Improving Public Education: Investing in kids, not bureaucracy

Our public schools should reflect our highest values: hard work, equal opportunity, accountability, and local control. But too often, decisions are made in Madison by people who do not understand what our students, teachers, and communities actually need.

The last state budget was expected to reimburse school districts for 42% of their special education costs. A few months later, districts learned that their initial reimbursement rate would be only 35%.

In my line of work, when you promise one number and deliver another, that is called breach. In Madison, it is called Tuesday.

When the state fails to fund its responsibilities, the bill does not disappear. It lands on your property tax bill.

In the State Senate, I’ll work to:

Fund the promise and cut the property tax.
Increase the state’s share of school funding, starting with special education. Reliable state funding will reduce districts’ dependence on operating referenda and provide structural property tax relief.

Apply one set of rules to every school receiving public money.
If taxpayer dollars fund a school, taxpayers deserve comparable standards for financial transparency, academic accountability, and student access. Public money should come with public accountability.

Pay teachers like the professionals they are.
Competitive salaries will help schools recruit and retain great educators without raising local property taxes. We should also cut unnecessary paperwork so teachers can spend more time teaching.

Back the trades and real-world skills.
Strengthen partnerships among high schools, WCTC, unions, and local employers. Expand apprenticeships, technical education, financial literacy, and dual enrollment so students can begin building a career before graduation.

Show taxpayers where every dollar goes.
Require clear, comparable reporting from every school receiving taxpayer money. Parents and taxpayers should be able to see what supports instruction and student services and what is absorbed by administration and overhead.

The state’s job is to be a referee: set clear rules, fund what it mandates, and keep its promises.

When Wisconsin keeps its promise to our schools, students get more opportunity and homeowners get real property tax relief.