Partisan infighting taking a toll on Wisconsin kids' ability to learn to read

Yahoo

28-02-2025

This is the first of two columns on reading initiatives in Wisconsin.
What's a higher priority, fighting over partisan control within the state Capitol or helping Wisconsin's children learn to read?
The fight over partisan controls is well on its way to being the winner as gridlock within the Capitol is making it likely that $49 million of already-approved money for reading instruction continues to be held up.
If the battle between Republicans and Democrats cannot be resolved before June 30, the $49 million will be returned unspent to state coffers, with growing chances that no comparable amount will be approved for the two-year budget cycle that will begin July 1.
The impact already has been to greatly crimp the reading initiative approved in 2023 by the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. If nothing further happens during the current budget period or in the period beginning in July, it will amount to a major retreat from a statewide initiative to promote the phonics-oriented 'science of reading.' Some elements of what was called for in the 2023 law known as Act 20 will probably continue, but a larger-scale commitment will have yielded almost nothing at the state level.
The deadlock over the reading money comes at a time when reading scores across Wisconsin have been a source of concern, especially when it comes to low-income and Black and Hispanic students. The gaps between higher-income students and lower-income students when it comes to reading success have grown since the COVID pandemic began in 2020. And recently released reading scores for fourth- and eighth-graders nationwide found that the gaps between white students and Black students in Wisconsin were the largest of any state, as has been the case for many years.
Act 20 approved $50 million to be spent to help school districts statewide launch or increase 'science of reading' efforts. The money was to go to support three dozen reading coaches to work with educators across the state and to support some of the cost of new curriculum materials being purchased by schools.
The law made Wisconsin one of about 40 states nationwide that took action in recent years to promote a shift away from reading instruction often labeled 'balanced literacy' toward instruction that is best known for its emphasis on phonics. In short, balanced literacy relies, in large part, on teaching reading to early-grade students through learning to recognize words, including use of context and visual clues. Critics say that approach has failed many students and that the more structured 'science of reading' approach that includes teaching students to sound out letters and combine them into words has more support from research.
Of the $50 million, less than $1 million was released by the Legislature's joint finance committee to be used to create a reading office within the state Department of Public Instruction and to support efforts such as a special council that recommended curriculums that met the standards of Act 20. The remaining $49-plus million was to be used to directly help teachers and students.
In short, in action on a separate law, Evers used a partial veto that affected who could control release of the $49 million, the joint finance committee or DPI. Democrats have argued that Evers' action was within his powers as governor; Republicans have argued that Evers broke a deal with them over how the money would be controlled. A Dane County judge ruled that Evers' action was within his powers but did not order the reading money to be released. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to bypass an appeals court and take the case up this spring. But a decision may not come before the clock runs out on spending the money during the current budget cycle. And no one involved in the dispute has budged.
State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) is chair of the Assembly education committee and has been Act 20's leading supporter. Kitchens said in recent months that he was aiming for action in the Capitol that would release the $49 million. But he has not been successful in getting agreement on that, and he said Feb. 19 that it is now likely the money won't be spent.
'It's a long shot that it (the dispute) will be settled during this biennium,' he said in an interview, referring to the June 30 end of the current budget cycle.
He said he continued to regard reading as 'the most important thing in education,' and that he is not giving up on the fight to implement the science of reading approach statewide. 'Unfortunately, it got caught up in politics,' Kitchens said.
He said that brings into doubt whether money for reform in reading instruction will be included in the 2025-27 state budget, which is now in its formative stages. In his budget address last week, Evers called for including $80 million to support the reading effort over those two years. But Kitchens said Republicans may not agree to including money in the budget if Evers wins control through court action of how it will be spent
'How do we do that after how he acted last time?' Kitchens said. 'If you can't negotiate with somebody in good faith, I don't know how anything happens.' He added, 'I'm not giving up on it, but it's going to be very difficult.'
In a statement, Jill Underly, the state superintendent of public instruction, said, 'Schools committed to transformational literacy initiatives with the understanding that the legislature would contribute $50 million to support those efforts. Now, nearly two years after Act 20 was signed, Wisconsin students have yet to see a single cent of this promised funding. Meanwhile, our schools have made substantial investments to meet their obligations. This delay is an outright betrayal of our students and a failure of leadership. Legislative leaders have let down both our children and our schools. I don't want to hear another elected official complaining about literacy outcomes — they have no one to blame but themselves.'
More: DPI Superintendent Jill Underly seeks release of funding for state literacy program
Kitchen said the good news is that a significant number of school districts around the state — although there is no count of how many — have made moves to implement 'science of reading' approaches. 'The districts I talk to are doing very well and are happy with the results they're getting,' Kitchens said. 'They obviously would like (financial) support,' he added. The law, he said, 'is still having an impact, but it's not happening as quickly as we would like.'
Act 20 included provisions that have been moving forward at local school levels. They include screening of kindergarten through third-grade students to identify those who need extra help learning to read and providing individualized plans for helping those students. Also, an independent council created under Act 20 examined curriculum options for schools and recommended a handful of programs that meet the standards set in the law. Some school districts are moving to adopt curriculums from that list, even without the state aid that was expected to underwrite some of the cost.
More: Wisconsin politicians wrangle over new recommended reading curriculum list
More: Nearly half of Green Bay Schools' K-3 students are 'at risk' of not meeting reading goals, district says
Jeanne Schopf, president of The Reading League Wisconsin, which advocates for 'science of reading' instruction, was critical in a recent interview of the leadership in state government on reading issues. 'This is very critical to the future of our children and our state,' she said. 'Our challenge in Wisconsin is having leaders who are leading this in a unified way.'
Schopf said, 'Act 20 is just a piece of paper until it is fully implemented as designed.'
Kitchens said, 'There are kids who are not going to learn to read because of this screwing around.'
Next: A look at what is happening in some schools and school districts that are adopting science of reading plans.
Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers are withholding $49 million intended to help reading efforts