2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 1017
January 26, 2024 - Introduced by Representative WITTKE, cosponsored by Senator
STROEBEL. Referred to Committee on Education.
1 AN ACT to repeal 20.255 (1) (fc); and to create 20.255 (1) (fc) and 20.255 (2) (fc)
2 of the statutes; relating to: early literacy programs administered by the
3 Department of Public Instruction.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
2023 Wisconsin Act 20 created the Office of Literacy in the Department of
Public Instruction. Act 20 requires the office to establish and supervise an early
literacy coaching program to improve literacy outcomes. As part of that program, the
office must contract for up to 64 full-time literacy coaches to provide support to
administrators, school-based literacy coaches, principals, and teachers to build
teacher and school capacity to teach reading and language arts using science-based
early reading instruction. Act 20 also requires school boards and operators of charter
schools to ensure that kindergarten to third grade teachers, elementary school
principals, and reading specialists receive certain professional development related
to literacy instruction by no later than July 1, 2025. Finally, Act 20 requires DPI to
award grants to school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools
participating in a parental choice program that adopt a recommended literacy
curriculum that contains the components of science-based early reading instruction
and does not include three-cueing.
As part of 2023 Wisconsin Act 19, the biennial budget act, $50,000,000 was
appropriated for a literacy program administered by DPI. This bill creates a
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ASSEMBLY BILL 1017
structure for DPI to expend these funds as they are transferred by the Joint
Committee on Finance.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
2 the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
2023-24 2024-25
3 20.255 Public instruction, department of
4 (1) EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
5 (fc) Office of literacy; literacy coach­
6 ing program GPR C -0- -0-
7 (2) AIDS FOR LOCAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
8 (fc) Early literacy initiatives; sup­
9 port GPR B -0- -0-
10 SECTION 2. 20.255 (1) (fc) of the statutes is created to read:
11 20.255 (1) (fc) Office of literacy; literacy coaching program. As a continuing
12 appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the office of literacy and the literacy
13 coaching program under s. 115.39.
14 SECTION 3. 20.255 (1) (fc) of the statutes, as created by 2023 Wisconsin Act ....
15 (this act), is repealed.
16 SECTION 4. 20.255 (2) (fc) of the statutes is created to read:
17 20.255 (2) (fc) Early literacy initiatives; support. Biennially, the amounts in the
18 schedule for grants under s. 118.015 (1m) (c) and for financial assistance paid to
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ASSEMBLY BILL 1017 SECTION 4
1 school boards and charter schools for compliance with 2023 Wisconsin Act 20, section
2 27 (2) (a).
3 SECTION 5.0Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication,
4 except as follows:
5 (1) The repeal of s. 20.255 (1) (fc) takes effect on July 1, 2028.
6 (END)