WISCONSIN — Labor Day is officially in the rearview, which means it’s back to the classroom for students and school districts across Wisconsin.

What You Need To Know

  • The state superintendent called the new school year a new opportunity for learning and enrichment

  • Dr. Jill Underly said every kid belongs in Wisconsin's public schools and called students the heart and souls of our communities

  • There are still challenges around teacher recruitment and retention, but according to Underly, things are starting to get back to normal with staffing

  • A bipartisan literacy bill was passed last year, but the money budgeted to implement that bill has not been released by the legislature

Wisconsin State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly called this school year a new opportunity for learning and enrichment.

“Taking away the message that your kids belong in our public schools, every kid belongs in our public schools, every family. They’re the heart and souls of our communities,” Underly said.

She pointed out the goals around implementing Act 20, the bipartisan literacy bill passed last year. Wisconsin schools are now required to provide science-based early literacy instruction in universal and intervention settings, but the money budgeted to implement that bill has not been released by the legislature.

“What we could use from the legislature is to release that $50 million,” Underly said regarding the bill.

On the topic of school funding, many Wisconsin districts added referendums to the ballot this election cycle. Underly discussed what the Department of Public Instruction would like to see from state lawmakers.

“We need more revenue in our schools. We need revenue so they can spend it on things like curriculum, so they can spend it on things like teacher salaries and recruitment and retention efforts. Our schools really need that funding,” she said.

Underly said she’s hopeful coming out of the November election that there will be what she calls some “public school champions” who agree with that.

This school year starts with challenges for some districts. Milwaukee Public Schools reported financial mismanagement heading into summer break. The Monona Grove School District has been operating in a deficit for the last three years and Wauwatosa has a $4 million budget shortfall due to what the school district called “miscalculations.”

In late August, the legislature’s Joint Legislative Committee on Audit approved an audit of the policies and procedures the Department of Public Instruction uses to analyze the financial data of the state’s school districts. 

Watch the full interview above.

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