Special education: fund it fully

School districts are legally required to provide special education services, and they should be. Public schools serve every child, and every child has value.

But when the state does not cover its share of those costs, the cost does not disappear. It lands on local classrooms and local taxpayers. Districts end up pulling resources from other students or asking property taxpayers to make up the difference.

Fully funding special education in public schools is the only acceptable answer. It is my first priority in education.

School funding: predictable, transparent, and honest

Wisconsin's school funding system is complicated enough that people who work with it for years do not fully understand it. In simple terms, it has two main pieces: a per-student amount and equalization payments. The equalization piece is unnecessarily complicated and unpredictable, and it creates winners and losers across the state.

It has also produced a cost shift. When the state raises revenue limits without raising general aid, that is not restraint. That is a cost shift. The state gets to claim discipline while local taxpayers get the bill.

I believe Wisconsin should conduct a comprehensive review of how it funds schools, with three goals: make funding more predictable, more transparent, and more honest, and relieve the pressure on local property taxpayers. Districts should know what resources they will have before they build next year's budget. There are too many surprises right now.

No one can rewrite the formula in a sound bite, and I will not pretend otherwise. My commitment is to a process that is open, fair, and understandable to families, educators, and taxpayers alike.

The state surplus

If the state has surplus dollars, K-12 public education should come first. Special education should be fully funded. After that, the funding formula should be reevaluated to take pressure off property taxpayers.

Supporting educators

Strong schools depend on strong relationships between parents, students, teachers, administrators, and communities.

The teachers I have met are hardworking professionals who are being asked to do more with less. They are navigating larger expectations, changing student needs, workforce shortages, and a growing load of administrative work. In school visit after school visit, I have heard how much of a teacher's day goes to paperwork instead of the classroom.

Parents have every right to ask questions and stay involved in their children's education, and transparency matters. But we can have those conversations without treating the people doing the work as opponents. When trust between families and schools breaks down, students are the ones who suffer.

Educators need accountability, but they also need the time, trust, and support to focus on teaching. On any change that affects their work, teachers should have a real seat at the table.

Measuring what success looks like

Academic achievement is important, but it is not everything. Young adults who are ready to enter the workforce and take part in society are a success, and the way we measure schools should reflect that, including dual credit, career and technical education, and youth apprenticeship.

I support working with the Department of Public Instruction on broader measures, with one condition: we cannot simply keep adding to what teachers already have to track.

Public dollars, public obligations

Public schools fulfill our constitutional obligation to educate every child. Private schools offer competition and alternatives. Both have a place, and I do not want this to become a fight between them.

What I care about is fairness to students and fairness to taxpayers. That means every school that receives public dollars should be accountable for them. Private schools should not be treated exactly like public schools, because their roles are different, but that does not mean accountability gets skipped. I have been meeting with private school administrators and learning about the auditing requirements they already work under, and I want to learn more about what accountability exists and where it falls short.

I also do not think the voucher program can be funded effectively through the existing school funding system. It hides costs and drains resources from public schools. I would support creating a separate voucher system, one that also includes programs for homeschool students, so taxpayers can see what it costs and what it delivers.

Looking forward

The goal is not simply to spend more. It is to make sure students have the resources they need, educators can do their jobs well, schools are accountable for public dollars, and local taxpayers are treated fairly.

Ultimately, what matters to me is that every kid has access to their potential.

Keep reading

• Priorities & Positions: where I stand on other important issues.
• How I Lead: how I listen, weigh information, and make decisions.
• Meet Christian: my roots, experience, family, and community involvement.