Legislature passes education reform bills


November 6, 2009

 
MADISON - The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a series of education reform bills designed to make the state compete for nearly $4.5 billion in federal stimulus money.

The action came after President Barack Obama touted the Race to the Top grant program in Madison on Wednesday.

The Assembly passed three reform bills on Thursday, but the final vote didn't come until 3 a.m. Friday morning after Democrats met for more than three hours before closed doors.

The bill in question would remove a prohibition in state law from using student test data to evaluate teachers. That ban would make Wisconsin ineligible for the federal grants.

Even with the ban removed, teachers could not be disciplined or removed based on student test scores.

Republicans argued the change was useless.

 


Associated Press