Wisconsin Senate passes bills to break up MPS, expand alternative schools, establish 'parental bill of rights'
Wisconsin Senators passed bills Tuesday to dissolve Milwaukee Public Schools and overhaul many aspects of the K-12 education system, hours after rejecting a plea from Gov. Tony Evers and a coalition of major employers for more school aid.
Evers already has said he is likely to at least veto the MPS plan, which would order a commission to create smaller districts in place of the state's largest one.
The plan has become a point of contention in the November governor's race, with leading Republican candidates Rebecca Kleefisch and Kevin Nicholson promising they would sign the proposal into law.
Lawmakers from Milwaukee have slammed the bill, noting that the authors did not consult them or leaders from MPS in crafting it. They said the proposal lacked evidence that it would benefit students and would instead worsen segregation.
“It’s not right and it’s not fair to try and do something and not include the very people who teach our children, who lead our schools, who lead our city," said Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee during floor discussion Tuesday.
One Republican senator, Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, voted against the bill. He said he didn't think it would solve problems at MPS.
“If we are going to replicate Milwaukee Public Schools in little MPS’s, you’re going to take the same employees who are going to make the same hiring decisions," he said.
The bill is part of a package of legislation aligned with nationwide conservative efforts to oppose equity efforts in schools and expand private and charter school options.
Other bills approved by the Senate Tuesday would offer private-school vouchers to more students, expand pathways for charter schools and "micro education pods," establish a "parental bill of rights," allow parents to opt their children out of mask requirements, and change the way the state assesses school performance.
Democratic lawmakers accused Republicans of attacking public schools while expanding private schools. Larson called the combination of bills a "death blow to public education."
"You are breaking (MPS) apart not to try and improve it," said Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee. "You’re breaking it because you want to dissect it and kill it.”
No data, research, historical examples
Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, authored the MPS plan with Republican colleagues from around the state, none of them from Milwaukee. They pointed to low test scores in MPS and argued smaller districts would break up the current administration and encourage more parental involvement.
The Institute for Reforming Government lobbying group has supported the proposal, arguing it would also weaken the power of the MPS staff union.
Opponents, including MPS leaders and Milwaukee mayoral candidates, have said the plan would create more bureaucracies for each district, dismantle the district's strongest programs and separate some students from their schools.
The bill would dissolve MPS by July 2024. A new commission would set the boundaries of four to eight new districts in Milwaukee and propose statutory changes to make it happen.
The commission would include the governor and the mayor of Milwaukee, each of whom would make two appointments to the commission, and the state superintendent of public instruction.
Evers confirmed Monday he was likely to veto the bill, which already passed the state Assembly, noting the lack of evidence that the plan would improve academic outcomes. Lawmakers have not offered research or historic examples to support the idea of breaking up a school district.
"Haven’t seen it in the final form yet, but it seems illogical," Evers said at a news conference. "There’s no data to support that that’s going to help any children in the Milwaukee area. So, it’s likely to be vetoed."
No lawmakers spoke in support of the MPS plan Tuesday.
Kooyenga, in discussing low reading scores at MPS and emphasizing the need for alternative options to the public schools, turned heads when he referenced Frederick Douglass, a writer who escaped from slavery in 1838. He said Douglass began learning to read when he was made a “house slave,” which Kooyenga called a “big move up" from working outside.
Taylor said Kooyenga’s characterization of the move was indicative of the need for education about the country’s history. She said Douglass was moved after he was forcibly separated from his family and it was “not better.”
“How dare him categorize that somehow or another, bondage of one was somehow better than bondage of another,” Taylor said.
Kooyenga, the next time he took the floor, said he wanted to clarify that any form of slavery was "not right."
Senate votes to expand alternative schools, 'bill of rights,' other policies
Senators also passed several other bills related to education, which have already passed the Assembly and are subject to veto or approval by Evers, including:
A bill to make most private school students eligible for a taxpayer-funded tuition subsidy regardless of family income — a plan that could raise property taxes by as much as $577 million.
Bills to expand pathways for new charter schools — schools that are allowed more curriculum flexibility but must have public oversight. One would create a new state board that can authorize charter schools, while another would require all authorizers to allow charter school operators to open more schools if they receive high marks from the state Department of Public Instruction.
A bill to allow for the establishment of "micro education pods," where an educator could independently provide schooling for two to five family units. While some private schools already operate with such a small population, the bill would give micro education pods similar rights to homeschooled children. Local public schools would be required, for example, to allow the children to participate in their sports and other extracurricular programs.
A bill requiring the DPI to measure schools using methods and standards set before the coronavirus pandemic.
A bill allowing parents to opt their children out of school-based mask requirements. Schools would not be allowed to ask parents for a reason for doing so, and could not treat those children any differently.
More: Did state officials 'rejigger' school scores to make them look better, as lawmakers say?
Another bill approved Tuesday would create a "Parental Bill of Rights" and allow parents to sue governmental bodies or officials when these are violated. An amendment to make the bill apply to private schools as well, submitted Larson, was rejected.
Larson called the bill the "book burners' bill of rights." The bill gives parents rights to review books and curriculum materials and opt their children out of lessons.
The bill also allows parents to sue school staff at public schools who use the names and pronouns chosen by their students, if the parents disagree with those names or pronouns — a practice that violates model policies shared by DPI for the safety of transgender students.
Parents who spoke at a public hearing on the bill said they were concerned about materials regarding race, gender, sex and sexual orientation.
"We have removed God from schools and replaced him with moral depravity and wonder what is happening as mental health issues skyrocket," said Alexandra Schweitzer, who ran for school board in Oconomowoc. "Teachers and counselors are embracing the fragile young mind, guiding them into believing they are gender dysmorphic."
Senate denies use of surplus funding for education
Earlier on Tuesday, Evers had called the Senate into a special session to consider spending part of the state's multibillion-dollar surplus to increase aid to schools, which were denied inflationary increases in the most recent state budget.
The idea was backed by a coalition of over 150 school leaders, community organizations and chief executives of major state employers. Senators ended the special session immediately after it began.
Jill Underly, state superintendent of schools, accused lawmakers of "trying to score political points."
"Teachers, district administrators, families – even students themselves – are telling us what they need: sustainable funding and moral support," Underly said in a statement. "Instead, their pleas are ignored, and they’re given radical, divisive policies designed to drive a wedge between families and their schools."
Contact Rory Linnane at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Senate votes to dissolve MPS, make 'parental bill of rights'
