Wisconsin Right Now

As a local school board member, I have witnessed firsthand many of the issues of today that students are facing. Covid played a huge role in frightening children – as well as many adults. Thankfully, four years later, it appears as if many people in our country have gotten over the initial governmental reactions and mandates to a disease that, in hindsight, was most deadly to the infirm and elderly. Imagine being a child or young adult during that terrible period in our history. Not really knowing what was happening. Unable to see people’s faces due to mandatory masks. Not being allowed to play or gather with friends. No socialization whatsoever. Falling behind in school due to lessons being virtual. Seeing parents and other loved ones lose their jobs because they refused to get a vaccine shot, or because their place of employment shut down. Going to a store where workers are behind plexiglass and there are arrows on the floor telling you where to go. Not allowed to visit peopl

Wisconsin State Rep. Bob Donovan will request an audit of the Milwaukee Public School District on Monday "to find potential waste, fraud, or abuse." In a letter that will be sent to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, Donovan asks the committee for an audit of the previous four fiscal years of the Milwaukee Public School District. According to Donovan, National data has shown that the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS) test scores are well below average and continuing to decline when compared to other large city school districts across the country. "On April 2, voters in Milwaukee will be asked to increase revenue limits to generate $252 million in funding over the next four years. This comes after voters already approved a 2020 referendum of $87 million and MPS received $772 million in federal emergency funds for the COVID-19 response," Donovan said. Donovan continued, “Citizens deserve a clear vision and purpose from MPS for again coming to vote

Wisconsin is considering a massive shift in how public and choice schools get their money. The Wisconsin Assembly approved the plan to decouple the Racine and statewide school voucher programs, replacing the local property tax money that currently pays for those programs with state dollars. “Currently, legacy charter schools are completely funded by [general purpose revenues]. The Milwaukee Choice program will be funded completely by GPR by 2025,” Rep. Ellen Schutt, R-Clinton, said. “What this bill does, is says that new independent charter schools, and the rest of the choice program should also be funded by GPR and not by aid-reductions from the local school district.” That would shift millions of dollars for choice schools in Wisconsin from local school districts to the state. It would also mean a steadier and more reliable stream of dollars for choice schools. “Decoupling resolves an issue that involves how the current funding mechanism affect public schools and property

It’s a rare day when everyone is a winner from an education finance measure. New information from the non-partisan, authoritative Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) confirms that is the case for Assembly Bill 900. School boards, school district business managers, and parental choice advocates: Take note! Learn about this proposal and tell your legislators to support its change that treats Wisconsin taxpayers fairly. At issue is school choice decoupling , a topic I wrote about here last month . Briefly, the state currently uses two systems to finance parental choice programs. Beginning next year, state funds will fully finance students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. In contrast, property taxpayers are substantially affected by the system used to finance the Racine, Wisconsin, and Special Needs choice programs. The latter system allows school choice opponents to claim that growth in the popular choice programs increases property taxes. It is an administrative headache f

Litigation of school choice and school vouchers in Wisconsin Supreme Court should end, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce said on Wednesday. The state's largest business group filed an amicus brief with the court. It asks justices to reject the lawsuit that seeks to end school choice and school vouchers. “Since its founding in 1911, WMC has been dedicated to making Wisconsin the most competitive state in the nation in which to conduct business,” the brief states. “WMC and its members have a strong interest in this case. Many employers in Wisconsin, along with the public, support school choice. If the Petitioners get the relief they are seeking, the result will harm students, their families, teachers, and businesses and consumers who rely on a skilled workforce.” The group says thousands of families across the state will be “devastated” if school choice comes to an end. “If the it prevails in this case, the negative impacts for the students currently using these ch

Despite test scores that show nearly 60% of students in Wisconsin schools cannot read or do math at grade level, more than 90% of school districts in the state meet the state’s expectations. The Department of Public Instruction recently released its school and school district report cards. “Statewide, achievement improved from 2021-22 to 2022-23, though for many schools and districts, 2022-23 achievement performance is lower than pre-pandemic levels,” DPI said in a statement. “Report card achievement scores, overall scores and ratings may have decreased despite upward trending achievement performance.” Of the 378 public school districts in the state that received a report card this year, 357 met or exceeded expectations. Quinton Klabon with the Institute for Reforming Government questioned that. He told The Center Square some schools met expectations while having 12% of their students able to do math at grade level. “What is a 3-star school district? It's Green Bay, a

The legal fight over school choice in Wisconsin could be growing. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty asked to join the Supreme Court case that would end the state’s school choice programs. “On behalf of our clients and about 65,000 students who benefit from Wisconsin’s choice programs, WILL stands ready to defend the rule of law and the educational freedoms afforded to students and families alike,” WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg said in a statement. Progressive activist and frequent candidate Kirk Bangstad filed a lawsuit last month that says Wisconsin’s four taxpayer-funded school voucher programs are unconstitutional. Bangstad is asking the liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court to strike down those programs and send the money that choice students receive back to the state’s public schools. WILL’s argument is the lawsuit is too broad, wrong and asks the court to end “settled law.” “[Bangstad’s] arguments are factually incorrect and that gran

