1-20-15 accountability bill-thiesfeldt

The author of the Assembly School Accountability bill says he is open to changes in the measure.    The Assembly Education Committee held a public hearing on the measure last week.  Committee chair, Fond du Lac Republican lawmaker, Jeremy Thiesfeldt,  says the committee won’t take action on the measure this week.  “I quietly announced to the committee members on Friday that we were not going to be taking this up this week.  There has been too much public information that’s been shared with the committee that we’re all trying to absorb,”  Thiesfeldt told WFDL news.  Two controversial components of the Assembly bill are a letter grading system and converting failing schools to charter schools.  Thiesfeldt says he’s heard pros and cons on using a letter grade for school performance.  “Schools by and large do not seem to be in favor of that, but I also think you find that the public will express opinions they think its a good idea,”  Thiesfeldt said.  “That isn’t something that I certainly want to be the downfall of the bill.  There are more important aspexcts to it.”  The senate version would not require poorly performing schools to become charter schools  and would create a new state panel to work with schools on turnaround plans.  Thiesfeldt says he likens that to reorganizing the deck chairs on the Titanic.  “They’re (senate) kind of reorganizing powers the Department of Public Instruction already has, but kind of concludes it by saying they don’t have to do it.  As far as I’m concerned, and I think I’m speaking for much of the state Assembly, we’re not particularily interested in doing a bill that just simply checks a box that says we did accountability,”  Thiesfeldt said.  “We want this to be a bill that addresses with strong measures the problems that exist and is going to activate some changes to take place.”