Parent choice penalized, letter to lawmakers, Hop talk with Weber News Violence has progressives bringing cops back to schools Milwaukee public high schools next in line By Mark Lisheron Progressive city councils across the country are being forced by violence in and near their public schools to rethink their bans on stationing police officers on those campuses. Sworn officers returned to Denver schools in March, one day after a high school student shot and wounded two administrators and killed himself. Progressive bastion Portland, after shootings near at least three high schools, began earlier this month considering a $3 million plan for armed patrols around high school campuses beginning next fall. In Boston, reacting to an assault on a high school principal and a serious school stabbing among other violent acts, 75% of public school parents in a poll in late April, said they want officers back in schools. Milwaukee Public Schools, which did away with armed officers in schools in 2016, is having the same debate, prompted by a steep increase in the number of calls for police service to Milwaukee high schools. As first reported by the Badger Institute, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he thought it “likely” officers would return to schools before the end of this year. While Johnson disclosed that discussions were going on between city, MPS and Milwaukee Police Department officials, state Assembly Republicans have made putting officers back in schools part of a state shared revenue package. Continue Reading Viewpoint When parents choose a public school with more options for their children, the state provides less money. Why? By Patrick McIlheran When Jalisa Hawkins decided to transfer her daughter from one Beloit public school to another, the state cut the sum taxpayers spend on the child’s education by about 40% for no good reason. Yet it’s true, of Hawkins’ daughter, her kindergartener brother, and the 519 others attending The Lincoln Academy, now in its second year. Every one of the children will be there because his or her parents chose the school. But because they chose the independent public charter school, instead of defaulting to the local school district, the state will provide $9,264 per child. The Beloit Public Schools, by contrast, last year had $15,363 per child in taxpayer money for “current education costs,” not counting buildings, buses or breakfasts. Does the state pay less because The Lincoln Academy isn’t really a public school? No. The state says it is, and it’s answerable to the University of Wisconsin. “All children are welcome,” said Kristi Cole, the school’s president, and indeed state law requires nonselectivity. The school’s charter specifies it should reflect Beloit’s demographics, said Cole: “It was very purposeful. We went and knocked on doors,” sometimes with interpreters, since a nearly a third of their scholars are learning English. Read More Press Release Badger Institute praises Legislature for taking up recommendations on prosecutor and public defender pay The Badger Institute on Wednesday praised action by the Legislature’s budget writing committee to raise pay for prosecutors and public defenders, a move the Institute has been advocating for nearly a year. Badger Institute visiting fellow Jeremiah Mosteller demonstrated the link between Wisconsin’s comparatively low pay for prosecutors and public defenders and the state’s growing backlog of criminal prosecutions in a study released in September 2022, “Toward Swifter Justice: Overburdened Prosecutors and Public Defenders Linked to Wisconsin Court Backlogs.”   Read the Full Release   Letter to Lawmakers Legislature encouraged to sponsor “Know Your Healthcare Costs Act” To: Members of the Wisconsin Legislature From: Coalition of Free Market Healthcare Advocates As the state’s leading free-market advocates, we encourage you to co-sponsor LRB-2922, the “Know Your Healthcare Costs Act,” introduced by Senator Mary Felzkowski and Representative Rob Brooks. To stave off the push towards socialized medicine, it is vital that free market advocates recognize the reality of increasing healthcare costs and the harm those costs incur. Price transparency is not a silver bullet, but it represents an important step that will introduce market forces into healthcare, driving greater competition, lowering costs and empowering patients to take control of their healthcare. Read the Memo Badger on Air Segment begins around 56:35 Listen Now   Related Reading: Legislature protects Milwaukeeans from trolley folly A Legacy of Leading Two decades prior to New York City’s rediscovery of time-tested teaching methods, the Badger Institute was a leading voice in showcasing the value of direct instruction for early readers in Wisconsin.   Wall Street Journal, 2023: NYC Hopes Phonics Will Save It From Reading Crisis Nation’s largest school district to upend reading curriculum to reverse low literacy rates   Badger Institute (WPRI), 2001: Direct Instruction and the Teaching of Early Reading Wisconsin’s teacher-led insurgency   Weekly Survey: Do you support the Legislature’s initiative to increase pay for prosecutors and public defenders? Answer below! 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Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles now and in generations to come. The Institute never has, and never will, accept government funding. We gratefully welcome your online donation or email Angela Smith, Executive Vice President. The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization funded solely by the generosity of foundations, companies and individuals. Support Freedom   Badger Institute | 700 W Virginia St, Suite 301, Milwaukee, WI 53204 www.badgerinstitute.org Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!