Dear Friends,

This week, several of my colleagues and I introduced important education reforms that will empower parents, protect taxpayers, and improve educational opportunities for students. The need for change is strong.

A recent survey showed 41% of parents believe the overall quality of education in Milwaukee is getting worse. It's not a coincidence that this week, the school choice page on the Department of Public Instruction's website crashed from too much demand. I am listening. I won't stand by and lose another generation of kids. You can read more about the reform education plan below.

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.wisconsin.gov.

On, Wisconsin!
Empowering Parents with Education Reforms
Parents need and deserve a larger say in their children’s education. That's why on Wednesday, I joined Senator Roger Roth, Representatives Robert Wittke, Jeremy Thiesfeldt, Rick Gundrum, and other education leaders in the Legislature to introduce seven bills that will put children and parents first and reform our state’s education system.

Wisconsin has a reputation for reform. It’s time we regain our status as national leaders and innovators for education reform. We are putting parents and their children first, we are going to increase transparency and accountability, and we will be funding students, not systems.

  • Parental Bill of Rights - Establishes several parental rights relating to decisions regarding a child's religion, medical care, records, and education, and creates a cause of action for the violation of these rights. Allows a parent to bring a suit if those rights are violated.
  • School Choice Expansion - Opens school choice to all Wisconsin families by removing state enrollment caps, family income limits, and grade entry points – marking the beginning of true school choice for all our students and families.
  • Milwaukee Public School Reform – Establishes by 2024, MPS will be divided into smaller community districts that are more manageable and accountable to parents and their communities. The new community district boundaries will be developed by a commission made up of elected officials with a vested interest in the community, including the Mayor of Milwaukee, the Governor, and the State Superintendent.  
  • School Accountability Reports – Establishes uniform standards for school accountability reports. Our state’s educational accountability system relies heavily on the state school and district report card. This bill improves the accountability reports to provide a consistent assessment of student success. 
  • High-Performing Charter Replication and Creation of Statewide Charter Board – Charter schools are public schools that operate with less red tape. This bill will streamline replication for the highest performing charter schools in our state and will increase opportunities for more students and families statewide.
  • Property Tax Credit after Virtual School - Increases the school property tax credit for residents of school districts that are closed to in-person instruction for more than 10 days of instruction during the second half of the 2021-22 school year. Many working families were left last minute to find options for their children, and this money will help offset some of those incurred costs. 

I welcome the debate from those who want to protect the status quo and support decades of failing students. The time is now to put children and families first because we can no longer afford to lose another generation of students. We are going to do what is right for kids, parents, and the future of Wisconsin.
Election Reforms Introduced
This week, I introduced two more important election reforms. During the 2020 election, the Wisconsin Elections Commission made several changes to the way the state handles elections without approval from the Legislature. Those changes were made through what is called "guidance documents" rather than through administrative rules.

Guidance documents don't carry the force of law, but some clerks treat them as if they did. Administrative rules are how agencies enforce the laws we pass in the Legislature. It's a complicated process, but an important one. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules exists to provide legislative oversight over this process. My bill will make sure they are more involved in election law changes.

Senate Bill 943 will make WEC more accountable by requiring weekly reports to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules of guidance given to clerks. JCRAR will be able to review that guidance and decide whether or not it should be promulgated as a rule and go through the already established rule process.

The bill also states that any guidance documents sent to clerks must contain a disclaimer that includes the definition of a “guidance document” and that the guidance documents do not have the force of law. It’s my hope that Senate Bill 943 will help restore confidence in our electoral process and provide better oversight of WEC.

Another reform originated with one of our local clerks. During a recent local election, someone tried to register to vote. When they were asked if they were a citizen, they said “no,” and were turned away. Our clerk was concerned that a less honest person would have been able to vote.

Senate Bill 938 requires the Department of Transportation to indicate “Not Valid for Voting Purposes” on driver’s licenses issued to non-citizens. Current licenses for non-citizens aren’t the
at clear and might be missed by a near-sighted poll worker.

It also requires WEC to confirm the citizenship status of individuals on voter registration lists by using the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database as well as the DOT’s database. The check must be carried out 60 days before absentee ballots are mailed out for statewide elections.

I believe these are important safeguards that will help protect the integrity of our elections.
Wear Red Day
Did you know that 1 in 3 women die of heart disease and stroke? Luckily 80% of cardiac events can be prevented.

Friday is Wear Red Day to draw attention to heart disease in women. You can find out how to lower your risk by clicking on the picture.
Dismal Reading Scores
As a former teacher, I am extremely concerned about the significant drop in reading and English scores.

As I told the MacIver Institute, our state is facing an educational crisis. We have a reading and learning crisis and the only solution coming from Governor Evers and DPI is to study it more. I’m sick of studies. The shelves at DPI are stacked with studies. It’s time for action.

Sadly, every bold initiative we have proposed over the last couple of years has been met with strong opposition to protect the status quo. Our kids deserve better and I’m not giving up on them.
School Report Cards
The Department of Public Instruction's 2020-21 School Report Cards show the need for reforming education.

Many Wisconsin school districts slipped in the 2020-21 school year compared to 2018-19, according to report card data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The department changed the methodology for report cards this year, allowing schools to meet expectations with lower scores.

Click on the picture to see how your school district is performing.
Blue Books on their Way
Thank you to all who have requested a 2021-2022 Wisconsin Blue Book. We have fulfilled all requests we received before this week and are in the process of processing a few remaining requests.

If you have not yet requested a Blue Book but would live to receive one, please click the picture and we will mail you one at no cost.

If you requested a Blue Book more than two weeks ago and it has not yet arrived, please reach out via email at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov and provide your name and shipping address. More recent requests should arrive in the coming days.

Thank you for your patience.
COVID-19 Vaccine, Testing Information
Around the 8th...