WiRSA Update - April 1, 2025

Thank You! - WiRSA 2024 Conference Sponsors

Quick Overview of WiRSA Update:

  • Educators Rising Conference Highlights!

  • WiRSA Conference Information - Keynote 2025 - Attendance Registration - Vendor/Sponsor Registration - Hotel Reservations (Complete that now!) - Call for Proposals - Conference Auction Donations

  • Legislative Update - Senate & Assembly Bills and LRBs related to referendums

  • Gov. Evers Press Releases

  • DPI News - News Releases from DPI - Tracking Federal Funding Cuts & the effects on Wisconsin

  • News Articles - Wisconsin Examiner / Wisconsin Public Radio / District Administrator

  • NREA - Center on Budget Priorities - State-by-State Fact Sheet

Highlights from the Educators Rising Conference.

The 2025 Educators Rising Conference held on March 7 at UW Stevens Point was a huge success. 

  • There was an increase in attendees. Registrations topped at 340 participants (students, advisors, speakers, competition judges, and volunteers). 

  • A record number of students participated in competitions.

  • 35 students qualified to compete at nationals in Orlando in June. 

  • Survey Says! 71.5% of respondents indicated that they were even more likely to commit to a career in education based on their experiences at the conference. 

UW Stevens Point generates the bulk of the social media surrounding the event. WAOW News 9 from Wausau did a feature on the nightly news. 

WiRSA is a proud sponsor of the conference.

If you have any questions about Educators Rising, please reach out to Leah Luke, State Coordinator, Educators Rising-Wisconsin - LukeL@weac.org - 608-548-1912

WiRSA Conference Information (Thursday, October 30 & Friday, October 31)

Keynote Mark Mambretti - You'll discover the method behind the "Magic" of improving your workplace's culture, climate, and results. Click Here For More Information

Stevens Point Convention Center
Thursday, October 30 & Friday, October 31, 2025
Wednesday, October 29 (7:00 pm. Reception)

Conference Registration Link - Website Information Link
Vendor / Sponsor Registration Link - Website Information Link

Conference Auction Donations - To raise additional money for student scholarships for our member schools.  We will have both a silent auction and a live auction. If you are able to support our scholarships with an auction item, it would be greatly appreciated.

WiRSA Conference Room Reservations

Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center

  • Rate: $98.00 Single Occupancy State Rate - $120.00 Double Occupancy State Rate

  • Booking rooms is usually the first item on the agenda. WiRSA conference attendees can book reservations online 24 hours a day using the following link: WiRSA Conference 2025

  • If you want to make reservations over the phone, please call 715-344-0200 and press #1. When making reservations, please reference the group name for WiRSA Conference 2025 or the Group Block Code: RSA.

  • Our group rate will be available until September 29, 2025 or (until the block is full). On this date, any remaining rooms in your block will be released for general reservations at the hotel's prevailing daily rate, which may be higher than your group rate. Please book by 9/25/2025.

WiRSA Conference Call for Proposals

Website Information Proposal Form

The WiRSA Planning Committee is seeking proposals for sessions that share best practices, solutions, and research in and outside our rural/town classrooms and schools. 

WiRSA encourages you to share the great programs you are providing.
Examples include but are not limited

  • AI - Artificial Intelligence

  • Recruitment & Retention / Grow your own initiatives / Educators Rising

  • Early Literacy / Reading / English Learners / ACT 20

  • Mental Health

  • Collaborative efforts within a school or with other schools (Career Tech, etc.)

  • Collaborative efforts with institutes of higher education, and/or businesses

  • Shared Services / Cooperatives

  • Innovative educational programs/classroom practices

Proposals are due by Monday, June 30, 2025

Example Proposals

Legislative Update

  • Assembly Education Related Bills - Sorted by: Date Introduced - Bill - Companions - Status

    Senate Education Related Bills - Sorted by: Date Introduced - Bill - Companions - Status

  • LRB-2632 School Lunch (Cabral-Guevara, Rachael) Prohibiting school boards and independent charter schools from providing ultra-processed foods in free or reduced-price meals. Deadline: Friday, April 4, 2025 12:00LRB-2656 Memo Referendum Questions (Andraca, Deb) The form of referendum questions. Deadline: Saturday, April 5, 2025 17:00

    LRB-2655 Referendum Questions (Habush Sinykin, Jodi) The form of referendum questions. Deadline: Saturday, April 5, 2025 17:00

    LRB-0904 Referenda Information (O'Connor, Jerry) Information provided to voters concerning proposed constitutional amendments and other statewide referenda. Deadline: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 17:00

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Joint Finance Budget Hearings

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Kaukauna High School, Auxiliary Gymnasium (Door AA4)
1701 County Road CE, Kaukauna, WI 54130

Friday, April 4, 2025 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.),
Wisconsin State Fair Park, Exposition Center
640 South 84th Street, West Allis, WI 53214
Parking at Gate 4

Monday, April 28, 2025 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Hayward High School Auditorium
10320 Greenwood Lane, Hayward, WI 54843

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Northcentral Technical College, Center for Health Sciences
1000 West Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401

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Update From NREA (National Rural Education Association) From the NREA Weekly Update

Become a Member - View State Affiliates

State-by-State Fact Sheets:

Community Eligibility Provision

co-authored with the Food Research and Action Center

Congress is considering Republican proposals that would make it harder for low-income families with children to get food assistance, which would likely increase their grocery costs and increase children’s food insecurity. One proposal would substantially cut the number of schools eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows schools serving large numbers of children from low-income families to offer school meals at no charge to all students. If enacted, more than half of the participating schools — 24,000 schools spread across every state, serving more than 12 million children — would no longer be able to use CEP. These schools would be mired in unnecessary paperwork and children in low-income families would likely miss out on meals, jeopardizing their health and learning. These fact sheets illustrate the impact of the proposed cut in each state and include a list of school districts that would be affected. 

Update From CEF (Center for Education Funding).

No new news