WiRSA (Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance)
Strong Schools - Strong Communities
WiRSA Student Teacher Scholarships!
Please share this with your 2nd-semester student teachers
The WiRSA student teacher scholarship is awarded each fall and spring to one student teacher from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws.
WiRSA Website Student-Teacher Scholarship Link
Due Date:
Monday, January 24, 2026
Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $750 to be used by the student to help defray the costs while student teaching and related expenses. A written essay for each question is required for the application. (Two page limit - Uploaded in the Google Form)
Google Form Information
Essay Question - Why do you want to teach in a rural school?
Essay Question - What impact can you have on rural students?
Any of the following: Work Related Information, Extra-Curricular Involvement, Special Honors, Awards or Recognitions Received.
Scholarship - Google Submission Form
Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act Signed by President Trump
This important legislation has officially been signed into law. Thank you to all of you who supported this effort with your calls, visits, and stories!
This bill extends and modifies the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, including by
extending payments made to states and counties containing federal land through FY2026,
providing for payments for FY2024 and FY2025,
extending the authority of counties to initiate projects using such funds through FY2028, and
extending the authority to initiate projects proposed by resource advisory committees through FY2028.
The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has announced a public hearing on Jan. 6 in the Capitol on AB-677, which would create a crime of grooming a child. On January 7, the Senate Committee on Universities & Technical Colleges will hit the road and hold a hearing in Pewaukee at Waukesha County Technical College that will feature bills that update the state’s dual enrollment program regulations and structure, and alter the state’s minority teacher loan program to apply broadly to all disadvantaged candidates. Click the corresponding links for more information on the following bills.
Today, there will be a Senate PUBLIC HEARING Committee on Education public hearing The following items at the time specified below: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 10:00 A,M 300 Southeast
SB 588 & AB 592 — Relating to professional development for science teachers.
The Assembly version of this bill previously passed the Assembly on 11/19/25 by a vote of 68 to 30.
SB 371 — Relating to explaining pregnancy, prenatal development, and childbirth as part of a human growth and development instructional program.
SB 600 & AB 602 — Relating to participating in the federal tax credit program for contributions to scholarship granting organizations
The Assembly version of this bill previously passed the Assembly on 11/19/25 by a party line vote of 54 to 44.
SB 526 & AB 518 — Relating to allowing individuals who hold a substitute teaching permit to substitute teach at private schools participating in a parental choice program.
The Assembly version of this bill previously passed the Assembly on 11/12/25 by voice vote.
SB 120 & AB 103 — Relating to school board policies related to changing a pupil’s legal name and pronouns.
The Assembly version of this bill previously passed the Assembly on 3/20/25 by a party line vote of 50 to 43.
In addition, the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Public Hearing at 10:01 am on Tuesday, January 6
AB 677 — Relating to creating a crime of grooming a child for sexual activity and providing a penalty.
Legislative Update
Delegate Assembly: The “decoupling” resolutions
by David Martin | Dec 15, 2025 | Legislative Update Blog, WASB
This year’s Delegate Assembly will have a unique situation: two directly conflicting proposed resolutions on the same policy topic put before the body. These resolutions are resolutions 10 and 11 and can be found in the 2026 Delegate Assembly Packet.
Resolution 10 calls on the WASB to support the policy of “decoupling”. Resolution 11 calls on the WASB to oppose the policy of “decoupling” (or, in other words, calls on the WASB to support current law).
We have received several questions on these resolutions. To try and get in front of these questions, we wanted to point members to a resource included in the Delegate materials (both online and in the mail) Explanation of Decoupling Resolutions. This packet details how these two resolutions will be handled at the Delegate Assembly and a brief explanation of what decoupling is. This packet should help address many of the questions your board may have, however below is a summary of what is detailed in the packet.
What is Decoupling?
Decoupling is in short, the term used to describe a legislative initiative that would make payments for parental choice programs and independent charter school pupils come solely from state dollars, instead of the current system of deducting state aid from the resident school district sending it to the institution a pupil attends and allowing the resident school district to recoup the lost funds via property taxes.
This is a very simplified explanation, please see the packet for more detail.
How will these resolutions be handled on the floor?
After careful review with our Parliamentarian, it was determined that the resolutions should be presented in this order; the resolution calling for a change in state law (10) being presented first, and the resolution calling for support of the status quo (11) following.
You may be wondering, if these resolutions take directly opposing stances on the same issue, what happens if they both are passed? In short, both resolutions cannot be approved. According to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, a main motion cannot be brought up again during the same meeting if it is in direct conflict with a motion that has already been adopted and is still in force. For more information or questions attend the Pre-Delegate Assembly Session.
If resolution 10 is approved by the Delegates, 11 is rendered moot and will be removed from the agenda. Should resolution 10 be rejected by the Delegates, the body will move on to resolution 11 with the opportunity to debate/amend/vote on that resolution. The situation could also arise where neither resolution is approved, in which case the WASB will have no institutional position on the process of decoupling (as is currently the case). Amendments to either resolution that change the word “support” to “oppose” or vice versa, will be declared out of order.
