Last month, I asked you whether or not you support eliminating the state income tax. The majority of folks who responded were in support. I truly appreciate the input of everyone who contacted me. Your views will be especially helpful to me as we continue to debate this issue in the Legislature. 

 

As the chair of the Senate Education Committee, I was extremely disappointed to read that Madison and Milwaukee were closing their doors to school children again.

 

This is another failure by leadership in Madison and Milwaukee schools. While school districts across Wisconsin and the United States understand the importance of in-person learning and are doing everything to keep their doors open, Madison and Milwaukee continue to shut kids out. 

 

What have these districts been doing with all the Covid relief money they received?

Students will continue to struggle academically and emotionally from this lost time. Students are continuing to fall behind and low-income, minorities, students with disabilities, and students learning English are suffering the most.

 

I encourage parents in the area to explore whatever in-classroom options they have. It’s more important than ever for kids to have opportunities to learn. Governor Evers needs to act and keep all Wisconsin schools open and should use the federal funding that he controls to reward school districts that put kids first and keep their doors open.

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 Friday, interim UW-System President Tommy Thompson announced he would be stepping down from the post in March. I want to thank him for his service to our state.

Tommy Thompson loves Wisconsin and it showed during his leadership for the UW-System. I want to thank Tommy for his continued service to the state and for helping set a course for its future. 

Wisconsin is lucky to have a leader like Tommy Thompson. He has always been there when we needed him. His leadership as Governor helped deliver the largest property tax cut in state history, gave parents educational options, and reformed our welfare system. 

As UW-System President, Tommy brought that same energy, experience, and willingness to listen to higher education. He guided UW-System at a time of uncertainty and whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill. 

Good luck on your next adventure, Tommy. A grateful state thanks you for your service.

2021 brought many changes. I am now the chair of the Senate Education Committee, but my priorities remain the same. I will continue to fight for you in Madison.

 

I'm proud of the work I've done this session so far. Here is a list of the top ten accomplishments 0f 2021.

Holocaust Education Signed into Law at the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Center in Milwaukee. Just two-thirds of American millennials couldn’t identify Auschwitz, and 22% had never heard of the Holocaust. Now every child in Wisconsin will learn about the Holocaust twice during their schooling at no charge to taxpayers.

Election Reform. Voters in Wisconsin shouldn’t have questions about whether their vote counts or whether the process is consistent for everyone. That’s why Senator Duey Stroebel and I introduced 10 bills aimed at restoring trust and integrity in our elections. The Senate passed all of them, but unfortunately, Governor Evers vetoed six of those common-sense reforms. Four other bills are awaiting action in the State Assembly.

Largest Tax Cut in State History. The typical family will see their tax burden drop by $1,200 under the budget passed by the Legislature. The plan delivers the largest tax cut in state history.

Sexual Assault Tracking Kit. The bill creates a database for health care professionals, law enforcement, state crime laboratory personnel, and prosecutors to update information on the location and status of a sexual assault kit and ensures that Wisconsin statutes protect victims and prevent another backlog of cases.

Unprecedented Surplus/Revenue. Thanks to careful budgeting over the years, Wisconsin is seeing an unprecedented surplus of $2.6 billion and $4.4 billion in higher revenue.

School Transparency. Parents and taxpayers should be able to see where their tax dollars are going and what is being taught in public schools. That's why I co-authored Senate Bill 463. It requires school districts to post course information including bibliographic information, copies of course content created by staff. This bill will make it easier for parents, taxpayers, and concerned citizens to see what our schools are teaching. Sadly, Governor Evers vetoed this important reform.

Wisconsin’s tax burden drops more than any other state over the last 20 years. Back in 1999, state and local taxes took up 12.2% of personal income. That was the fourth-highest in the nation. By 2019, the percentage dropped to 10.3%. Now we are ranked 23rd in the country. I will continue to look for ways to lower your tax burden and make our state more competitive.

I-94 East-West project funded in the state budget. Finishing the East-West corridor has been a top priority for me. The project is important for commerce, safety, and jobs. In 2015, $23 billion in freight was transported through the East-West corridor of I-94. Many of us have loved ones who travel on that road - often twice a day. Completing the East-West corridor will make Wisconsin safer, more competitive, and will grow our economy.

TAD Funding. I helped create the Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) program in Wisconsin. This program is an effective way to help people break their addiction. I was proud to support a budget plan that increased funding for TAD.

Mental Health Funding. I have always made sure our state invested in children's mental health, and the pandemic made it even more of a priority. The state budget doubled school mental health funding and expanded the Child Psychiatry Consultation Program, which I created, statewide. The program connects primary care doctors with child psychiatrists so they can adequately treat the kids in their care.

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.

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.

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.