State superintendent proposes universal school meals, youth mental health, education workforce, early literacy investments
Providing healthy meals for all Wisconsin students at no cost to families, expanding access to critical youth mental health services, investing in programs and strategies to recruit, retain and develop teachers, and supporting school districts in improving early literacy outcomes are key highlights in initial budget proposals unveiled by State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly recently.
Over the past two weeks, Dr. Underly visited schools around the state and announced several key initiatives that will be included in her 2025-27 Biennial Budget request. Additional initiatives will be proposed over the next two weeks.
Last week, Dr. Underly visited the Pulaski Community School District, where she highlighted a $304 million budget proposal aiming to improve mental health services in schools. Later in the week, she visited Kenosha Unified School District and announced a $294 million proposal to provide universal free meals to Wisconsin students. Earlier this week, Dr. Underly held an education workforce roundtable in the Madison Metropolitan School District, proposing $59.5 million in new investments aimed at resolving workforce challenges at schools around the state. On Wednesday, Dr. Underly visited with students and staff in early literacy classrooms in the Appleton Area School District and announced a $42 million budget proposal during a subsequent news conference.
“As the needs of Wisconsin schools, students and educators grow, the upcoming biennial budget presents an opportunity for our state to reinvest in public education and improve educational outcomes,” Dr. Underly said. “Our public education system has been underfunded by the legislature for far too long. The upcoming state budget is where we can make a real difference and meet those critical needs. Giving kids access to free healthy school meals and expanding mental health services are no-brainers and ensure they are ready to learn. When we support districts in resolving workforce challenges and build on Act 20 by providing sustainable state funding, we are making sure our next generation of leaders have what they need to succeed.”
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s full 2025-27 Biennial Budget proposal will be announced later this month and submitted to the governor. Additional information on initiatives included in the DPI’s budget, as announced by Dr. Underly, is below:
- Dr. Underly’s full $311 million nutrition proposal creates a new supplemental nutrition aid program that offsets costs to students and families for meals received while at school – both breakfast and lunch. It also funds the School Breakfast Program, strengthens local food supply chains and fully funds the School Day Milk Program.
- As about 60 percent of Wisconsin high school students saying they experienced at least one mental health challenge over the past year, Dr. Underly’s $304 million budget proposal expands access to critical services and resources. Specifically, the school-based mental health services program would grow so more schools can participate, more pupil services staff would be available in schools, training programs would expand to include more schools and more types of training, and middle school students would be able to participate in the peer-to-peer suicide prevention grant program.
- $59.5 million in new investments proposed by Dr. Underly helps districts recruit, retain and develop teachers. The proposal provides stipends to eligible student teachers to help cover expenses and reduce debt, creates a new, state-funded grow-your-own grant program to grow the workforce, and expands a support program for new educators.
- Under Dr. Underly’s $42 million early literacy proposal, the state would increase help to implement early literacy coaching programs, fund intensive summer reading programs, and invest in community-based early literacy supports including high-dosage tutoring programs.
More details on each of these investment areas can be found on the DPI web site by following the links above.