ROUND UP: Wisconsin Democrats Speak Up For Public Education
MADISON, Wis. — Today, kids and teachers from across Wisconsin headed back to the classroom for their first day of school. While this is an exciting day for students and teachers, many are returning to public schools that Republicans have spent over a decade attacking and underfunding. As a result, only 39% of Wisconsinites reported feeling satisfied with their local public schools.
Wisconsin Democrats are speaking out against Republican attacks on public education and demanding that Republicans in the Legislature support public schools and provide our future leaders with the world class education they deserve.
See what Wisconsin Democrats are saying as kids head back to school below:
Kristin Alfheim, Candidate for Wisconsin State Senate: “It wasn’t too long ago that Wisconsin was known for an outstanding university system. It was a model that the whole country tried to replicate, but around 15 years ago, politicians in Madison began slowly de-prioritizing its importance. Funding was reduced, resources were cut, and now we have found ourselves in a place where our once national-model higher education system is on its knees.”
Representative Lori Palmeri: “[UW-Oshkosh at Fox Cities, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Milwaukee] saved my life and made it possible for me to get a degree as a non-traditional student. It’s sad to know that students like me won’t have the same opportunities that I did because of Republican games.”
Senator Chris Larson: “We [were] just visiting the kiddo’s new classrooms. There will be 30 kids in one small room with no air conditioning because the state refuses to fund it.”
Representative Mark Pocan: “Our public schools are the backbone of our communities, but they can’t thrive when your tax dollars are funneled into private education. Take a look at what’s happening right here in Wisconsin.”
Representative Francesca Hong: “We are failing to meet the needs of Wisconsin students even though we can afford not to. Children across Wisconsin will start off this school year at a disadvantage [because] Republicans refuse to adequately fund public education. This has to change.”
Christian Phelps, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly: “We need to fund our public schools. For 16 consecutive school years, every single student in our public schools today—over 800,000 of them around the state—and many, many thousands here in the Chippewa Valley, have seen state budget after state budget that has failed to keep pace with inflation. We’ve defunded our public schools relative to inflation.” [715 News Makers, 6/27/2024]
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