Wisconsin lawmakers eye education reforms for vote this week

(The Center Square) – The Republicans who control Wisconsin’s legislature are gearing up for votes this week on what are likely doomed education reform plans.

Both the Assembly and Senate are due back in Madison to take up a number of issues, including a new requirement for civics classes across the state and a de-facto ban on critical race theory.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said it’s a matter of looking at what we are teaching in school, and what we’re not teaching.

“There are public schools across the state that do an incredible job and we should be incredibly proud. But let’s also look at the test scores, and look at where we are as a state,” Vos told WISN radio’s Jay Weber last week. “We have a sizable number of students in schools around the state who are way below where they should be. We have reading scores that are embarrassing. We have math scores that are embarrassing. And that’s not just in Milwaukee, that’s in suburban districts too.”

Vos’ own plan would rethink how Wisconsin teaches civics.

“The idea that we’re going to dictate what’s taught in the classroom is probably not going to happen because we have a lot of local control in Wisconsin. But we certainly can say the subjects that should be taught,” Vos said. “Most students don’t understand the founding documents of our country. They don’t understand the Declaration of Independence, they don’t understand the Constitution.”

Republican lawmakers have spent months focusing on critical race theory, and looking for a way to keep it out of the classroom. The plan to do that, Assembly Bill 411, is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday.

“The challenge that I see with critical race theory is they are really teaching our children to almost hate themselves and hate our country under the guise that they’re equitable and this is culturally responsible,” Vos said.

Democrats, including Wisconsin’s state superintendent, are on the record against almost all of the reforms, but they do not have enough votes to stop them

Gov. Tony Evers, however, is expected to veto the reforms almost as soon as they make it to his desk.

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