Your children may have been the biggest winners in a battle over funding between the Evers administration and the Republican-held Wisconsin Legislature.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Legislature, saying the Evers administration improperly used its partial veto powers with a pair of bills to improve reading scores for K-12 students. At stake was $50 million to help school districts change to science-based reading curriculum and establish an early literacy coaching program. Evers had used his veto powers to lump everything into a single allocation for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to distribute. At the same time, Republicans in the Legislature wanted to make sure the money got used for its intended purpose.
Following the decision, the Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC), Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said the decision proved that Evers’ actions were unconstitutional and the decision gave them enough clarity to release the $50 million. "We look forward to releasing the $50 million set aside to support kids struggling to read and help implement these important, bipartisan reforms," the pair said in their joint statement. “It is unfortunate that the Governor’s unconstitutional veto has delayed this funding needed by kids and families across the state.” Evers accepted the decision and called for the funds to be released.
Kari Baumann has been on the sidelines for all of this as an advocate not just for her son, who struggles with dyslexia, but for students across the state who have not found reading as easy as it is for others. While she is frustrated that the funds were subject to a two-year political battle, she is happy more students across the state will get the help they need.
Baumann says many school districts across the state, including those in Door and Kewaunee counties, have already found ways to implement the new reading guidelines into their curriculum before the money was released. Baumann, who also serves on the Gibraltar Area School Board, adds that districts are already seeing progress with some of their students.
