SB 973

Under current law, a school board may, but is not required to, provide

four-year-old kindergarten. Current law also requires the Department of Public

Instruction to award grants to school boards for the purpose of implementing

four-year-old kindergarten. For purposes of the grant program, DPI must give a

preference to school districts that use a community approach to early education, as

defined by DPI by rule.

Under this bill, if a school provides four-year-old kindergarten, the school

board must offer four-year-old kindergarten using a community approach to early

education, as defined by DPI by rule, and the school board must contract with each

family child care center, group child care center, and head start agency

(community-based provider) that holds a license issued by the Department of

Children and Families; is in good standing with DCF; and notifies the school board

of its intent to offer a four-year-old kindergarten program by no later than February

1 of the preceding school year. The bill also requires that the contract between a

school board and a community-based provider include a minimum net per pupil

amount that is not less than 95 percent of the per pupil revenue limit that applies

to four-year-old kindergarten pupils in the school district in which the

community-based provider is located. Under the bill, the contract must also include

a quarterly payment schedule, allocate the responsibility to provide transportation

to the community-based provider, and allow the community-based provider to use

any curriculum that meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards. The bill

further specifies that the contract between a school board and a community-based

provider may not require a staff-to-child ratio that is less than what is required by

DCF under the community-based provider's DCF license and may not require the

administration of assessments that are not required under state or federal law.

Finally, the bill exempts teachers who teach four-year-old kindergarten at a

community-based provider from the requirement to hold a license issued by DPI.

Instead, under the bill, a teacher who teaches four-year-old kindergarten at a

community-based provider must have 1) a bachelor's degree or higher from an

accredited institution of higher education or 2) an associate degree in early childhood

education and be enrolled at, or intend to enroll at, an accredited institution of higher

education for the purpose of obtaining a bachelor's degree and intend to obtain a

bachelor's degree within four years.