2023 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations › Chapter 118 - General school operations. › 118.22 - Renewal of teacher contracts.

118.22
Renewal of teacher contracts.
(1)
In this section:
(a)
“Board" means a school board, technical college district board, board of control of a cooperative educational service agency or county children with disabilities education board, but does not include any board of school directors in a city of the 1st class.
(b)
“Teacher" means any person who holds a teacher's certificate or license issued by the state superintendent or a classification status under the technical college system board and whose legal employment requires such certificate, license or classification status, but does not include part-time teachers or teachers employed by any board of school directors in a city of the 1st class.
(2)
On or before May 15 of the school year during which a teacher holds a contract, the board by which the teacher is employed or an employee at the direction of the board shall give the teacher written notice of renewal or refusal to renew the teacher's contract for the ensuing school year. If no such notice is given on or before May 15, the contract then in force shall continue for the ensuing school year. A teacher who receives a notice of renewal of contract for the ensuing school year, or a teacher who does not receive a notice of renewal or refusal to renew the teacher's contract for the ensuing school year on or before May 15, shall accept or reject in writing such contract not later than the following June 15. No teacher may be employed or dismissed except by a majority vote of the full membership of the board. Nothing in this section prevents the modification or termination of a contract by mutual agreement of the teacher and the board. No such board may enter into a contract of employment with a teacher for any period of time as to which the teacher is then under a contract of employment with another board.
(3)
At least 15 days prior to giving written notice of refusal to renew a teacher's contract for the ensuing school year, the employing board shall inform the teacher by preliminary notice in writing that the board is considering nonrenewal of the teacher's contract and that, if the teacher files a request therefor with the board within 5 days after receiving the preliminary notice, the teacher has the right to a private conference with the board prior to being given written notice of refusal to renew the teacher's contract.
History:  1971 c. 154; 1981 c. 223; 1983 a. 189; 1993 a. 399, 492; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27, 164; 2011 a. 10, 114.
Notice of intent not to renew that part of a contract providing extra pay for extra work as a coach is not necessary. Richards v. Board of Education, 58 Wis. 2d 444, 206 N.W.2d 597 (1973).
Under the facts of this case, the failure to timely provide notice of the right to a private conference under sub. (3) did not provide sufficient grounds to issue a writ of mandamus. Rawhouser v. Cooperative Educational Service Agency No. 4, 75 Wis. 2d 52, 248 N.W.2d 442 (1977).
In the absence of evidence of a school board's bias, the trial court had no jurisdiction to hold a de novo hearing regarding the competence of a teacher facing nonrenewal under sub. (3). Naus v. Joint School District No. 1, 76 Wis. 2d 104, 250 N.W.2d 725 (1977).
Arbitration was proper under a “discharge and nonrenewal" clause in a collective bargaining agreement when the school board did not offer a teacher a second contract after rejecting a contract that was signed and returned by the teacher with the title “probationary contract" crossed out. Joint School District No. 10 v. Jefferson Education Ass'n, 78 Wis. 2d 94, 253 N.W.2d 536 (1977).
Under sub. (2), a board has the exclusive right to hire and fire a teacher. Due process does not require that the board be an impartial decisionmaker. Hortonville Education Ass'n v. Hortonville Joint School District No. 1, 87 Wis. 2d 347, 274 N.W.2d 697 (1979).
An employment contract that recites that a teacher's employment will not be renewed cannot be construed as a waiver of rights granted by this section. There is a presumption of good faith applicable to a board's decisions. Faust v. Ladysmith-Hawkins School Systems, 88 Wis. 2d 525, 277 N.W.2d 303 (1979).
The layoff of a teacher is not the equivalent of a “refusal to renew" when a collective bargaining agreement under s. 111.70 contains layoff provisions incorporated in the teacher's contract. Mack v. Joint School District No. 3, 92 Wis. 2d 476, 285 N.W.2d 604 (1979).
Arbitrators appointed pursuant to the grievance procedure contained in a collective bargaining agreement properly held a de novo factual hearing to determine whether just cause existed for the school board to terminate a teacher. Fortney v. School District, 108 Wis. 2d 167, 321 N.W.2d 225 (1982).
A teacher who forgot to accept an employment offer under sub. (2) and who was consequently terminated did not voluntarily terminate employment under s. 108.04 (7). Nelson v. LIRC, 123 Wis. 2d 221, 365 N.W.2d 629 (Ct. App. 1985).
Sub. (2) requires written notice of nonrenewal. A district must follow the explicit written notice requirement. Sterlinske v. School District, 211 Wis. 2d 608, 565 N.W.2d 273 (Ct. App. 1997), 96-2624.
A “private conference" under sub. (3) on nonrenewal of a teacher's contract is a “meeting" within s. 19.82 (2). 66 Atty. Gen. 211.
Civil Rights—Academic Freedom—Refusal to Rehire a Nontenure Teacher for a Constitutionally Impermissible Reason. 1970 WLR 162.
Constitutional Law—Due Process—Fairness of a Hearing Before a School Board on Nonrenewal of a Teacher's Contract. 1971 WLR 354.