Educational Transparency Bills Approved by State Senate Empower Parents
Madison – Parents and taxpayers will be able to see where their tax dollars are going and what is being taught in public schools. On Tuesday, the State Senate approved two bills co-authored by State Senator Alberta Darling that will bring transparency and accountability to school districts. Senator Darling says the measures will help parents stay engaged in their children’s education.
“When parents are engaged in their children’s schooling, those children will perform better,” Darling said, “These two important reforms will make it easier for busy parents to be involved and stay informed.”
Senate Bill 463, authored by Senator Duey Stroebel and Senator Darling, requires school districts to post course information including bibliographic information, copies of course content created by staff, syllabi, outlines, handouts, and links to adopted curricula to the school district website.
“There is a growing concern in our nation about what is being taught in taxpayer-funded schools,” Darling said, “This bill will make it easier for parents, taxpayers, and concerned citizens to see what our schools are teaching.”
Senate Bill 373, authored by Senator Mary Felzkowski and Senator Darling, will help the public better track their school district's funding and spending. Not only do our schools receive millions from the state, but they will be getting millions in COVID-19 funding. Under this bill, all financial information for schools would be on the Department of Public Instruction's website in an easy-to-understand format. This data already exists, so posting it won't cost our schools any additional money
Senate Bill 463 was approved by a vote of 19-11 and Senate Bill 373 was approved by a vote of 20-12. Both bills were sent to the State Assembly for further action.
Senator Darling represents portions of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha Counties.
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