Community Action to Invest in Education

Madison, WI – Following his participation in a National Day of Action for Public Education, Senator Chris Larson offered the following comments regarding the need to reinvest and fully fund public education in Wisconsin:

“Guaranteeing a quality education for each of our Wisconsin children is one of the strongest core values that we all share. Unfortunately, under Governor Walker and the legislative Republican majority, we’ve seen our investment in this deeply held belief crumble. Today, I was proud to stand side-by-side with Milwaukee Public School (MPS) teachers, parents, and students as we demanded full and equal funding for all Wisconsin’s students.

“The future of our children is on the line. For years, I have met with frustrated school administrators, teachers, and parents who are deeply concerned that if their districts continue to be forced to do more with less and less, the quality of our children’s education will deteriorate. The governor and legislative Republicans must make it a priority to fully restore funding to our neighborhood schools in order to provide for smaller class sizes, counselors, and librarians, which are all critical to ensure a quality education for our children. We owe it to our kids to provide all of them a chance to live a prosperous life. Now is the time for our state to reinvest in K-12 education and offer equal funding for every student.

“MPS has some of the best schools in the country. We need to invest in each of our schools to make sure every child has equal access to a quality education and the American Dream. Continuing the flawed path of punishing poverty while rewarding the rich will only lead to an even greater divide in student achievement. This is unjust, unfair, and goes against the foundation of equality in our state’s constitution.

“A memo released yesterday, by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, showed a mere 0.45% increase in the state’s share of funding for our neighborhood schools for the 2015-2016 academic year. On the heels of historic cuts, anemic change coupled with revenue limit inequities perpetuate the problems of meager resources that nearly all districts are struggling with.

“Today’s showing of community support for public education was an inspiring reminder to continue my work with colleagues in the senate and assembly in pushing for fair investments in our K-12 educational system. It is my hope that legislative Republicans will join with us to provide our Wisconsin children with the opportunity to have a successful future.”