Thanks to advocacy by hundreds of WCRIS School teachers last month, Act 206 was signed on April 3 and became law (see story here).
Act 206 fixes the teacher license law to recognize private school teaching experience. The DPI issued a memo on Wednesday, April 11, outlining its plan for updating agency rules to comply with the law.
As required by state law, the DPI will develop the detailed rules that make the law actually work in practice. The memo outlines the rulemaking process, and how it will update the teacher licensure system to match the new law.
The rulemaking process is lengthy and detailed, and has prescribed timelines under state law, so the discussion of the licensure change will continue over the next year, the memo noted.
“The DPI staff has been working closely with us to fix this problem, which was created when the new life license was launched late last year,” said WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling.
“The agency has been very helpful and the staff there know how important private school teachers are for filling the pipeline of educators in Wisconsin,” Schmeling said.
Schmeling added that the DPI will be seeking an “emergency rule” to put Act 206 changes into place on a temporary basis, until permanent rules can be made through the normal, required process.
WCRIS will be monitoring the rule-making process, and will keep schools updated through its Current Events e-Newsletter as details emerge, Schmeling said.
You can read the DPI’s two-page memo on the law change here.
