The State Senate has approved legislation that would allow University of Wisconsin-Extension specialists the ability to count their 'on farm' educational obligations toward their contract teaching hours. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Howard Marklein of Spring Green. He says the policy change is being requested by farm groups who say current law creates a burden for Extension workers who do more of their teaching on the farm or in the field instead of the classroom.
"The hours Extension Specialists spend teaching our farmers and conveying the most innovative farm practices to our growers should be tracked and recorded similarly to the in-person teaching established by the Board of Regents for UW-Madison and UW-System faculty," Sen. Marklein said. "I would rather they teach on the farm and make it count where it is needed, than arbitrarily limit them to a traditional classroom setting."
Under current law, UW-Extension specialists who teach farmers outside of the traditional college setting are not able to count these efforts toward their teaching time on the university's accountability dashboard. But Marklein's bill changes the law by striking that requirement.
The bill will now go to the full Assembly for consideration.
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy