Gov. Walker proposal would give Wisconsin teachers lifetime teaching license

Critics worry of teacher evaluations and legislature support is split.

MADISON, Wis. — Teachers in Wisconsin would never have to renew their teaching licenses under a plan from Gov. Scott Walker.

In his budget released last week, Walker proposed granting teachers lifetime teaching licenses.

“It would be less repetitious in some respects in what teachers are currently doing in the evaluation process,” La Crosse Schools human resource director Mark White told WIZM. “There’s a lot of crossover between that and what the current professional development plan is and streamlining that might be a good thing.”

School administrators who’ve pushed for streamlined licensing to address a teacher shortage say they could be onboard, with a caveat. They want to require ongoing training to ensure teachers use the latest techniques in their classrooms.

“Thirty, 35 years ago, we had lifetime license,” White said. “Districts would provide their own staff development and that license was that good for the lifetime.”

Under Walker’s plan, the state would not require any continuing education but school districts could choose to require it, according to his spokesman Tom Evenson.

Critics say it rids teachers of being properly evaluated every five years, and doesn’t hold them accountable. Support in the legislature is said to be split.

Districts would have to perform background checks every few years and teachers could still lose their licenses for misconduct. DPI would no longer oversee license renewals and would lose 10 full-time positions. The plan would reduce the cost of teaching by more than $750 over a 30-year career, Evenson said.

“As we attempt to address the educator shortage in Wisconsin, we cannot lose sight of how important it is for all kids to be taught by a highly qualified educator,” Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Evers said in a news release. “Like many licensed professionals, a big part of keeping current includes some form of continuing education.”

Jon Bales, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Administrators, is open to Walker’s proposal as long as some form of continuing education is still required.

“What will be important for districts is that they have the resources to do that well on an equitable basis across the state,” he said.

He said research on learning styles, test formats and programming for non-English-speakers constantly evolves and must be continually applied in the classroom.

Bales and Evers had proposed combining subject area and age level licenses to make the process less burdensome. They also wanted to make it easier for out-of-state teachers to get licensed. Bales said their proposal could work with Walker’s.