Issue Position: Supporting Public Education

Issue Position

I strongly support our public education system, and believe we must fully fund our public schools to prepare students for lives of success and purpose. We need adequate funding to maintain our school facilities, hire exceptional teachers and support staff, and provide classroom supplies for our students. Many local school districts have been cut to the bone and faced teacher layoffs, and our state government must do everything it can to provide adequate shared revenue to support local districts.

I oppose the recent statewide expansion of the voucher program because it shifts funding from public schools, costs taxpayers more money, and does not provide the accountability that is needed to ensure that voucher schools are educating all of our children at the level expected. In Beloit, there was bipartisan opposition to the expansion of vouchers and I share that opposition. I believe we must work together with local communities to address barriers to education that occur outside of the classroom, including hunger, violence, homelessness, and lack of after-school support.

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