Press Release: ICYMI: Gov. Evers Highlights Budget Initiatives to Improve Outcomes for Kids, Invest in Literacy, Computer Science, and Math Education
State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 04/27/2023 07:15 AM CDTFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2023 |
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov |
ICYMI: Gov. Evers Highlights Budget Initiatives to Improve Outcomes for Kids, Invest in Literacy, Computer Science, and Math Education |
Governor’s budget provides $50 million in critical investments in reading, math, and computer science education |
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers this week has been visiting school classrooms, highlighting more than $50 million in budget initiatives aimed at improving learning outcomes for Wisconsin kids, including in reading and literacy, computer science, personal finance, and math education. As 2023-25 biennial budget deliberations are set to pick up in the Wisconsin State Legislature starting next week, Gov. Evers is urging legislators to pass his education budget that provides the largest increase in K-12 schools and education in state history. “An investment in our kids is an investment we will never be sorry to make, so making sure our kids are ready for success and able to achieve their full and best potential must be a top priority for investments in this budget,” said Gov. Evers. “We know the past few years have been tough on our kids and schools, and these investments are about making sure our kids have the educators, resources and skills, and opportunities they need to join the 21st-century workforce and become the next generation of leaders in our state.” Part of Gov. Evers’ historic $2.6 billion overall increase for K-12 schools, the governor’s budget includes $20 million over the biennium for early literacy and reading improvement. Specifically, the funding will support 56 regional coaches with half focused on evidenced-based literacy instructional practices and the other half focused on early reading instructional practices. Additionally, the governor’s budget provides $4.9 million for organizations that do auxiliary literacy work to augment the efforts of teachers in the classroom, including The Literacy Lab, Reach Out and Read, and the Reading Corps. The governor’s budget proposal also makes a $15 million investment to ensure students have strong financial literacy and mathematics curriculum, including through his $5 million “Do the Math” personal finance initiative, and provides more than $10 million to expand access to computer science education for kids to make sure Wisconsin schools are competitive in rapidly evolving computer sciences. More information regarding the governor’s historic $2.6 billion increase for K-12 schools is available here. Details regarding the governor’s proposals to improve literacy and reading outcomes for kids and invest in computer science and math education are available below. Literacy and Improving Reading Outcomes Gov. Evers’ is honoring his commitment to improving reading and literacy rates statewide by investing:
This budget also provides $742,500 per year for Wisconsin Literacy to conduct adult literacy activities, including expert trainings, personalized consultations, and workforce connections.
In 2022, Gov. Evers signed the National Governors Association Computer Science Compact, pledging to improve access to computer science instruction in Wisconsin’s K-12 schools. Gov. Evers understands that equitable access to computer science instruction is critical to student success and the state’s future. The governor’s plan includes:
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An online version of this release is available here. |
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