Education Reforms & Wisconsin’s Future

With students across the state getting ready for school, it’s a natural time to consider the status of our publicly funded education system.

We are all too painfully aware of the examples of horrific fiscal mismanagement that have left some districts in dire straits. Who can question the need for greater accountability and reforms to the management of our school systems in several communities? 

The bipartisan data is overwhelmingly clear, in far too many districts, we are failing to get the majority of students to levels of proficiency or better in the foundational skills of reading, writing, and mathematics. 

Statewide, Wisconsin is in the bottom 11 among all states for reading, tied for last in history and civics, and dead last in math within MPS. Just 12% of low-income students in the state’s five largest school districts are proficient in reading and only 10% are proficient in math.  These outcomes have not improved despite a combined investment in K-12 of $1.6 billion in the last two state budgets.

The data is also clear on the need to continue to support options for parents so they can place their children in schools that have demonstrated better academic outcomes.

Among the good news was 2023 Act 20, authored by Sen. Duey Stroebel, a significant overhaul of early reading instruction. Since literacy is the foundation of all further education, this has transformational potential for future generations and I’m glad the Governor signed it into law. 

Local schools are also leading in early literacy. For example, a new volunteer-based program in the Elmbrook School District is addressing literacy at the critical level of second grade and is showing early signs of real success.

Also passed this past session was 2023 Act 197 by Sen. Dan Knodl and Senate Bill 917 by Sen. Dan Feyen, both intended to streamline requirements for entering the teaching profession.

In addition, 2023 Act 11 brought funding for choice schools closer to parity with public school students. This provided needed equity for these schools and more importantly, greater certainty for those families desperately dependent on their continued success. 

The legislature also worked at length to promote reforms of our secondary institutions so our adult students can be better prepared for the modern economy. On behalf of Wisconsin’s employers, bipartisan reform efforts must continue in both our UW and Tech systems. 

A well-educated population is critical to Wisconsin’s future prosperity. We have thousands of dedicated and capable educators in this State. Let’s support them and our student population by continuing and expanding reforms, including initiatives like the ones identified above. 

Our level of success in these reforms will go a long way in determining Wisconsin’s future.