As a reminder, resolutions before the Delegate Assembly are not endorsed by WASB or the Policy and Resolutions Committee. These resolutions are before the body because the Policy and Resolutions Committee evaluated that they met the criteria to be considered by the Delegate Assembly (a resolution is: timely, worth of debate, and needs consideration by the full membership). Neither the WASB or the committee endorse the merits of a resolution. Vote outcomes at the Delegate Assembly will dictate official WASB policy.
Education Law Center has spent close to a decade working to ensure public funding supports public education through our anti-voucher campaign, Public Funds Public Schools. The campaign uses litigation, policy advocacy, research and communications to challenge the diversion of public resources to private education. And we have notched several notable wins along the way.
With that background, it was imperative for us to turn our attention to the new federal tax credit voucher program included in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And now, in addition to producing and disseminating a Frequently Asked Questions document and a two-page Explainer about the federal program, we’ve published op-eds in important outlets to make sure readers are aware of the harms inherent in the federal voucher scheme:
NCPE Report: The Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program: A Landscape of Risks for Public Schools and Students
This new report from AASA's coalition highlights many significant risks for policymakers to understand about the new federal tax credit voucher program and why they matter for students, families, states, and the nation’s public education system. It details why even the best federal and state regulations and oversight cannot surmount the foundational risk that the statute is designed to direct taxpayer dollars to private education. In addition, the coalition also produced a document on the recent Treasury notice that details how Treasury is approaching the regulation of the program by States
NCPE Report: The Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program: A Landscape of Risks for Public Schools and Students
This new report from AASA's coalition highlights many significant risks for policymakers to understand about the new federal tax credit voucher program and why they matter for students, families, states, and the nation’s public education system. It details why even the best federal and state regulations and oversight cannot surmount the foundational risk that the statute is designed to direct taxpayer dollars to private education. In addition, the coalition also produced a document on the recent Treasury notice that details how Treasury is approaching the regulation of the program by States
Feds announce early opt-in process for new federal school choice program
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service are allowing an early opt-in process for states to participate in the new federal school choice program that begins in 2027. According to a notice posted Dec 12, starting on or after Jan. 1, 2026, states may submit a form indicating they want to opt into the federal tax credit scholarship program that will allow federal taxpayer donations to be spent on K-12 services, including private school tuition and public school expenses. Coverage on K-12 Dive.
The challenge of moving special education out of the Education Department
Advocates for children with disabilities — and even some Republican lawmakers — are warning that the federal government needs to preserve its special education programs as the Trump administration moves to dismantle the Education Department. The department oversees roughly $15 billion annually on programs that support students with disabilities and ensures states are providing them education, as well as investigating complaints that these children are facing discrimination. Coverage on Politico.
Whole Milk is Back!
On December 15, Congress passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which gives schools the option to serve whole milk again and stipulates that milk fat cannot be considered saturated far for the purposes of measuring compliance with meal pattern requirements. The bill codifies the many milk options that schools can serve (flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk), removing the ability for USDA to make changes in future school nutrition regulations. Additionally, students “whose disability restricts their diet” can now request a milk substitute with a written statement from a parent or legal guardian. Previously, the law required a written statement from a physician. AASA did not take a position on the bill.
2026 Aim High Grant Program - Deadline is Feb. 6
The New York Life Foundation is seeking applications from afterschool, summer, or expanded learning programs serving underserved middle-school youth. In total, $800,000 in grants will be awarded to programs all across the country. This is the tenth year of the Foundation’s Aim High grant competition, bringing the total amount awarded to $14.15 million. A total of 40 grant awards will be made nationwide—take a look to see if this opportunity is a good fit for you and apply today!
Grant funds are for general operating expenses. Applicants will need to describe how programs support youth in the transition to the ninth grade.
The WiRSA board has made scholarship changes
The scholarships for both our general WiRSA scholarship and our pre-teacher scholarship have increased to $1000, and the selection committee will evaluate applicants' video presentations.
General WiRSA Scholarship
The scholarship will be awarded annually to one graduating high school senior from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws. An additional at-large scholarship will be awarded to the next-highest-scoring applicant. Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $1000 to be used by the student to help defray the costs of post-secondary education and related expenses. A video of the applicant addressing the following information is required for the application. Consideration will be given to professionalism, communication, and content. The video should be limited to 5 minutes.
What are the benefits of attending a rural school?
Why are you choosing the field of teacher education?
What is the value of growing up in a rural community, and what personal values have you gained from your experience?
SENIOR - Post-Secondary Teacher Education Scholarship Details
The scholarship will be awarded annually to one graduating high school senior from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws. An additional at-large scholarship will be awarded to the next-highest-scoring applicant. Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $1000 to be used by the student to help defray the costs of post-secondary education and related expenses. A video of the applicant addressing the following information is required for the application. Consideration will be given to professionalism, communication, and content. The video should be limited to 5 minutes.
What are the benefits of attending a rural school?
Why are you choosing the field of teacher education?
What is the value of growing up in a rural community, and what personal values have you gained from your experience?
