Faculty development grant programs for technical colleges, the technical college instructor occupational competency program, modifying certain rules of the Technical College System Board, and eliminating outdated rules of the board

Current statutory law requires the TCS Board to establish programs to award grants to district boards to promote the following: instructor awareness of and expertise in newly emerging technologies; the integration of learning technologies in curriculum and instruction;

and the use of instructional methods that involve emerging technologies. Current statutory law prohibits the TCS Board from awarding a grant to a district board unless there is a matching fund contribution from the district board equal to at least 50 percent of the grant amount. Current statutory law refers to the programs as faculty development programs. Under this bill, the programs are referred to as professional development programs. The bill also eliminates a requirement that the TCS Board promulgate rules for the programs and repeals the rules the TCS Board has promulgated.

Technical college instructor occupational competency program.

The bill eliminates a requirement for the TCS Board to promulgate rules for a technical college instructor occupational competency program that the TCS Board must establish under current law. The bill also repeals the rules the TCS Board has promulgated for the program.

Modifying other rules.

Former statutory law required a technical college district board to conduct a referendum for capital expenditures in excess of $500,000.

2009 Wisconsin Act 28 revised that law to require a technical college district board to conduct a referendum for capital expenditures in excess of $1,500,000. However, a rule of the TCS Board requires a referendum for capital expenditures in excess of $500,000. This bill updates the TCS Board rule to refer to capital expenditures in excess of $1,500,000. Current statutory law also provides that all projects on a single campus that are bid concurrently or approved within a two-year period are considered one capital expenditure project for the purpose of determining whether a referendum is required. A rule of the TCS Board requires the TCS Board to designate, on an annual basis, what constitutes each single campus site. The bill modifies the rule to require the TCS Board to make the designation, but eliminates the requirement to do so on annual basis.

Certain rules of the TCS Board refer to personnel certification requirements that were eliminated when the TCS Board revised its personnel certification rules in 2015. The bill eliminates those references. The bill also does the following regarding the TCS Board's rules: 1) eliminates references to an outdated address of the TCS Board; and 2) corrects a printing error.

Outdated rules.

Former statutory law allowed the TCS Board to provide grants to technical college district boards for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and intervention programs. Former statutory law also required the TCS Board to award grants to students enrolling in technical college associate degree or vocational diploma programs. Those statutes were repealed by 2001 Wisconsin Act 109 and 2005 Wisconsin Act 25 . The TCS Board continues to maintain rules regrading the repealed statutes. The bill repeals those rules.