Frederica Freyberg:

Priority one in the Republican-controlled state assembly, and so marked AB1, is a school accountability measure. Under its provisions failing public schools would be converted to charter schools, while failing voucher schools would be cut off from state aid. The new law would require schools be graded from A to F. Those getting Ds or Fs for three years in a row would have to undergo four-year improvement plans before the harshest penalties would be imposed. An academic review board chaired by the state superintendent of schools with appointments from the governor and legislators would assign the letter grades to schools. Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac sponsored the bill and joins us now. Thanks very much for doing so.

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

You’re welcome.

Frederica Freyberg:

Why is this school accountability law needed?

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

Because it’s an expectation of taxpayers that wherever taxpayer dollars are expended that we have an accounting to make sure that there's evidence that it’s being effective. And the evidence in this case would be the report cards. Report cards were established a few years ago and there’s an adjustment in this bill, a slight adjustment to how the report cards are compiled. But the taxpayers want to see evidence that our schools are producing the results that they’re intended to. Many candidates have heard on the campaign trail that the public expects accountability, and I think we are in favor of that. But I think that we need to look at it not just as accountability, but we need to look at it as an improvement opportunity for those schools that are struggling, and we’d like to offer that help to them.

Frederica Freyberg:

What do you say to critics you now have on both sides of this issue who either say it’s a thinly-veiled move to convert more public schools to private charter schools or that it’s too harsh on private voucher schools?

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

Well, some of the criticism has been interesting because you’ve got some saying on the charter schools– Or, excuse me, on the voucher school side that it’s a bad thing for voucher schools, but then you've got, also, people opposed to voucher schools saying it’s a gift to voucher schools. So that’s kind of some curious division there that’s set up. But there isn’t any intention on my part to try to have a whole bunch new independent charter schools in the state. My preference would be is that it would not reach that point. And the problem I’m seeing is that so much of the focus is being put on part two of the improvement plan, when really the focus should be part on part one of the improvement plan, that four-year plan that you mentioned, where we’re going to be giving the schools extra help. And even in addition to that four-year improvement plan, you said that there are three report cards. It actually isn’t three in a row. It’s actually the third of three consecutive report cards, would determine if they would enter into that first step of the improvement plan. So you’re really getting seven years to improve yourself as a school.

Frederica Freyberg:

So if this– The improvement plan is to help schools get better, does it come with extra money to do that?

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

It does, and– In most cases it would. What Department of Public Instruction has done, as part of their Title I funding, they have received extra dollars to establish a program that targets schools that are struggling in various ways. And the program that they created is called the Focus Schools program and the Priority Schools program. And under the bill, if a school had a D, it would go into the Focus School program. If it got an F, it would go into the Priority School program where things are stepped up a little bit more. Under Title I dollars we currently do have schools that are in those programs who are receiving those benefits of the federal dollars. And so we’re getting an opportunity to use the federal dollars to implement these programs for those schools. Now, if a school isn’t currently identified as one of those schools, then the district would have to come up with the additional dollars to fund that.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, are schools that educate high numbers of children in poverty or children with special needs given any different treatment under this bill?

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

The different treatment they would be given is in terms of the report cards, where that is taken into account, much similar to the way it is now for difficult circumstances that they may be in. But that being said, even if there are difficult circumstances, we want these schools to improve, and that’s a major factor in whether or not a school is able to exit the program is, are they maybe not necessarily just don’t have a D anymore, but are they on track for success? Are they getting better?

Frederica Freyberg:

With just less than half a minute left, who designs and metes out the improvement plans?

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

The improvement plan would be offered, of course, the DPI program. If a school didn’t want to use the DPI program, perhaps a voucher school wants to use a different kind of program, they would be able to choose from a list that’s going to be compiled by the Academic Review Board that they could pick from that might suit their circumstances better.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. More to talk about on this, but Representative Thiesfeldt, thanks very much.

Jeremy Thiesfeldt:

Um-hmm.

Frederica Freyberg:

Democrats have introduced their own school accountability legislation for choice schools. Their bill includes requirements for teachers to be licensed and for graduation standards in voucher schools.