Dear Friends,

Congratulations to the School District of Whitefish Bay! Niche.com rated the district as the best in Wisconsin. Their rankings included test scores, parent and student reviews, and many other statistics. Whitefish Bay wasn't the only school district in our area receiving high marks. Mequon-Thiensville (#4), Hamilton (#14), Menomonee Falls (#20), and Grafton (#27) were ranked in the top 30.

Speaking of schools, you may have heard some half-truths and misleading statements about education funding in our state. Here's the truth.

In 2010, Democrats left us with a mess. We had to fill a massive budget deficit and jobs were fleeing the state. Instead of raising taxes, laying off workers, or shutting down state parks, we rolled up our sleeves and balanced the budget without raising taxes. We passed a major change in how schools are funded called Act 10 - and it worked.

Two main goals of Act 10 were to save taxpayers’ money and give local control to schools. Act 10 gave flexibility to school districts facing tough budgeting challenges. This additional power given to school districts prevented mass layoffs for teachers during difficult times and has saved taxpayers $5 billion since its enactment.

In this last session, we delivered the largest, real dollar investment in K-12 education in state history - $11.5 billion!

The truth is, education is a top priority for Republicans. We have worked very hard to make an investment in our schools and lower your property tax bill. In fact, the property tax bill on a median value home is less now than it was in 2010!

Don't believe the scare tactics. Education is a crucial part of growing our economy. We are working hard to make sure our kids are ready for the jobs of tomorrow.

As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wi.gov .

On, Wisconsin!

Alberta
Sales Tax Holiday Is Here!
Wisconsin's first Sales Tax Holiday is here! Find out how much you can save as you prepare your kids for the upcoming school year by clicking the photo above.
Health Care Stability Plan Approved
On Monday, Governor Scott Walker officially announced Wisconsin received a federal waiver which will lower health care costs in our state.

I applaud Governor Walker for proving once again that Wisconsin, not Washington, can lead the way to lower health care costs. Wisconsin has long been a leader in covering nearly all of its residents with health insurance and our state is consistently ranked as one of the top states in the nation for health care quality.  

Governor Walker’s Wisconsin Health Care Stability Plan will bring competition back to the Obamacare exchanges and actually lower premiums by an average of 3.5%. That’s welcome news for people who had their premiums go up and up under the failure of Obamacare.
Despite Deficit, MPS Still Refusing to Sell Vacant Schools
This week, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) released a new report which proves the Milwaukee Public School System (MPS) is costing students, parents, and taxpayers by refusing to follow state law.

Once again MPS is operating outside of the laws and harming students, taxpayers, and teachers. The latest report by WILL shows MPS is refusing to sell vacant and under-utilized buildings and it is costing taxpayers millions.

Charter and choice schools are ready to put a high performing school in vacant buildings. Those high performing schools will give parents and children hope and opportunity. It will also help increase property values in those areas.

Selling the buildings will help MPS get out of debt and could increase wages for teachers. By refusing to follow the existing laws, MPS officials are putting their priorities over the future of Milwaukee's school children. 
Senator Darling Honored with Friend of Grocers Award
I'd like to thank the Wisconsin Grocer's Association for honoring me with their 2018 Friend of Grocers Award. I'd also like to thank Paul Godin and all the employees of Godin’s Grocers in Mequon for hosting the event.
Wisconsin Proud!
  • For the first time ever, Wisconsin's unemployment rate was below 3% for five consecutive months.
  • Wisconsin averaged a year-over-year increase of 5.7 percent in the first five months of 2018, compared to 2.7 percent for the U.S.
  • Business Insider ranked Wisconsin's economy as the 10th best in the nation.
  • Fifty of Wisconsin's 72 counties met or broke their all-time low unemployment rates in May.
  • CNBC ranks Wisconsin as the 17th best state in the nation for business.
  • All 12 of the state's metro areas and all our 32 largest cities have seen a year-over-year drop in unemployment. 
  • The number of people employed in Wisconsin is at an all-time high of 3,090,200, and the unemployment rate is at all-time low at 2.8% for May.
  • Construction wages in Wisconsin are up 7.5% from 2016-2017.
  • Wisconsin ranks 7th in manufacturing job creation from 2016-17, and wages are up 15% since 2010.
Around the 8th...
Concordia University visited the State Capitol recently!
The Wisconsin State Fair began this week! Click on the logo above to buy tickets and to find out more!
Primary Election is August 14th
The 2018 partisan primary is Tuesday, August 14th. If you have questions on where to vote or what is on the ballot, click on the button above for more information.