Leaders of the Oakland Education Association in Oakland, California, called on school leaders to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and called for a ceasefire as tensions between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel continue to increase. The union’s leadership shared curriculum resources it encouraged educators to employ in their classrooms, which accuse Israel of carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing, something a Jewish parent said is concerning for her family as antisemitism is on the rise. Megan Bacigalupi, a Jewish parent of students who attend schools in the Oakland Unified School District, said the union leaders’ statement is concerning given the increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide and in the area, including graffiti and the removal of hostage posters for Israelis taken to Gaza. “We, the members of OEA, express our unequivocal support for Palestinian liberation and self-determination. We condemn the genocidal and apartheid state of Israel,” the no

Several groups promised to fight a new lawsuit that challenges school choice in Wisconsin. Kirk Bangstad, the owner of the Minocqua Brewing, last week filed a lawsuit that accuses Wisconsin's voucher programs of harming public schools in the state. “At the core of the issue lies the voucher school financing system, which appears to be designed more to harm school districts than to support voucher programs. The impact of this financing scheme has been devastating to Wisconsin’s school districts,” Brian Potts, an attorney on the case, said in a statement. Bangstad is challenging school choice based on Wisconsin's Constitution “The revenue limit and funding schemes for voucher school programs and independent charter schools violate the Wisconsin Constitution’s Public-Purpose Requirement and the Uniform Taxation Clause,” Potts said. “This parasitic funding system is pushing public school districts into an ever-worsening financial crisis, which is leading to what can only

"The poor test scores are even more striking when you look at the success of students in Wisconsin choice schools." - Will Flanders; The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Nearly 60% of students in Wisconsin's Public Schools continue to be unable to read, write, or do math at grade level. The State's Department of Public Instruction released the latest standardized test scores Tuesday, and they show 39.2% of public school students are proficient or better in reading, while 41.1% are proficient or better in math. But those are the statewide averages. Individual schools saw differing results, and the numbers show low-income students did worse across the board. DPI's numbers show 22.6% of low-income students are proficient in reading, and 23.1% are proficient in math. The numbers also show 42.2% of low-income students are rated minimal in reading, while 45.9% of low-income students are rated as minimal in math. Wisconsin’s worst-in-the-nation raci

Rep. Rick Gundrum said the idea of reining in Critical Race Theory at UW schools simply means telling students they don’t have to subscribe to a teachers’ political philosophy. The head of the University of Wisconsin-Madison wants Gov. Evers to scuttle two plans aimed at Critical Race Theory and free speech on campus. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the two plans are bad for the university. “As a university, our aim is to graduate well-rounded, critical thinkers; to teach our students not what to think but how to think,” Blank said in a statement Wednesday. Both plans were up before the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday. Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, said the idea of his legislation is to do just what the chancellor claims she wants. To teach people how to think, not what to think. “Our colleges and universities should be a place of higher learning where all schools of thought can come together,” Moses said Tuesday. “However, our campuses have become increasingly hos

While Republicans support the Bill of Rights, Democrats don’t. The bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday. The proposal to spell out just how involved parents can be in their children’s education continues to face opposition at the Wisconsin Capitol, even as it moves forward. A handful of parents turned out to support the Parents’ Bill of Rights during a hearing in the Senate Committee on Education on Wednesday. Mom Julie Zaccaria told lawmakers there needs to be a state structure to balance the relationship between parents and local schools that she says has shifted over the past few years. “The battle is against a system with what seems like endless financial, legal, and political backing” Zaccaria explained. “Children are being victimized and parents have no recourse. Zaccaria made headlines last year when she publicized a graphic sex survey in her child’s school in Brookfield. Mom Scarlett Johnson , who was one of the leaders of the Mequon-Thiensville school b

It is another round of education changes from Assembly Republicans in Madison. Republicans on Tuesday moved ahead with a series of plans that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says focuses on learning and makes it clear that parents are in charge of their child’s education. “That’s really what the focus is,” Vos told reporters at the Capitol. “Making sure that parents have every single right to ensure what happens with their own kids. AB 995 Vos is pushing one plan, AB 995 , that would require an in-person option for all kids if schools ever decide to try remote learning again. The plan would also spell out that parents will decide on vaccinations for their kids. The plan that may get the most attention is AB 446 , which would begin early literacy screenings for kids in kindergarten. Rep. Bob Whitke , R-Racine, said the plan is unpopular because it comes with consequences for schools that don’t get kids reading at grade level by the third grade. “Generally, those schools that ha

