News

Wisconsin lawmakers in the dark on broadband

Legislators have no idea if the state is getting its money’s worth

By Mark Lisheron

Gov. Tony Evers has asked that Wisconsin spend another $750 million to expand broadband in the state without knowing the current status of nearly $100 million in broadband projects paid for with federal pandemic funds. 

At a hearing before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee Wednesday at the Capitol, Rebecca Cameron Valcq, chair of the Public Service Commission, acknowledged the commission failed to confirm payments, provide progress reports or do site inspections for dozens of broadband projects across the state. 

State Auditor Joe Chrisman told the committee Wednesday documentation for those projects, including numerical scoring of grant applications, still had not been provided to his office, despite an audit in September critical of the lack of documentation for 83 broadband projects.

Read the full story

Viewpoint

The underfunded part of Wisconsin public schooling

Innovative, unconventional — and inexplicably made to operate on 60% of what other public schools get

By Patrick McIlheran

As you watch four kids in a low-ceilinged basement space soldering parts for the underwater robots they’re building, a teacher stopping in but not directing everything, it strikes you that this does not look much like a public high school.

But Pathways High School, on Milwaukee’s near west side, is a public school, despite appearances and vibe.

It’s just that, as an independent public charter school, Pathways is in the part of Wisconsin public education that’s underfunded.

It’s also in the innovative part, the unconventional part.

Read more

Restoring Oversight

The Assembly Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on Thursday regarding an amendment that would prohibit the Legislature from abdicating to the governor its power to appropriate federal funding.

Click here for President Mike Nichols’ testimony on this measure from the last legislative session.

Badger on Air

Patrick McIlheran joined WSAU’s Meg Ellefson this week to discuss the future funding of Wisconsin roads.

Hear the conversation

Free Exchange Podcast

Cops in Schools: The Numbers No One Is Talking About

A new report by Badger Institute Managing Editor Mark Lisheron reveals that calls to police from MPS high schools dramatically increased — again. Lisheron joins Badger Institute Vice President Michael Jahr to discuss the troubling numbers — and the encouraging news that the Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has signaled support for putting police back in schools.

Listen to the podcast

Working to Save Parent Choice

Parental choice programs have grown in Wisconsin over the years. Why? Because parental choice delivers results for families.

• Choice students outscore public school students on the college-readiness ACT test.

• Choice and charter students generally score higher on the state’s academic proficiency exams

• Choice and charter schools rank high on DPI report cards.

• Milwaukee school choice students are more likely to be successful in life. A scholarly study found that exposure to school choice is associated with a reduction of around 53% in drug convictions, 86% in property damage convictions, and 38% in paternity suits.

Source: Wisconsin Coalition for Education Freedom

Read more about how we’re working to save parent choice

At a Glance

Weekly Survey: Should independent public charter school students be funded at the same amount as traditional public school students?

Previous Poll Results

What We’re Reading

• Heritage Foundation: Restoring Civil Society

• Wall Street Journal: 2023 Is Already a Record Year for School Choice (paywall)



• Washington Examiner: The states are the appropriate laboratory for meaningful healthcare reform

• Institute for Justice: Wisconsin Home Bakers Will Defend the Right to Sell Homemade Foods

• PolicyEd: How to Reverse Pandemic-Related Learning Losses (video)

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