Contact: Austin Altenburg
media@scottwalker.com
Public school teacher supports governor’s efforts to empower families, investments in rural school districts through Sparsity Aid
[Madison, Wis.] – The Walker campaign on Tuesday launched a statewide ad campaign featuring Jeanie, a recently retired public school teacher who believes the governor’s reforms provide necessary local control and helped turn Wisconsin around to the benefit of students across the state. Jeanie knows the governor’s additional funding for schools in rural areas, through investments such as Sparsity Aid, will help ensure student success regardless of zip code.
Gov. Walker’s reforms took power away from big government unions and gave it back to Wisconsin’s hard-working taxpayers and local school districts. The governor’s bold reforms helped balance the budget and put Wisconsin on the right track. Now, we’ve made record actual-dollar investments in education with $200 more per student this past year, and $204 more per student in the fall.
Gov. Walker sparked Wisconsin’s comeback. As a result of our successes, we’ve made historic investments in our shared priorities to keep our state moving forward and help Wisconsin win the 21st century for all hard-working families.
You can watch the ad, entitled “More Resources in the Classroom,” here. The ad begins:
Jeanie: I’ve taught elementary school for 27 years and I love my job. Governor Walker’s reforms have put more resources in the classroom this year. $200 more per year for every Wisconsin student – plus additional funds to help schools in rural areas with transportation and access to high-speed internet.
Gov. Walker: We’re continuing to put students first, with a record investment in schools, more support for our technical college programs, and a six-year tuition freeze for all UW campuses.
The spot will run on television as well as on a range of online and social media platforms. It’s the eighth in a series of ads the Walker campaign is running on the governor’s strong record of getting positive things done and his plans for more bold reform to help Wisconsin win the 21st century.
Previous Walker campaign ads include “Helping People Like Me” about building a high-skilled workforce, and “To Save Lives” about Gov. Walker’s bipartisan efforts fighting the opioid crisis and tackling serious problems for hard-working families. In addition, “Providing a Leg Up” is about the good jobs and workforce training the governor has supported as part of Wisconsin’s comeback, and “To Help People” discusses the governor’s support for initiatives to help students with disabilities enter the workforce. “Lower Premiums for Wisconsin Families” addresses the governor’s efforts to lower health care premiums after Washington failed to get the job done of repealing Obamacare, and “Students First” highlights the governor’s commitment to ensuring student success across the state. And finally, “The Wisconsin Comeback” spotlights how the governor’s bold reforms have jumpstarted Wisconsin’s economy.
Education Reform Fact Sheet
Educational leaders from all corners of Wisconsin support Governor Walker’s most recent budget:
- John Ashley of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards: “This is great news for Wisconsin’s 422 public school districts and the students they serve…The WASB thanks Governor Walker and pledges to work with him to secure support for these investments.”
- State Schools Superintendent Tony Evers: Evers praised Walker’s proposal, describing the plan as a “pro-kid budget” and “an important step forward.” “Overall, his definition of ‘significant’ and mine are really close,” said Evers, who added that Walker’s proposals hit upon the same priorities his budget request sought.
- Justin Moralez of the American Federation for Children, School Choice Wisconsin: “We are pleased with Governor Walker’s major investment in education in his proposed budget…”
- John Forester, School Administrators Alliance: “Budgets are about choices and priorities … we are very pleased that Governor Walker, in his state budget plan, has placed a high priority on the educational needs of Wisconsin’s public school children.”
See below for more information on Gov. Walker’s bold reforms to direct more money into our classrooms, make historic investments in education, freeze UW tuition for 6 years in a row, and increase funding for technical college programs:
- With Governor Walker leading the way, Wisconsin has been a top 10 state for high school graduation rates, and in ACT scores for states where all graduates are tested.
- The governor’s Act 10 collective bargaining reforms put taxpayers and local school districts in charge – giving them more freedom and enabling Wisconsin to balance its budget without raising taxes.
- After Scott Walker balanced the budget and sparked Wisconsin’s comeback, we’ve been able to make record actual-dollar investment in our schools – $200 more per student this past school year, and $204 more per student in the fall.
- To help address the unique challenges faced by low-population school districts, Gov. Walker has increased the per-pupil Sparsity Aid amount from $300 to $400 – this is on top of his $11.5 billion investment in K-12 education included in his most recent budget.
- To help schools increase and improve technology in their classrooms, the governor increased Technology for Educational Achievement (TEACH) Information Technology Infrastructure grants by $22.5 million in his most recent budget.
- Since Governor Walker took office, the number of youth apprenticeship students has more than doubled.
- In the most recent budget, Governor Walker increased funding for Fab Labs, more than doubling the investment in these high-technology workshops.
- Governor Walker created the Early College Credit Program to simplify how high school students can earn college credits.
- To give more students and their parents the freedom to choose which school best suits their needs, Governor Walker expanded school choice programs throughout the state – building on previous school choice expansions.
