Education
Controversy dogs Hillsdale charter schools
“The teachers are trained in the dumbest part of the dumbest colleges in the country,” said Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, in late June. Hillsdale had plans to establish 50-100 charter schools in Tennessee. But sitting in the audience was Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee when Arnn made his pronouncement. Lee did not outright […]
Overcoming Wisconsin’s toxic partisanship
As I watched the annual State of Education address last week I found myself wondering, is bipartisanship dead? Pushing back on Republican culture war talking points, state schools superintendent Jill Underly used the word “racist” to describe recent Republican efforts to rewrite school curriculum purging so-called critical race theory. Likewise, high-profile campaigns against LGBTQ and […]
Underly calls for more money for schools, lashes out at Republicans in State of Education speech
In her second annual address on the state of education in Wisconsin, schools superintendent Jill Underly took on conservative attacks on teaching about racism in K-12 classrooms, defended the Evers administration’s proposal to use $1 billion of the state’s revenue surplus toward a historic funding increase for public schools and took some direct shots at […]
An ‘unprecedented flood’ of book bans engulfs U.S. school districts, PEN report says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-2022 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, a new report issued Monday said. “What I […]
Big question in the governor’s race: Should Wisconsin dismantle public schools?
A group of heavy hitters in Wisconsin politics announced Thursday that they are forming a coalition to push for universal school choice and “parents’ rights.” The group, which calls itself the Wisconsin Coalition for Education Freedom, includes Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, the American Federation for Children, School Choice Wisconsin and the Wisconsin […]
Uneasy start to the school year in politically charged Waukesha
School districts across the state are navigating the effects of a highly charged political atmosphere as they go back to class this year. In May, Wisconsin Examiner reported that Republican lawmakers were approaching school libraries with a list of books parents felt should be removed. The list was just one facet of a much wider […]
U.S. education secretary urges boost in teacher pay, touts college debt relief
WASHINGTON — Amid K-12 teacher shortages, book bans and attacks over critical race theory, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday stressed the need for higher salaries to attract prospective educators to the profession. Cardona also touted the Biden administration’s recent student debt relief announcement in late August. The White […]
Evers and Underly announce back-to-school budget proposal
On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers and state schools superintendent Jill Underly joined a first day of school kickoff celebration in Milwaukee and released key provisions of an education budget plan they say they will submit to the Legislature early next year if Evers is reelected. The plan increases education spending by nearly $2 billion, drawing […]
It’s about time student loan borrowers get some help. They’ve earned it.
Hard work ought to be rewarded and good news should be celebrated. President Biden’s announcement that millions of student loan borrowers could see some of their federal loan debts forgiven recognizes the hard work they put in to get an education and the personal responsibility they took on to pay for it. It is also […]
Wisconsin has plenty of money for schools — too bad kids can’t get it
At a Tuesday morning back-to-school press conference on the front steps of Aldo Leopold Elementary School in Madison, Gov. Tony Evers announced $90 million in new funding for K-12 schools in Wisconsin. “I’m damn proud to be called the education governor,” Evers, the former state schools superintendent, declared. The funds, which come out of the […]
Wisconsinites likely required to pay taxes on forgiven student debt
Wisconsinites who benefit from President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan are going to see a higher bill when they file their state income taxes next year. Under the plan, borrowers who earn less than $125,000 will have at least $10,000 in student loan debt wiped away. Borrowers who received federal Pell grants — meant […]
Burlington School district undergoes new discrimination training
On Monday morning, every employee of the Burlington Area School District (BASD) participated in mandatory anti-racism training. Planned since the spring, the training stems from incidents of racial harassment by the district’s students. On Friday, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) found that the district failed to follow its discrimination policy after members of its […]