Support for school choice is robust in Wisconsin as the Great Parental Awakening grows. There's strong choice for expanding school choice among Wisconsin voters, and support for educational freedom crosses political lines, according to a new poll. "Wisconsin voters strongly support making all families eligible for the state’s school choice programs and favor ending funding inequities between choice, charter, and traditional public schools," according to a February 21, 2022, news release from School Choice Wisconsin. Although more than half of Republicans and Independents support school choice, more than one-third of Democrats did too, the poll found. It also found that 64.6% of voters want to see school choice expanded so that all parents can make their own decisions about where to send their children to school, regardless of income. SCW released the results on education issues "in a scientific, random sample poll conducted earlier this month by one of the n

"Administrators did not know what to tell their shaken staff because DPI did not make it clear when, or if, the crash would be resolved. Admins and staff had to attempt to ease their frustrated parents, who were also without answers." This year in Wisconsin, 49,000 students are enrolled in private schools through the Milwaukee, Racine, or Statewide Parental Choice Program. These are students in hard-working lower-income families who have been given a voucher to attend the school of their choice. The program is a blessing to families who could not otherwise afford the education that best meets their child’s needs. The only way parents can apply for the Parental Choice Program is through the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI)’s Online Application System (OAS) during the enrollment period for their program. OAS is also the only place where schools can access and verify families’ choice applications. If a parent or a school administrator logged on to OAS on Febru

The district's COVID policies "made school really, really unenjoyable, for a lot of people, it disengaged them from school. Masks made schools substantially worse. Annual school events were canceled; they didn’t let fans into games. They took a lot of the high school experience and tried to take it away from us. A lot of things they did were pointless." - Nolan Jackett Nolan Jackett, 18, graduated from Wisconsin's Hartford Union High School in 2021. Now the conservative teen is running to be on the Hartford Union High School Board because he believes school officials did not listen to students and parents on a host of issues, including mask mandates. There's been much written about the "Great Parental Awakening" of conservative parents taking back School Boards over Critical Race Theory and pandemic policies in Wisconsin and across the country. Now add this former high school student to that list. He recently met with U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (he call

The state Department of Public Instruction told Wisconsin Right Now that its school choice application page crashed "due to a technical issue arising from a high volume of visitors accessing the application portal." A local school told parents it was due to a "major coding issue" and was the "first time they (DPI) have ever experienced this long of a website shut down." We contacted DPI to ask why the school choice web page crashed after hearing from parents that it was down Wednesday morning as well as Tuesday. The web page is now back up, but, on the evening of Feb. 2, it still contains a message that reads, "Please note that the system is experiencing high volume. If you receive an error, please try again the next business day." DPI Communications Director Abigail Swetz initially said only that DPI is "in the process of determining what caused" the school choice web page to crash. "The DPI is currently looking into what cau

The state Department of Public Instruction told Wisconsin Right Now that its school choice application page crashed "due to a technical issue arising from a high volume of visitors accessing the application portal." A local school told parents it was due to a "major coding issue" and was the "first time they (DPI) have ever experienced this long of a website shut down." We contacted DPI to ask why the school choice web page crashed after hearing from parents that it was down Wednesday morning as well as Tuesday. The web page is now back up, but, on the evening of Feb. 2, it still contains a message that reads, "Please note that the system is experiencing high volume. If you receive an error, please try again the next business day." DPI Communications Director Abigail Swetz initially said only that DPI is "in the process of determining what caused" the school choice web page to crash. "The DPI is currently looking into what cau

Many schools in Wisconsin already teach personal finance. Rep. Alex Dallman wants to make it a required class worth one class credit. The plan to require high school students in Wisconsin to learn about money and how to manage it in order to graduate from high school is running into opposition from the state’s education leaders. The Department of Public Instruction is in opposition to AB 899 , which would require all high schools in the state to teach financial literacy. “We need to find a way to bring our education into the 21st Century, and teach our students stuff they need to learn to be successful in our economy,” Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Green Lake, explained to The Center Square on Tuesday. DPI is open to teaching financial literacy but has concerns about making it a graduation requirement. Rep. Alex Dallman said he is not really surprised that DPI and other education bureaucrats are opposed to his plan. “School districts often complain about the money they don’t have,

It’s the latest snapshot of just how many parents in Wisconsin want to explore educational options for their kids. Tuesday was the first day for parents to enroll in the state’s Private School Choice Program. By midday, the state’s website crashed because of a flood of applications. “Due to high volume, the system is temporarily unavailable,” read a note at the Department of Public Instruction’s website. Jim Bender with School Choice Wisconsin is not surprised. “We know from talking to schools that interest in the program is very high. Many new parents are seeking options,” Bender said. Bender said it won't be known just how many more parents will opt their kids out of traditional public schools until the fall. But the trend is that more parents will make a choice. Enrollment figures from last year showed more students enrolled in Wisconsin’s four school choice programs. Wisconsin Private School Choice Enrollment While Tuesday brought a flood of parents to Wi