Taxpayer Funded Wisconsin “DPI Should Stop Playing Games with Childhood Literacy”
IRG Senior Research Director Quinton Klabon:
The Joint Committee on Finance was forced to dispute the actions of the Department of Public Instruction once again on critical Act 20 reading reforms. The Institute for Reforming Government calls for DPI to follow the law as written so Wisconsin can catch up to leading literacy states.
What Happened: In approving recent curriculum submissions from the Early Literacy Curriculum Council, DPI argued it has no legal obligation to follow the process described in Act 20. Instead of JFC having final say, DPI argued it does. JFC quickly reasserted its standing.
Despite regularly picking fights on literacy, DPI lacks a track record of success to justify its quarrelsomeness. The left-leaning Urban Institute recently ranked Wisconsin 28th in reading performance nationally, adjusted for demographics.
Why It Matters: This is just the latest example of DPI destabilizing the bipartisan Act 20.DPI tried to replace a widely praised curriculum list chosen by ELCC with its own list of mediocre materials. National reading advocates criticized the attempt, and JFC reverted back to ELCC’s original recommendations.
DPI misinterpreted a clear legal deadline of July 1, 2025, for teachers to complete reading retraining, delaying any student improvement until 2026. DPI made clear it understood the law’s intended deadline, but still advises schools to complete training after July 1.
DPI appointed Barb Novak to be the current Office of Literacy Director, despite her being the former President of the Wisconsin State Reading Association. WSRA is a balanced-literacy-supporting group that lobbied against Act 20.
DPI has done a media tour to justify squandering millions of the $50 million in literacy funding on reading coaches that serve no purpose before curriculum replacement and retraining are complete.
Superintendent Underly appeared to criticize Act 20 in private, writing in a June 2023 email, “And with all this other nonsense going on with literacy I want to make sure we’re not throwing more fuel onto this fire.”
The Quote: “Decades of DPI leadership on literacy have given Wisconsin the worst results for Black students in America and mediocrity everywhere else,” said CJ Szafir, IRG CEO. “DPI should follow Act 20 to the letter because it copies states that have solved the reading crisis.”
What’s Next: Act 20 funding and policy will be a key facet of the 2025 budget debate. IRG will ensure parents, journalists, and policymakers understand what is at stake.
The Department of Public Instruction has adopted reading curriculum recommendations without seeking approval from the Joint Finance Committee, according to a letter shared with WisPolitics.
The move comes after the state Supreme Court in a 6-1 decision overturned the process the GOP-controlled Legislature has used to block stewardship purchases through JFC, ruling it violates the separation of powers.
Superintendent Jill Underly on Friday sent a letter to GOP co-chairs Sen. Howard Marklein and Rep. Mark Born informing them of the recommendations, adding: “following the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision in Evers v. Marklein, the DPI will not submit this curricula list to the Joint Committee on Finance for review or approval.”
She noted the high court’s affirmation that “Once the legislature passes a bill that is signed by the governor and becomes law, ‘the legislature plays no part in enforcing our statutes.’”
The recommendations are part of the state’s new literacy law, which requires a phonics-based approach to literacy. Schools that use the materials are eligible for reimbursements to cover half the cost. But JFC has declined to approve the $50 million set aside to fund new literacy initiatives under the law. Gov. Tony Evers and the Legislature are currently involved in litigation over the funding.
The resources recommended by the Early Literacy Curricula Council include:
Bookworms Reading and Writing K-3 (Open Up Resources, 2022)
Core Knowledge Language Arts K-3 (CKLA, Amplify Education, 2022)
EL Education K-3 Language Arts (Open Up Resources, 2017)
HMH Into Reading with Amira (HMH, 2023)
Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and FundationsÆ (Wilson Language TrainingÆ, 2020)
Wit and Wisdom with Geodes (Great Minds, 2023) and Really Great Reading (Countdown 2017, Blast Foundations 2014, HD Word 2015)
The recommendations come after DPI and JFC in March clashed over what materials to approve.Letter (December 6, 2024) to the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee from DPI Superintendent Jill Underly.
December 10, 2024 JFC response.
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