Wisconsin is Working!
Wisconsin
is Working.
Employment
in our state is at an all-time high and the unemployment rate of 2.9% is at a
historic low. To continue to build our workforce, we invested more actual dollars
into schools than ever before and included major increases into our technical
college system. We balanced our budget and had another surplus, yet still
eliminated the state property tax. In fact, the cumulative impact of our
tax relief through the end of the budget is $8 billion. We froze
University of Wisconsin tuition for six years in a row to make college more
affordable for students and working families. And our health care systems are
ranked number one in the nation for quality.
To
build on our successes, we laid out an ambitious agenda during our State of the
State Address in January. A special thanks to the members of the State
Legislature who passed our Ambitious Agenda for 2018:
More
Funding for K-12 Education
On
top of our historic overall investment in schools (an extra $200 per student
this year and, on top of that, another $204 per student increase next year), we
gave rural schools with unique costs more aid and low revenue districts more
help to ensure that every child has access to a great education. Our plan
passed with bipartisan support on votes of 90-3 in the Assembly and 31-1 in the
Senate.
Health
Care Stability
Because
health care costs are a growing concern, we proposed a plan that will lower
premiums, increase choices, and stabilize health care in Wisconsin. This is
particularly important for people on the individual market like small business
owners and family farmers. The measure passed with bipartisan support on votes
of 79-16 in the Assembly and 23-9 in the Senate.
We
are delivering on Wisconsin priorities and getting positive things done for the
people of Wisconsin.
$100 Million School Safety
Plan Signed into Law
When it comes to school safety, protecting our students,
teachers, and administrators from any threat is our top priority.
That’s why this week I signed our bipartisan $100 million
School Safety Plan into law at Victor Haen Elementary School in Kaukauna to
ensure our schools remain a safe place to learn.
The School Safety Plan was created with input from the
Legislature and stakeholders and includes five major components:
- An Office of School Safety within the
Wisconsin Department of Justice to work with law enforcement and schools
to establish best practices for school safety and provide training
opportunities and other relevant resources to schools.
- $100 million to fund a new grant
program for security upgrades to school buildings and other eligible
costs.
- Reporting requirements for any threats
of school violence.
- Grant funding to implement
Trauma-Informed Care and Adverse Childhood Experiences training in
schools.
- Strengthens school safety plan
requirements by requiring all schools to consult with local law
enforcement and conduct on-site assessments of all pupil occupied areas.
As
a country, we made necessary changes after 9/11 to
ensure that firearms, explosives and other weapons could not get on an
airplane. We should do similar things to ensure that our schools are safe. Our
plan passed with bipartisan support on votes of 78-8 in the Assembly and 28-4 in the Senate.
Boy Scouts of
America Annual Report
Scout’s Law: A Scout is
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
It was a pleasure to host
fellow scouts at the State Capitol today for the Boy Scouts Annual Report to
the Governor. I remember presenting Governor Tony Earl with the report in the
1980s. It was a special experience then, and it remains so today.
Wisconsin’s scouts serve as
positive role models for youth across the state through their leadership,
volunteerism, and dedication to service.
We are proud of their hard
work and commitment to improving Wisconsin.
The
development of Wisconn Valley will require tens of thousands of hardworking
construction professionals from across the state.
In
order to fill this need, the State of Wisconsin, in partnership with the City
and County of Racine, the Village of Mount Pleasant, Racine County Economic
Development Corporation and the Southeast Wisconsin Workforce Development
Board, will be hosting the Wisconn Valley Construction Resource Fair for those
looking to explore a future career in construction on March 29th.
The
Wisconn Valley Construction Resource Fair will connect individuals with
community resources to understand the skills needed to launch a career in
construction. Resource Fair workshops include: Apprentice Readiness and
Contractor Referral; Emerging Transportation Career Trends; Resource to Start
and Grow Your Business; and Talent Development Initiatives for Foxconn and
Beyond.
The
FREE event will be from 1-4 p.m. at the Racine Civic Centre, 5 Fifth
Street in Racine. Event parking is free in the lot south of the main entrance.
In addition, individuals from Milwaukee and Kenosha counties may register for
free event transportation by calling the organization in their community:
Milwaukee Careers Cooperative at (414) 937-8260 or Kenosha Achievement Center
at (262) 658-9568.
Follow
the link below to learn more about this exciting opportunity.
We enjoy sharing all the great news about our state with you. It is an honor to serve as your Governor and represent the people of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Governor Scott Walker
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