Relating to: teacher and administrator licensure in parental choice programs and in the Special Needs Scholarship Program and granting rule-making authority. (FE)

SB 604 requires teachers and administrators in private schools participating in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs (like voucher programs) and the Special Needs Scholarship Program to hold state-issued teaching licenses starting July 1, 2027. It creates a 5-year temporary waiver for current staff with at least five years of experience who don’t yet meet licensing requirements, valid until July 1, 2032. The bill exempts teachers of rabbinical studies from the license requirement. It amends existing laws to enforce these standards while granting the state education department rule-making authority to implement the changes.