Public Schools Week is a time for celebration, appreciation and action – and it’s never been more important to take time to do all three! We challenge you to commit to taking action during Public Schools Week and use Friday – our Statewide Day of Action – to join us in amplifying our efforts by blasting these opportunities out statewide!
Be the champion Wisconsin kids need now.
Check out these examples from Wisconsin school districts and call on your own district leaders to take similar action to protect, defend, and champion local schools!
Here are 5 easy ways you can raise your voice, get informed, and put your appreciation into action for Public Schools Week and year-round!
1. See and share this outstanding Wisconsin Public Schools Week lesson: “What We Mean By Public Education”
This special edition Wisconsin-focused Public Schools Week podcast by Dr. Derek Gottlieb connects ALL the dots and explains why Wisconsin schools are facing the fiscal crisis they are, how fixing special education funding could transform outcomes for kids statewide, and what you can do about it. It’s a 20-minute masterclass in what’s at stake for Wisconsin kids if we don’t invest in closing our gaps and meet our constitutional obligation to our students. Listen closely and share widely!
This podcast began as an effort to educate the community on what was at stake in Wauwatosa’s school referenda. It quickly gathered a local – then statewide – following, and has become a critical voice connecting the dots from local to state and national issues. You’re going to want to bookmark and subscribe to this!
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
2. Protect Public Schools. Take action at the federal level.
From federal funding cuts to layoffs to threats to regulations protecting the right of every student to learn and thrive in an environment free of discrimination, so much is at stake right now on the federal front.
The time to raise your voice is NOW.
We applaud Madison Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard for his leadership in distilling the issue. The exemplary email he sent this week provides an excellent template for district or local communications, calling on decision-makers to:
- Oppose any education cuts in the FY 2025 Budget Resolution and Appropriations Bill that would reduce funding for K-12 schools or programs serving children.
- Vote NO on proposals that would cut Medicaid support for students with disabilities, restrict school meal eligibility, reduce funding for Title I, Title II, or Title III, or block-grant education funding.
This How Much Federal Education Aid Wisconsin Could Lose tool from our friends at the Education Law Center allows you to see the impacts of potential federal funding cuts to Wisconsin public schools. Click on the tabs to see how much we could lose in Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and other programs.
A few ways to TAKE ACTION on these federal concerns:
- Contact your Wisconsin Congressional Representatives and Senators today! Let them know you’re celebrating Public Schools Week by putting your appreciation into action! Contact info here.
- And join the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and partners nationwide on March 4 to bring public education concerns issues to heart of the conversation!
- Fulfill the Promise to students with disabilities! Send members of Congress a letter urging them to cosponsor and support the Keep Our PACT Act and fully fund IDEA.
3. Pass – and help amplify! – School Board Resolutions
School Board Resolutions – when amplified widely – can be a great tool for educating state leaders on local needs and activating local communities to stand up for them.
Check out these stellar examples:
- Kickapoo Voucher Resolution
- Wauwatosa Legislative Advocacy Resolution
- Sun Prairie Proclamation in Recognition of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month (May)
- La Crosse Resolution in Support of Transgender, Nonbinary, and all LGBTQ+ Students
- Beloit Take Action on Blue Ribbon Commission for School Funding Recommendations
- ASSA (School Superintendents Association) School Board Resolution to Fund IDEA and Oppose School Vouchers
- AROS (Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools) Federal “Fund Our Schools” Resolution toolkit
4. USE YOUR VOICE and be an EVERYDAY AMBASSADOR for thriving public schools!
Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, concerned community member, school or district leader, classroom teacher, board member, lawmaker, use your unique experiences, knowledge, and circles of contact to connect, inform, and educate others. Roll with your role! Your voice matters and only YOU can tell your story!
Get the facts and access to actions using our resources:
- Sign our Special Education Funding Petition
- Follow our Education Vote Tracker and let your lawmakers know how proposals would impact local students.
- Educate local voters and organize locally to support public school champions in the April 1 election. Learn more at our ElectionHQ and click here if you need support for one of the 86 (!) school district referenda efforts or other nonpartisan voter education efforts this April!
- Get ready to take Budget Action! Get the facts and follow us for opportunities to be a voice for a budget that meets kids’ needs in 2025-2027.
5. JOIN US
Get ready to take action where you live this Friday, Feb. 28 at our PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK DAY OF ACTION in MADISON; into the next budget cycle; and where you live year-round!
Click here to subscribe to our email list and connect to advocates and action around the state! Let us know how we can connect you to other advocates in your community or region.
