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Invest in our children’s futures

A statement from State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly in support of investment in education
Thursday, January 27, 2022

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DPI Media Line, (608) 266-3559
MADISON — State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly today released a statement regarding Gov. Tony Evers’ plan on how to use state revenue surplus funds:
 
“I commend the governor’s proposal to devote a portion of our state’s surplus tax dollars to invest in education. It makes sense. Our schools are the cornerstone of our communities, and our children are the future of our state. It is our state’s responsibility to use these dollars to fund our public schools and our children’s futures.
 
“Our schools are in crisis; the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing them to make impossible decisions. The federal COVID relief funding was intended to help our schools weather the storm of the pandemic and address the effects it had, and continues to have, on our students and educators. The federal funds were never designed to address operational costs of a district, nor would using one-time money for ongoing expenses – food, utilities, supplies, staffing – make any sense. The governor is giving us the opportunity to right this wrong and to focus on what matters: our children.
 
“School leaders are pleading for aid. As we move through this school year and plan budgets for the next, our families, employers, and communities need the security of knowing our schools will be able to stay well-staffed and open for in-person learning. I am calling on Wisconsin’s legislative leaders to take this request seriously. I am calling on them to listen to the educators, school board members, parents, and employers – to listen to the taxpayers – and invest in education. Our children, and our state, deserve no less.”

Official Release

dpinr2022-07.pdf