Dear Friends,


September is Suicide Prevention Month. There is hope and help available in Wisconsin. Anyone can now text or call 988 to connect with a counselor from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day to help with mental health emergencies and substance abuse issues. You can also call on behalf of someone else. Counselors can offer guidance on helping someone experiencing a mental health crisis.  You can find more help here.


This week, a coalition of business, legal, and education groups banded together to help improve our school system. There are growing concerns from employers that students are not being prepared for the real world of work. I share those concerns. You can read more about how I am trying to empower parents and kids to improve our school system 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!

More than Just Money, Putting Parents First

I am encouraged by the announcement of several groups that will be working together to help improve our school system.


We can't afford to lose another generation of students.


It's going to take more than money to fix the issues in our schools, especially in Milwaukee


According to data collected by the MacIver Institute.

  • Only 4.2% of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students scored proficient or better in Math on the Forward exams last year (grades 3-8)
  • Only 7.3% of MPS students scored proficient or better in English on the Forward exams the previous year (grades 3-8).
  • Only 8.9% of MPS students scored proficient or better in Science on the Forward exams last year (grades 4 and 8)
  • Only 7.2% of MPS students scored proficient or better in Social Science on the Forward exams last year (grades 4, 8, and 10)


That's not good enough, especially considering our schools have more money than ever. I introduced the Empowering Parents Agenda in this past session to shake up the education establishment and give parents a say in their children's education. The package consisted of seven bills that increase transparency and accountability while giving parents real options for their children's education. Unfortunately, those bills were vetoed.


I will not give up. I will push for these bills again next session.

How is Your School Performing?

As children start heading back to school, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) is updating its School Data Dashboard. WILL calls it a "one-stop shop" for information on every school district in the state. 


By clicking on the picture, you can find everything from school funding to performance. 

Judge Rejects Illegal Ballot Curing

This week, a Waukesha County judge ruled that Wisconsin law states only voters can correct information on their ballots. The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) allowed clerks to correct errors for several years, even though it is illegal.

 

Whether you live in Milwaukee, Manitowoc, or Marinette, the process for voting should be the same for everyone. WEC's ruling meant that didn't happen. Some clerks followed the law and some followed the guidance. That's not fair.

 

That's why I authored Senate Bill 212. It ensures that only legitimate ballots are counted while providing voters the opportunity to correct errors on their ballots. It creates a system for voters to check if there was a problem with their ballot and made sure outside groups weren’t allowed to alter ballots. 

 

Ballot curing is based on arbitrary guidance, not the law. My bill would make that process clear. Fixing problems on a ballot is a good thing. Who fixes those mistakes is also important. Until the vote is counted, the ballot should belong to the voter, not a clerk or an outside group. Governor Evers vetoed this reform.

Around the 8th

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