| 1 | 1 | | 2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE |
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| 2 | 2 | | LRB-1443/1 |
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| 3 | 3 | | FFK:cdc |
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| 4 | 4 | | 2025 SENATE BILL 13 |
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| 5 | 5 | | February 3, 2025 - Introduced by Senators NASS, CABRAL-GUEVARA and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WANGGAARD, cosponsored by Representatives MELOTIK, BEHNKE, BRILL, |
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| 7 | 7 | | DITTRICH, DONOVAN, GOODWIN, GUNDRUM, KNODL, KREIBICH, MURPHY, |
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| 8 | 8 | | MURSAU, TUSLER, VOS, WICHGERS and PIWOWARCZYK. Referred to Committee |
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| 9 | 9 | | on Education. |
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| 10 | 10 | | |
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| 11 | 11 | | ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*** |
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| 12 | 12 | | AN ACT to create 115.28 (55p), 118.40 (2r) (b) 2. m., 118.40 (2x) (b) 2. m., 118.60 |
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| 13 | 13 | | (2) (a) 10., 119.23 (2) (a) 10. and 121.02 (1) (k) 4. of the statutes; relating to: |
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| 14 | 14 | | incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts |
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| 15 | 15 | | standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. |
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| 16 | 16 | | Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau |
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| 17 | 17 | | This bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to incorporate |
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| 18 | 18 | | cursive writing into the model academic standards for English language arts. The |
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| 19 | 19 | | bill also requires all school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools |
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| 20 | 20 | | participating in a parental choice program to include cursive writing in its |
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| 21 | 21 | | respective curriculum for the elementary grades. Specifically, each elementary |
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| 22 | 22 | | school curriculum must include the objective that pupils be able to write legibly in |
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| 23 | 23 | | cursive by the end of fifth grade. |
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| 24 | 24 | | For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be |
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| 25 | 25 | | printed as an appendix to this bill. |
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| 26 | 26 | | The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do |
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| 27 | 27 | | enact as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 1. 115.28 (55p) of the statutes is created to read: 2025 - 2026 Legislature |
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| 29 | 29 | | SENATE BILL 13 |
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| 30 | 30 | | - 2 - LRB-1443/1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | FFK:cdc |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 1 |
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| 33 | 33 | | 115.28 (55p) ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS. Incorporate cursive |
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| 34 | 34 | | writing into the model academic standards for English language arts. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 2. 118.40 (2r) (b) 2. m. of the statutes is created to read: |
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| 36 | 36 | | 118.40 (2r) (b) 2. m. If the contract is for the operation of a charter school that |
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| 37 | 37 | | includes the elementary grades, a requirement that the charter school’s curriculum |
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| 38 | 38 | | include the academic objective in s. 121.02 (1) (k) 4. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. 118.40 (2x) (b) 2. m. of the statutes is created to read: |
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| 40 | 40 | | 118.40 (2x) (b) 2. m. If the contract is for the operation of a charter school that |
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| 41 | 41 | | includes the elementary grades, a requirement that the charter school’s curriculum |
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| 42 | 42 | | include the academic objective in s. 121.02 (1) (k) 4. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 4. 118.60 (2) (a) 10. of the statutes is created to read: |
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| 44 | 44 | | 118.60 (2) (a) 10. If the private school operates elementary grades, the private |
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| 45 | 45 | | school includes in its curriculum the academic objective in s. 121.02 (1) (k) 4. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 5. 119.23 (2) (a) 10. of the statutes is created to read: |
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| 47 | 47 | | 119.23 (2) (a) 10. If the private school operates elementary grades, the private |
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| 48 | 48 | | school includes in its curriculum the academic objective in s. 121.02 (1) (k) 4. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 6. 121.02 (1) (k) 4. of the statutes is created to read: |
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| 50 | 50 | | 121.02 (1) (k) 4. By July 1, 2026, include in a language arts curriculum plan |
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| 51 | 51 | | under this paragraph the academic objective that pupils be able to write legibly in |
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| 52 | 52 | | cursive by the end of grade 5. This subdivision does not apply to union high school |
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| 53 | 53 | | districts. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 7. Initial applicability. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (1) INDEPENDENT CHARTER SCHOOL CONTRACTS. The treatment of s. 118.40 2025 - 2026 Legislature |
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| 56 | 56 | | SENATE BILL 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | - 3 - LRB-1443/1 |
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| 58 | 58 | | FFK:cdc |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 7 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (2r) (b) 2. m. and (2x) (b) 2. m. first applies to a contract that is entered into, |
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| 61 | 61 | | renewed, or modified on the effective date of this subsection. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) PRIVATE SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN A PARENTAL CHOICE PROGRAM. The |
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| 63 | 63 | | treatment of ss. 118.60 (2) (a) 10. and 119.23 (2) (a) 10. first applies to an |
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| 64 | 64 | | application to attend a private school under a parental choice program in the 2026- |
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| 65 | 65 | | 27 school year. |
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| 66 | 66 | | (END) |
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