Governor Walker Highlights Investments in K-12 Education During State of the State

Governor Walker delivered his annual State of the State address this afternoon. Throughout the speech, he highlighted many of his accomplishments over the past eight years since taking office. “Eight years ago, things were not very good in our state. There were double-digit tax increases, billion-dollar budget deficits, and record job losses,” said Walker.

He spent a significant amount of time talking about his investments in K-12 education and the UW System Tuition Freeze. He also called on the Legislature to pass legislation increasing funding to rural and low-revenue school districts, and outlined plans to expand Broadband using television white space technology. 

“We will build off of our historic investments into K-12 education,” Walker told the joint session of the Legislature. “Looking ahead, we need to continue to help rural schools keep more money in the classroom. Many of these schools have unique needs related to transportation and to the size of the district. I want to ensure educational excellence everywhere.”

Walker concluded by laying out his “Ambitious Agenda” for 2018, which includes: welfare reform; a $20 million Wisconsin Career Creator program at UW; a Small Business Plan; a $50 million Rural Economic Development Fund; Broadband expansion; juvenile justice reform; a new $100 child tax credit; and a Health Care Stability Plan that includes passing legislation related to protecting people with pre-existing conditions, a re-insurance program for the individual insurance market and a permanent SeniorCare waiver.