HERB KOHL WAS 88. >>> IN EDUCATION NEWS, THE TIME
IS NOW TO BOOST SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING IN WISCONSIN.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION, JOE UNDERLY, WHO, IN CALLING FOR AN INCREASE,
CITES THE PROJECTED STATE BUDGET SURPLUS OF MORE THAN $7 BILLION.
SUPERINTENDENT UNDERLY JOINS US NOW. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEI
NG HERE. >> ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU. >> SO YOU'RE CALLI NG FOR AN
INCREASE TO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REIMBURSEMENT RATE TO
60%, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT A BILLION DOLLARS.
NOW, THIS WAS REJECTED BY THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE IN THE
BUDGET PROCESS. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO
GO AROUND AGAIN ON THIS NOW? >> BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.
WE NEED TO FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ESPECIALLY
EDUCATION. REIMBURSEMENT RIGHT NOW IS SO
LOW THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TO TRANSFER MONEY FROM THEIR
GENERAL FUND IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THESE SERVICES, WHICH ARE
REQUIRED BY LAW. SO IF WE WERE TO INCREASE THE
REIMBURSEMENT RATE, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO TRANSFER AS
MUCH MONEY AND WE'RE ALSO SERVING KIDS AND WE'RE ABLE TO
THEN FUND THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT SCHOOLS DESPERATELY NEED TO
FUND. >> THIS HAS BEEN THE C ASE FOR SO
LONG. >> YEAH, IT HAS, AND YOU SEE IT.
IT'S HAVING AN IMPACT. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN HAVING AN
IMPACT FOR DECADES. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER
OF REFERENDUMS THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TO GO TO, IT'S
BECAUSE THEY NEED THE FUNDING. THEY'RE NOT GETTING REIMBURSED.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THINGS THEY WANT TO DO, LIKE RAISE TEACHER
SALARIES OR CREATE MUSIC PROGRAMS OR ART PROGRAMS OR
INCLUDING THINGS LIKE JUST GENERAL MAINTENANCE ON THEIR
BUILDINGS, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS TO CUT BECAUSE THEY CAN'T
FUND THEIR PROGRAMS, AND IF WE WOULD REIMBURSE SPECIAL
EDUCATION AT A HIGHER RATE, WE COULD DO THAT.
>> STANDARDIZED TESTS IN WISCONSIN TESTS SHOWED
IMPROVEMENT OVER PANDEMIC SCORES BUT STILL NOT RECOVERED.
FEWER THAN HALF OF STUDENTS STATEWIDE PERFORMED AT OR ABOVE
PROFICIENT IN MATH AND LANGUAGE, AND IN MILWAUKEE, THE NUMBERS
ARE LOWER, IN THE TEENS. WHAT SHOULD THESE SCORES LOOK
LIKE? >> YEAH.
SO WE WANT ALL KIDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AN ASSESSMENT IS
ONE WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE KIDS ARE AND
WHAT KIDS NEED, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT IT, YEAH, WE'RE NOT WHERE
WEPT TO BE, AND SO HOW DO WE APPROACH THAT?
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW IS THAT POVERTY HAS A LOT
TO DO WITH HOW KIDS ARE GOING TO TEST. AND SO THAT BEING SAID
, ASSESSMENT IS JUST ONE PIECE OF
DATA, BUT IF WE COULD LOOK AT FUNDING THINGS LIKE UNIVERSAL
MEALS, MENTAL HEALTH, MAKING SURE ALL KIDS FEEL SAFE AND
INCLUDED IN THEIR SCHOOLS, THEY'RE GOING TO LEARN BETTER.
>> ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT WAS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ABSENT
FROM SCHOOL. AGAIN, IN MILWAUKEE, 58% OF
STUDENTS ABSENT 10% OF SCHOOL DAYS.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE? >> YEAH, WE SEE DO HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH CHRONIC TRUANCY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING
AT A NATIONAL LEVEL. COMING OUT OF COVID, WE NOTICE
THOSE RATES INCREASE, AND AGAIN, IT'S REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT ARE
THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THIS. EVERY SITUATION IS GOING TO BE A
LITTLE DIFFERENT, EVERY KID IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
EVERY SITUATION FOR THEM IS GOING TO BE NOT THE SAME.
SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT SUPPORTS DO THEY NEED IN ORDER
TO BE ENGAGED IN SCHOOL. AGAIN, IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
RIGHT? IT'S LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY ARE THERE, THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED, THAT THEY FEEL SAFE,
THEY FEEL INCLUDED, THINGS LIKE MEALS, THINGS LIKE CONNECTING
WITH STAFF MEMBERS, MAKING IT SEEM THAT -- MAKING IT SO THAT
KIDS FEEL SAFE AND WANT TO BE IN SCHOOL IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>> DO WE HAVE A SPECIAL KIND OF EFFORTS AROUND THIS?
>> YEAH. D.P.I. HAS BEEN WORKING ON A
CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATIVE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE.
WE HAVE FUNDED A PROGRAM CALLED THE GRADUATION ALLIANCE FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICTS SO THAT THEY CAN, WITHOUT CHARGE, ACCESS THE
INFORMATION AND SUPPORTS AND PLANS FOR KIDS WHO ARE
STRUGGLING WITH CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM. >> WHAT'S THE ST
ATUS ON THE SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS AND TEACHER
TURNOVER? >> YEAH.
SO THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM.
WE KNOW THAT, RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT WE DON'T HAVE
PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO GO INTO TEACHING; IT'S PEOPLE STAYING IN
TEACHING. SO AFTER FIVE YEARS, WE ONLY ARE
RETAINING ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE TEACHERS AND WE HAVE TO,
AGAIN, LOOK AT THE UNDERLYING CAUSES. A LOT OF IT HAS TO
DO WITH THE POLITICS THAT HAVE BEEN INFUSED
IN EDUCATION, LOOKS AT RESPECT FOR TEACHER AND THE LACK THEREOF
FOR TEACHERS. IT'S ALSO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
PAY FOR TEACHERS AND THE FACT THAT THEIR SKILLS ARE
TRANSFERABLE TO OTHER INDUSTRIES AND ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO LOOK
AT THAT WORK-LIFE BALANCE, BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK TO TEACHERS
AND THEY TELL US WHY THEY'RE LEAVING, IT'S BECAUSE IT'S AN
IMPOSSIBLE JOB. >> AS A MEMBER OF THE UW BOARD
OF REGENTS, YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO BE PRESENT FOR THE VOTE THAT
EVENTUALLY RESULTED IN DEI PROGRAMS BEING CUT IN EXCHANGE
FOR UNIVERSITY SALARY INCREASES AND OTHER FUNDING.
HOW WOULD YOU HAVE VOTED? >> I WOULD HAVE VOTED AGAINST
IT, AGAINST CUTTING DEI POSITIONS. MY RECORD HAS BE
EN VERY CLEAR. AGAIN, I'M DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND
INCLUSION AS A FUNDAMENTAL TENET OF EDUCATION AND I AM ALWAYS
GOING TO FIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS.
>> FINALLY, WITH THE PASSING OF FORMER WISCONSIN SENATOR HERB
KOHL, YOU REMEMBERED HIM AS A CHAMPION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN
SCHOOL KIDS. HOW SO?
>> HE WAS THE BEST FRIEND THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAD IN WISCONSIN.
HE FUNDED COUNTLESS PROGRAMS, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND PRINCIPALS.
THERE WAS A I REMEMBER A BANQUET WHERE HE ALWAYS, WHEN I WAS
THERE, HE WOULD ALWAYS GO UP TO AND CONGRATULATE EVERY KID AND
EVERY PARENT FOR THEIR SCHOLARSHIPS AND HE FUNDED
BACK-TO-SCHOOL WISH LISTS FOR TEACHERS. I MEAN, WE OWE SO
MUCH IN THE STATE TO HERB KOHL WHEN IT COMES
TO PUBLIC EDUCATION. TO PUBLIC EDUCATION.