Recommendations made by the council on early literacy curricula, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-6019/1
FFK:cdc&klm

2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 998
February 2, 2026 - Introduced by Representatives Wittke, Kreibich, Maxey, Moses, Behnke and Knodl, cosponsored by Senator Marklein. Referred to Committee on State Affairs.

An Act to amend 118.015 (1m) (a) (intro.) and 118.015 (1m) (b) 1. of the statutes; relating to: recommendations made by the council on early literacy curricula.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, each school year, the Council on Early Literacy Curricula must recommend early literacy curricula and instructional materials for use in the following school year to the Department of Public Instruction. Within 30 days of receiving CELC’s recommendations, DPI must submit proposed recommendations for early literacy curricula and instructional materials for use in the following school year to the Joint Committee on Finance for approval using the 14-day passive review process. DPI must adopt the proposed recommendations, as approved by JCF. Current law requires DPI to award a grant to a school board, charter school, or private school participating in a parental choice program that, after January 1, 2024, adopts a literacy curriculum included in the approved recommendations.
Under this bill, CELC must recommend early literacy curricula and instructional materials to DPI at least once every three school years, and the recommendations are not limited to use in the following school year. The bill also shortens the deadline for DPI to submit its recommendations to JCF from no later than 30 days after receiving CELC’s recommendations to no later than 14 days after receiving the recommendations. Finally, the bill requires DPI to submit CELC’s recommendations and any of its own recommendations, with an indication as to which entity made each recommendation, to the appropriate legislative standing committees at the same time it submits the recommendations to JCF.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 118.015 (1m) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
118.015 (1m) (a) (intro.) Beginning in the 2023-24 2025-26 school year and annually at least once every 3 school years thereafter, the council on early literacy curricula shall recommend to the department early literacy curricula and instructional materials for use in the following school year in grades kindergarten to 3. The council on early literacy curricula may recommend only early literacy curricula and instructional materials that satisfy the following criteria:
Section 2. 118.015 (1m) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
118.015 (1m) (b) 1. By no later than 30 14 days after the department receives recommendations under par. (a), the department shall simultaneously submit to the joint committee on finance proposed and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) the recommendations received under par. (a) and any additional recommendations from the department on early literacy curricula and instructional materials that satisfy the criteria under par. (a) 1. and 2. for use in the following school year. In the submission under this subdivision, the department shall note which recommendations are made by the council on early literacy curricula and which are made by the department. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the department within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of the proposed recommendations that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the proposed recommendations, the department
shall adopt the proposed recommendations for use in the following school year. If, within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of the proposed recommendations, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the proposed recommendations, the department may not adopt the proposed recommendations unless the committee approves or modifies the proposed recommendations. If the committee modifies the plan, the department may adopt the recommendations only as modified by the committee.
(end)