Dear Friends,

Justice was served this week in Waukesha. I want to thank District Attorney Sue Opper, Judge Jennifer Dorow, and the jury for their service. I continue to pray for the families of the victims and the entire Waukesha community.

This week, the national report cards showed what we feared - the school closures during the pandemic were devastating to children. It's even worse for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Kids in MPS are now years behind their peers in notoriously bad school systems like Chicago and Los Angeles.

This is heartbreaking, our kids deserve better and instead, we have bureaucrats fighting bipartisan reforms while schools continue to try the same failed methods that got us here. You can read more about why I am so concerned below.

Congratulations to Hamilton, Homestead, and Grafton high school football teams as they move on to the next round of the WIAA football playoffs. Also, several area schools are still competing in the WIAA boys' soccer tournament this week:  Hamilton, Homestead, Nicolet, University School of Milwaukee, and Whitefish Bay high schools. Good luck to all!

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!

Milwaukee Public Schools are in a crisis. On Monday, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores were released and they are bad news for our state’s future.

According to the 2022 NAEP Results

• Wisconsin has the largest racial achievement gap of any state in the nation
• African American kids in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) are last in the nation in reading
• Kids in MPS are two years behind kids in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta

Sadly, the failing NAEP scores don’t come as a surprise. Sixty-four percent of fourth-graders are not proficient in reading. Our state ranks dead last in reading achievement among black students. Hispanic students dropped from 1st in the nation to 28th while white students fell from 6th to 27th.  Despite historic funding for public education, less than one-third of students are proficient in English or math.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Unfortunately, Governor Tony Evers twice vetoed a bipartisan bill that’s worked in other states to improve our support and interventions around kids who struggle to read. The governor and his DPI Secretary continue to protect the failing status quo.

This week, I was honored with the "Champion of Commerce" award from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC). 

I am grateful that MMAC included four education bills I authored or co-authored this session on their scorecard.

Assembly Bill 965 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 cards. This bill improves accountability reports to provide a clear assessment of student success.

Assembly Bill 967 & Assembly Bill 968 High-Performing Charter Replication and Creation of Statewide Charter Board – Charter schools are public schools that operate with less red tape. These bills will streamline replication for the highest-performing charter schools in our state and will increase opportunities for more students and families statewide.

Assembly Bill 446 Reading Assessments - This bill will screen children 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. A previous version of this bill was vetoed by Governor Evers. This version is funded with federal dollars.

While reforming education is a priority for metro Milwaukee's largest business group, it still isn't for the governor. Tony Evers vetoed all of them and vetoed the reading bill twice. It's disappointing, but not surprising.

Wisconsin in the fall is simply breathtaking. It's one of my favorite times of the year. You can plan your fall getaway by clicking on the picture above.

The November 8th election is only weeks away. Click on the picture above to find out where you vote, what's on your ballot, and to register to vote!