Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839
Madison – Governor Scott Walker released his Weekly Radio Address today titled “More Support for Wisconsin’s Rural Schools.”
Hi, Scott Walker here.
It is a moral imperative that every child have access to a great education. But it’s also an economic imperative as we need to grow the workforce here in Wisconsin. With this in mind, we announced that our next state budget will include a significant increase in funding for all of our K-12 public schools.
Across the state, our students are doing well. We just started including everyone in the ACT tests and Wisconsin is one of the best states in the country in that category. Students here also have some of the best graduation rates in the nation. On top of that, more than 90 percent of the school districts in the state meet or exceed expectations according to the report cards.
This week I traveled to school districts in Wauzeka, Hilbert, and Crandon to announce an increase in state funding specifically for Wisconsin’s rural schools.
Wisconsin’s rural schools face unique challenges, such as high transportation costs, lack of dependable access to broadband, and declining enrollment. But we don’t want these challenges to affect the quality of our children’s education.
To address these hurdles directly, our proposal includes greater funding for sparsity and transportation aids, increased investment in broadband and technology grants, and greater opportunity to recruit and retain teachers.
Providing greater state support for K-12 education is one of my top priorities, and we will continue to focus on strengthening public schools throughout the state so our future leaders have the knowledge and practical skills they’ll need to move Wisconsin forward.
