Dear Friends,

We knew kids were struggling before the pandemic. The pandemic has exacerbated the problem even more and the 2020-21 school report cards confirm that. It's disappointing that instead of offering solutions, Governor Evers is vetoing real reforms that will help kids. You can read more about that below.

Good luck to Homestead High School! The Highlanders take on Waunakee at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison for the Division 2 WIAA State Football Championship on Friday at 1 pm.

Also, good luck to hunters as Wisconsin's annual deer hunt begins. Here's to a safe and successful harvest!

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.

The Department of Public Instruction's 2020-21 School Report Cards shows the need for reforming education. Fewer state schools are meeting or exceeding expectations in the latest round of testing. As the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, I know the slip in scores isn’t surprising after kids were kept out of the classroom, but the bottom line is that there must be major changes in how children are taught in Wisconsin.

On a Friday afternoon, Governor Evers vetoed an important reform for our kids. I co-authored Senate Bill 454, which was introduced by Senator Kathy Bernier of Chippewa Falls. The bill will screen schoolchildren on their reading abilities earlier and more often, notify parents of concerns, and create a clear direction to get kids back on track to succeed. The bill is based on successful models in other states, including Mississippi, which dramatically increased reading levels after passing similar legislation. Spotting reading problems sooner dramatically increases the chance that a child will succeed in school and life.

The report cards are not a punishment but rather a snapshot in time and show the real need for reform in Wisconsin. It’s clear that Governor Evers doesn’t have any real solutions and continues to fall back on the status quo. Wisconsin schools are receiving historic levels of funding. What they need now is real leadership and not roadblocks to reform from the Governor.

I believe every child deserves access to a quality education no matter where they live. I also trust parents to make the decision on which school is right for their family. That's why I was one of the original authors of the bill to create the school choice program.

Please take a minute to watch the video above to learn more about the history of school choice in Wisconsin and the effect it is having on the lives of students.

This week, I co-chaired a virtual meeting of the Children's Caucus to discuss a very important issue to me, children's mental health.

Our state faces a mental health crisis and the pandemic is making it worse. One person dies by suicide every nine hours in our state on average. The vast majority of our counties face a mental health provider shortage. That's why I helped create and expand the Child Psychiatry Consultation Program which connects primary care doctors with child psychiatrists so they can adequately treat the kids in their care. The program is run by the Medical College of Wisconsin and provides a lifeline to every corner of our state.

We heard from Linda Hall, the executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, and representatives from the Wisconsin School Counselors’ Association. I hope to take their recommendations and continue to improve the Child Psychiatry Consultation Program to help even more kids.

The Legislative Children’s Caucus is a bipartisan caucus co-chaired by myself, Representative Jill Billings, Senator LaTonya Johnson, and Representative Pat Snyder. The mission of the caucus is to cultivate a legislature dedicated to advancing promising, evidence-informed public policy that improves the life of every Wisconsin child.

The new Wisconsin Blue Books will soon be here!

The Blue Book is an invaluable resource about our state's history, demographics, and data.

If you would like a copy, please click on the picture and fill out the form. We will mail one out to you at no cost.

We expect the Blue Books to arrive in a couple of weeks. My office will ship them out as soon as they are available.

Hunger Task Force is conducting a virtual food drive. Click on the video for more information on how you can help people in need this month.