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How can (or should) DPI address the differing needs of urban and rural districts?
The issues facing rural areas are very similar to those facing the most urban schools. Suburban schools are advantaged by the current system. But urban and rural schools both see challenges in funding, poverty rates, broadband access, higher English-learner populations, educator recruitment & retention, special education reimbursement rates, declining enrollment, and aging buildings. We can address these issues through fully investing in public education and our kids’ futures, as I outlined in my $4 billion biennial budget request to try to make our public education system whole again.
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Wisconsin’s per-pupil spending has declined from 12th highest in the nation (11% above the national average) to below the national average. In what ways do you think the decline in resources has impacted educational outcomes in our state?
A decline in per-pupil spending negatively impacts kids in multiple ways, including larger class sizes, outdated materials and technology in the classroom, cuts to support services such as mental health resources and career counseling, deterioration of school facilities, and a teacher shortage, as primary examples. This decline in state spending impacts lower-income communities at an even higher rate, along with private vouchers siphoning money from public education. This is why I have proposed a budget which puts our kids first and invests in public education. Wisconsin educators are doing a great job despite these challenges, but that’s not sustainable long-term.
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How will the recent change in state standards help or hurt Wisconsin schools and students?
We updated educational standards to align achievement benchmarks with the tests we give Wisconsin students. We also implemented higher standards for Math & Science, and we raised standards for Career & Technical Education. We worked with a diverse group of educator experts from across Wisconsin to determine these new benchmarks. This change will help parents more effectively understand where students are, and where they need more support. False attacks on educators’ recommendations to align to Wisconsin tests are politically-based and originate from voucher school advocates who want to privatize education.
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What changes if any would you propose in the school voucher program and the Charter School program, and why do you think they are needed – or not needed?
I am generally opposed to privatization of education, including traditional vouchers, ESA vouchers, and tax credits that funnel public money to private and parochial schools. Public funds should be used to strengthen public schools, which serve the vast majority of students and are accountable to the public. Voucher programs divert critical resources away from public schools, often leaving them underfunded and less equipped to meet the needs of their students. Meanwhile, private and parochial schools receiving these funds are not held to the same transparency and accountability standards as public schools, creating inequities and undermining public education as a whole. Public dollars should come with public oversight to ensure transparency and equity.
I believe all charter schools should be chartered by locally-elected school boards, to ensure maximum accountability.
Today, however, we have vouchers and independent charters, and under my leadership, DPI does everything we can to ensure students in those schools receive the best education possible, because we should not abandon any child.
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What specific changes could be made to reduce the achievement gap between minority and white achievement?
The black-white achievement gap is a direct result of years of chronic underfunding of public schools. Since Scott Walker made deep cuts, schools are struggling to provide the support and programs students need to thrive. This gap is the result of systemic disinvestment in public education. The expansion of privatization has diverted critical funding away from public schools, disproportionately affecting students in districts like MPS. Resources have been shifted to voucher schools, exacerbating inequities and leaving public schools with less to address the needs of their students. We know how to address this gap: investing in public schools.
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Do students who lost ground during the pandemic still need assistance? What actions can and should we take to help our children catch up on what they have missed?
It is critical that we still support students who lost ground during the pandemic, many of whom experienced significant disruptions in both learning and socialization. We must continue to focus on mental health support and addressing deficiencies in academic performance due to extended remote schooling. We owe it to our kids to equip them for the future. Tutoring programs, extending summer programs and tailoring lesson plans to individual needs are some of the many ways we can and are helping kids catch back up. However, these things all come at a cost, which is why we all must advocate for their future and why I have proposed a $4 billion investment in public schools this biennium. Under my leadership we’ve beat the odds and are in an elite group of states with the highest graduation rate even in the post pandemic years. Investment is critical to sustain this.
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What is your position on police presence in our schools?
I do not believe police need a permanent presence in our school. And most education professionals I know are opposed as well. Instead, we need early interventions and to invest in kids from the beginning of their education career — in early childhood programming, social workers, after-school and wrap-around care, mental health, food security, and in high quality summer programming for enrichment, rather than pay for criminal justice support when children are older. This front-loaded investment will save the taxpayers money by building our communities up, and ensuring that we disrupt the systems of inequity that plague our highest-poverty schools.
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