“The Death of Public School,” Tracking the Trillions timeline, student enrollment by the numbers News Conservatives push for colorblind UW System By Mark Lisheron Saying they “have not given up on a colorblind society,” Wisconsin Republicans have filed a bill to remove race-based considerations from an array of UW System and technical college financial aid programs. State Sen. Eric Wimberger, one of the co-sponsors of the bill that had a public hearing Thursday, told the Badger Institute, the legislation presents an opportunity to right a longstanding wrong and repudiate “an antiquated world view whose time has come and gone.” The notion that tax support for education be apportioned based on skin color “is antithetical to what I and other conservatives in Wisconsin believe,” Wimberger, R-Green Bay, said. “Eliminating race as a factor in admissions and aid programs aligns with the principles of equality and fairness,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said about the bill in an email to the Badger Institute. “Instead of focusing on race, the UW should look at the applicant’s access to resources and opportunities, for example, a rural student or veteran, to truly bring diversity and inclusion to campus.” Read More Viewpoint Good riddance to the ‘one way of teaching’ By Patrick McIlheran “The Death of Public School,” proclaimed the title of a widely touted new book, and a Milwaukee crowd came last week to hear the gruesome details. You should note first that the corpse is missing. Of the 866,000 Wisconsin kids getting a state-funded K-12 education as of this fall, 92.3% get one in a plain old public school, down only a tick from 92.7% last fall. “Death” seems a hysterical overreach. The author, Cara Fitzpatrick, interviewed on stage, quickly conceded that public schools aren’t dead. Instead, “it’s sort of this war over ideas and definitions,” she told her interlocutor. When her subtitle says, “How conservatives won the war over education in America,” she said, she means that boundaries have been blurred and the definition of “public education” expanded in Americans’ minds. It no longer is only, as she writes, schools that are government-run, tax-paid, answerable to voters and “free of religious instruction.” Continue Reading Federal COVID Spending & Waste The Badger Institute has been the unquestioned leader ferreting out pandemic waste, fraud and abuse in the Badger State. More than two and a half years ago, we started tracking irresponsible federal COVID and ARPA spending, holding government officials accountable and pushing back when they overstep their powers. Since that time, we’ve published over a dozen stories covering: The state’s massive splurge on broadband and mental health Local governments using millions to plug budget holes Millions for hiring specialists just to administer federal glut Millions on unneeded “disinfection robots” Millions in overspending on infrastructure projects $100 billion of unemployment insurance fraud in Wisconsin and the rest of the country Track the Trillions Badger in the News Article: The suspect value of Wisconsin emissions testing   Media: Jeff Wagner cites Badger Institute research on state emissions testing Watch Meg Ellefson welcomes Mark Lisheron to discuss the vehicle emissions testing program Listen     Article: Federal strings determined the timing of Hop’s unfinished L-Line Media: National Review cites Nichols on streetcar Read Jeff Wagner on the Sunday-only L-Line Watch Jay Weber on The Hop’s federal funding (Begins at 1:04:32) Listen   By the Numbers Wisconsin school enrollment By Patrick McIlheran Wisconsin’s school regulator, the Department of Public Instruction, recently released annual enrollment figures for every school in the state. You can read a report on the release here. The underlying numbers Enrollment in traditional district public schools fell by 1.1% from the previous year, the sharpest drop since 2017, other than in the pandemic year of 2020. The figure has fallen every year since 2013 and now is below 800,000. Enrollment in independent public charter schools rose 4.1%, and in choice schools by 5.5%. That said, traditional district public schools still enroll about 92% of all Wisconsin schoolchildren who use public funding for their K-12 education. This is down from 97% in 2009. The breakdown between independent public charters, choice and districts: See the Enrollment Numbers Weekly Survey: Should Wisconsin lawmakers eliminate race as a factor in college admissions and aid programs? Answer below! Yes No   Previous Poll Results: Invest in the Badger Institute The Badger Institute, formerly known as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), has long been at the forefront of the fight for school choice, right to work, welfare reform, tax restructuring, limited government, civil society and so much more. If you appreciate the Institute’s legacy and want to support free markets, opportunity and prosperity, please consider donating today. Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles now and in generations to come. Support Freedom   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. 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