Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by QuartierLatin1968 CC BY-SA 3.0
Wisconsin's Senate Bill 761 and the identical Assembly Bill 783 died in committee on March 10, 2022, when the legislature adjourned. If enacted, the bills would have authorized the state superintendent of public instruction to adopt model academic standards related to climate change that "incorporate an understanding of climate, the interconnected nature of climate change, the potential local and global impacts of climate change, and individual and societal actions that may mitigate the harmful effects of climate change."
The bills would also have authorized the superintendent to provide grants to or contract with state agencies or non-profit organizations to develop climate change curriculum resources and to assist local school boards in developing climate change curriculum and curriculum resources. All these resources would be required to align with any model standards related to climate change adopted by the superintendent. The bills also would have provided $500,000 over two fiscal years to fund the grants and a new position in the department of public instruction.
