly in October and the Senate
in November. Walker delayed signing the bill until today, the last day he
could act on the bill before it automatically becomes law. Walker says he
empathized with opponents of the bill but argues that it is a matter of freedom
of speech for schools and that changing a school’s mascot or nickname should be
a local decision. Opponents argued that it’s a matter of discrimination
and civil rights, not freedom of speech.
Governor Walker sent a letter to tribal leaders before
signing the bill, telling them of his intentions. He suggests that the
best solution is educating others on why certain phrases and symbols are
offensive.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Scott
Walker signals he will sign school mascot bill
The Oshkosh Northwestern: Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker empathizes with mascot bill opponent
Wisconsin State Journal: Scott
Walker will sign bill making it harder to force schools to drop Indian
nicknames
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