Madison (WQOW) - From accomplishments to challenges, the state superintendent covered a lot of ground on Thursday in his annual education address. A local school district was even part of his message.
State Superintendent Tony Evers says Wisconsin's students are second in the nation on the ACT and consistently lead the country in the high school graduation rate. He then went on to highlight the work with Governor Walker and lawmakers on a literacy initiative. Every kindergartner is receiving early literacy screening.
However, he said, improved reading instruction will only help if kids are in school. Evers said 16,000 K-3 students missed 20 or more days of school last year. Later, he addressed funding, saying the state has a long way to go to provide all Wisconsin children the support they need. "Child poverty and homelessness have reached the highest levels in recent memory. Schools and libraries are dealing with the largest budget cuts in state history. Cuts to public libraries have led to shorter hours and fewer resources," said Evers.
Evers said he spoke with school officials in Eau Claire a few days ago. He said they told him they're relying on reserves just to make ends meet this year and the absolute crunch comes next year.
There was a lot more to his speech, including reforms he's calling for and the concerns he has about the toll the last year and a half has taken on teachers. You can read the entire speech here.
