ROTHSCHILD, WI (WSAU) — Governor Tony Evers and State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jill Underlay stopped in Rothschild on Wednesday to discuss the recent $90 million investment in Wisconsin’s public schools.
Evers said the money is designed to help in two areas; student mental health and general funding. He says that should allow schools to access the resources they need to help students.
“Working with navigators that can get people to mental health providers so they can have that, or buying mental health support through county or private sources,” said Evers. “The districts can tailor it to what works for [them].”
Evers says he hopes that the funding will help keep districts from going to referendum for operating costs, and also promised that if he is re-elected he would make education funding and shared revenue to municipalities a priority to help ease the burden on taxpayers.
Underlay added that she hopes the funding will also help schools attract and retain teachers, especially when so many are dealing with large staffing shortages. She says her department is also looking at other ways to get more people into classrooms by reinforcing “current pathways and current models” for teacher certification.
The Governor and Underlay toured four classrooms and spent time interacting with students during lunch and recess, including a visit to an art classroom where he observed students working on various projects.
