government relations Continued from page 24
As we approach the election in two months, I urge you to do some research and make an informed decision on the education positions of these ‘down-ticket’ individuals on the ballot. Very little passed out of the Education Committee in the last year. Instead, legislators chose to embed several provisions in the 2015-17 Biennial Budget which have affected Wisconsin schools:
• The budget bill eliminated the per-pupil state aid increase for the 2015-16 school year.
• The budget bill expanded the state- wide parental choice program.
• The budget bill granted charter au- thority oversight in Milwaukee to
an appointed commissioner bypass- ing the Milwaukee School Board.
• The budget bill relaxed licensure requirements for teachers.
To see how your representative or senator voted on this bill:
• Go to
www.legis.wisconsin.gov and type “Senate Bill 21” into the search bar.
• Click the active link for “2015 Senate Bill” on the next page.
• Scroll down to, and click the “ayes and noes” active link for the senate or assembly.
Teacher Shortages in Wisconsin
And finally, the DPI’s Working Group on School Staffing Issues submitted a final
report to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers in June. The working group was charged with iden- tifying strategies to address the loom- ing teacher shortage in Wisconsin’s schools. One option includes reducing music teaching licenses from the current three categories of elementary general, instrumental and choral to a single mu- sic license. At this writing, the WMEA Executive Board is crafting a response.
Have a great start to the new school year and if you have questions on how ESSA can positively affect your school district, please contact me!
Brad Schneider recently retired from teaching instrumental music at Middleton High School. Email:
brad.schneider102@
gmail.com
Wisconsin Foundation for School Music President: Paul Heid, Heid Music, Appleton
President-Elect: Sarah Jerome, Retired, Arlington Heights School District
Past President: Robert Berndt, Retired, Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine Schools
Secretary: Timothy Schaid, Executive Director, Wisconsin Foundation for School Music
Treasurer: James Byrd, President/CEO, Midwest Asset Management, Inc., Madison
Board Members: Robert Berndt, Retired, Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine Schools Jim Brandmeier, CEO, 180 Music, Madison Gregg Butler, Administrator, Eau Claire County Off Campus High School Paul Heid, Heid Music, Appleton Vicki Jenks, WYSO Percussion Ensemble Director, Wild Rose Sarah Jerome, Retired, Arlington Heights School District Elaine Mischler, M.D., Retired, Waunakee Russ Rautmann, Executive Director, Engler Center, Chilton Elizabeth T. Russell, Russell Law
Richard Parks, Superintendent, Marathon Public Schools Ted Witt, Owner, Local-Mize Wisconsin, Waunakee
26
Advisory Council: Linda Bergren, Retired, Madison
Rhea Myers, Attorney, Wheeler, Van Sickle & Anderson, S.C., Madison
James Schutz, Senior Financial Advisor, Statehouse Investments, LLC, Madison
Roger White, Retired, White House of Music, Inc., Waukesha
Richard W. Wolf, Emeritus Professor of Music, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Gerald Kember, Retired, La Crosse School District
Staff:
Timothy Schaid, Executive Director,
schaidt@wsmamusic.org
Jamie Kember, Development Associate,
kemberj@wsmamusic.org
Mackenzie Pitterle, Development & Marketing Associate,
mpitterle@wsmamusic.org
September 2016
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