At the first of five award banquets hosted by the Kohl Foundation, Senator Kohl surprised attendees by announcing a $2,000 increase for each student scholarship award, making each worth $5,000. “This vigorous increase in the scholarship amount is amazing, especially since it was just increased from $1,000 to $3,000 last year. Now, by going up [...]
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Gov Signs Laws Impacting Private Schools As Legislative Session Ends
March 31, 2016
The 2015-16 state legislative session is drawing to an end. As state lawmakers return to their districts to begin campaigning for re-election in November, they look back on a legislative session featuring the introduction of 1,006 Assembly bills and 795 Senate bills. Just 341 of them were signed into law by the Governor so far. [...]
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WI Supreme Court Election Critical for Private Schools
March 30, 2016
The seven-member Wisconsin Supreme Court has one vacancy, which is up for election Tuesday, April 5. Justices serve for a 10-year term. The Court has the responsibility for deciding any legal challenge to laws passed by the State Legislature and Governor. In 1998, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of religious schools being able [...]
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Keep Busing Services by Meeting Looming Deadlines
March 28, 2016
The annual busing deadlines for private schools outlined in state law are fast approaching. While state law has NOT changed in regards to busing services for private school children, WCRIS schools across the state are seeing attempts to change their students’ busing privileges because public school districts are under tremendous financial pressure to control costs. [...]
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Overtime Pay Quagmire? No Need to Worry
March 21, 2016
Teachers Exempt from Looming Rules WCRIS principals have been inundating our office with questions about looming federal rules on paying overtime to employees who work more than 40 hours per week and make less than $50,000 annually. The U.S. Department of Labor was expected to release new overtime pay rules in July (see page 103 [...]
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Last Gasp of Legislative Work as Senate Convenes
March 14, 2016
The State Senate meets one last time tomorrow, March 15, before it adjourns for the current legislative session. The Assembly adjourned for the year on Friday, Feb. 19. Among many other things, the Senate is expected to debate a “clean up” bill to remedy some glitches in the new Special Needs Scholarship Program. In addition, [...]
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School Choice “Clean-up” Bill is Now Law
March 13, 2016
On March 1, the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 640 as Act 212, which is a school choice “clean up” bill that: Makes changes in the new civics exam graduation requirement. The civics exam is only required of private schools in a choice program. The new law added clarification about handling the exam for [...]
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WCRIS Principals Urged to Help Stop Opiate Abuse
March 10, 2016
Private school leaders can use their influence with school families and the community to help fight against the opiate drug abuse problem leading to crime and death in the state, Attorney General Brad Schimel told WCRIS Administrators at the WCRIS annual Leadership Conference recently. After sharing tragic stories of families from all economic, social, religious [...]
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I Spy the Governor and You
March 03, 2016
2016 Conference Recap 2016 WCRIS Leadership Conference from WCRIS on Vimeo. Thank You to the 2016 WCRIS Conference Sponsors
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Order Your 2016-2017 WCRIS Legal Handbook
March 01, 2016
Every WCRIS member school gets one FREE copy of the 2016-2017 handbook as a benefit of membership. It includes all new content, including information on the new state tuition tax deduction, school busing, school lunch programs, the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, the new Special Needs Scholarship Program, and more! WCRIS member schools can order additional [...]
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