New testing standards were rolled out for Wisconsin students in 2024. Shortly after, educators from private, public and charter schools across the state met in the Wisconsin Dells for a pricey four-day junket to review test questions with a vendor hired to work on the tests.Â
Republicans and conservative groups in the state were critical of the new testing benchmarks, with lawmakers saying they wanted to make sure the requirements were not “dumbed down.â€
Now, two years later, the Department of Public Instruction is being questioned by legislative Republicans about whether that $368,885 meeting violated open meetings law.
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“There's a lot of fog right now of how things played out in 2024, because you have this meeting that happened that we have no records of other than a private vendor worked with DPI on standardized testing,†said State Rep. Nate Gustafson, R-Omro. “Then we have the superintendent come out and lower standards across schools. And there is this cost with no record of what the standard is.â€Â
Gustafson was one of several Republicans to question DPI Wednesday during a two-hour meeting of the Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency.
Rich Judge, assistant state superintendent for government and public affairs, told the committee there was no violation because the 2024 meeting at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells included 88 educators and was facilitated by DPI's private vendor, Data Recognition Corporation, rather than being a quorum of public officials.
“There is an exhaustive record of the standard setting that has been presented to multiple legislative committees and to legislative leadership in both of the education committees in detail,†Judge said.Â
The Dells trip came to light when longtime Republican operative Brian Fraley reported it in his newsletter, Dairyland Sentinel.Â
Fraley requested records from DPI, which took 15 months for the agency to fulfill.Â
When questioned about the length of time it took for the records, Judge said since 2023, DPI has had 1,000 open records requests with limited resources to fulfill them.Â
State Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, also questioned the cost of the trip and wanted to know why parents, politicians and the public were not invited.Â
“You're setting very, very impactful policy on academic standards for students throughout the state related to what is proficient. You don't think there should have been any public involvement?†Nedweski said. “I gotta be honest with you guys: I'm looking at the summary cost for this one event. It's pretty mind-blowing to spend almost $400,000 on a conference for 88 people and one vendor.â€Â
Judge said State Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Finance, reviewed the trip and deemed it to be a routine state conference.Â
“While these charges may seem in isolation, in a vacuum, out of line — we price this contract overall and we are currently paying less than almost every state in the country at $30,000 per grade level for total services,†Judge said.Â
Democratic lawmakers on the committee came to the defense of DPI on Wednesday, saying they don't know why Republicans decided to make the agency their “political punching bag.â€Â
“You are required by statute to do this work,†said State Rep. Mike Bare, D-Verona. “It is in the public interest to do this work. You gave a good argument for why those (open meetings) laws don't apply here, and state statutes don't require you to work with parents.â€Â
The committee meeting was scheduled one day after the conservative Institute for Reforming Government announced it filed a complaint with the Adams County District Attorney alleging DPI violated Wisconsin Open Meetings Law.Â
The DA has 20 days to decide if she will pursue an investigation and charges against the department. The Institute for Reforming Government plans to pursue a case itself if Adams County declines.Â
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