Education Session

Testifying on behalf of Senate Bill 518, September 29

The Wisconsin State Assembly kicked off its fall session on September 28, when it met to consider a series of education proposals to prohibit race and sex stereotyping in classroom instruction, improve curriculum and school finance transparency, and require civics education in high schools.

Perhaps the most noteworthy bill the Assembly passed on Tuesday was Assembly Bill 411, which prohibits schools from teaching race or sex stereotyping.  AB 411 addresses concerns I have heard from many constituents about the use of critical race theory in our schools, which has become a hot-button issue at school board meetings around the state.  Like most of you, I don’t believe that Wisconsin’s children should be taught that any race or sex is inherently superior to another, or that any individual is inherently racist or sexist because of their own race or sex.  It's ideas like these that AB 411 prohibits, and I would hope we can all agree that they have no place in our schools.  Contrary to what some opponents claim, a good-faith reading of the bill as passed by the Assembly wouldn't have any chilling effect on the teaching of history, for example, or stifle open and informed discussions in the classroom.  If anything, I believe AB 411 will promote such discussions.

I also voted for Assembly Bill 563, which requires Wisconsin schools to provide civics instruction and requires completion of a civics course for high school graduation.  In addition, the Assembly passed, with my support, Assembly Bill 564, which among other things requires Governor Evers to allocate at least $100 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for grants to schools for mental health programs.  Mental health in schools has been a growing area of concern for several years, and mandated at-home learning during COVID only made the problem worse.

The Assembly also concurred into two Senate proposals that will provide parents and other school district residents with easy access to information about what students are being taught and how the districts are spending tax dollars.  Senate Bill 463 requires school boards to post the learning materials and educational activities used for instruction, and Senate Bill 373 requires the Department of Public Instruction to develop an online portal to present financial data from all Wisconsin school districts.  SB 463 and SB 373 will now go to Governor Evers for his consideration.

Besides this education package, I am happy to say the Assembly also approved Assembly Resolution 21, which I introduced to recognize September 2021 as Workforce Development Month in Wisconsin.  As executive director of the Barron County Economic Development Corporation, I recognize the importance of effective workforce development programs to a strong economy.

In other legislative news, on September 29 I presented testimony on Senate Bill 518, which I introduced with Sen. Robert Cowles, that would expand the definition of "environmental pollution" for the purposes of environmental rehabilitation tax incremental districts.  In a nutshell, ERTIDs are a way for cities to encourage the cleanup and redevelopment of polluted properties, and SB 518 would make more such projects cost-effective by expanding "environmental pollution" to include hazardous materials found inside older buildings that could pose a hazard if released into the environment in the course of a redevelopment project. 

For example, asbestos is notoriously expensive to contain and remove safely, so many developers simply won't do projects that involve demolishing or converting asbestos-ridden structures.  As a result, these properties can sit idle for years, deteriorating and blighting the surrounding community.  Under SB 518, though, the costs of addressing potential pollutants would be included in the covered project costs, so developers would be more willing to step in and put the properties to their best use.