Wisconsin State Superintendent Underly Urges more school funding

Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly delivered the State of Education address at the state Capitol Thursday, calling for an increase in school funding.

Official response and confirmed impact

“Democracy does not work without an educated public,” Underly said.

In her sixth annual address, Underly said the school funding formula should be updated to prioritize the cost of student education rather than district spending and property value.

“For far too long, Wisconsin’s public schools have been forced to do more with less.

And let me be clear, this was not an accident and it was not inevitable.

The financial pressures schools face today are the direct result of years of deliberate political choices,” Underly said.

Underly said 90% of school districts have gone to referendum in the past nine years, asking their communities to provide stop-gap funding.

“Our schools are not the problem. Our teachers are not the problem. Our students are not the problem.