On July 30th and 31st, the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) will hold its annual conference in Madison.  While the name of the Network sounds harmless, it belies an organization with a far-left agenda that is contrary to what most parents in the state want for their kids. The worst part? Wisconsin taxpayers are going to foot some of the bill.  According to records obtained by WILL, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is contributing $5,000 towards the conference, while the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) is also contributing $1,000.  DPI’s donation was enough to get them listed as a “Blue Ribbon”-level sponsor.  Below, we catalogue just some of the questionable panels that are part of the conference agenda.  

The Politics of Literacy and Its Impact on Wisconsin’s Public Education. Last year, Wisconsin’s Act 20 was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Evers. The notion that education should move away from so-called “three-cuing” in teaching reading back to more traditional methods of teaching reading like phonics is broadly supported in the educational literature. But this panel appears to be focused on undermining the notion that the science of reading is good for most every student and may somehow reduce “equity.”  In a state where only 10.5% of African American students are proficient in reading, one questions how effective an equity-based approach has been. 

Act 10 and Its Impacts: Lessons from Unions and the Trades. Wisconsin’s public sector union reform under Act 10 is one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of the state. A recent WILL study estimated that $1.5 billion annually would be added to the costs for school districts around the state if Act 10 were to come to an end—leading to devastating impacts on the educational offerings of districts. This panel includes three members or former members of the Madison Teachers Association, along with a lawyer from Law Forward, an organization that filed an amicus brief in support of overturning the law. Let’s say we would be surprised if any pro-Act 10 viewpoint is offered on this panel.  

Lies, Damned Lies, and School Vouchers.  While the number of students enrolled in public education in Wisconsin continues to decline, enrollment in Wisconsin’s school voucher programs continues to increase. Numerous studies have found benefits for school choice including lower involvement in criminal activity and a higher chance of attending and graduating from college.  This two professors UW-Professor who has written for the National Education Policy Center (NEPC)–a teacher’s union funded group that produces extremely biased critiques of voucher research. A debate about the utility of school vouchers is fine—but presenting a completely one-sided view is not.  

Calling it In: What’s at the Root of Systemic Racism and Funding Inadequacy, and What Can We Do About it? This panel appears to hit on a number of key talking points of the left that have little basis in fact.  A critique of the notion of systemic racism could fill an entire paper on its own. Suffice it to say that the concept that America still has a systematic bias against minorities is the subject of great question in many areas—from school discipline to housing policy.  Once again, perhaps a debate on such a topic could be reasonable at a taxpayer-funded conference, but a one-sided viewpoint is unacceptable.  

The case for funding inadequacy is even more laughable. The latest data from DPI shows that costs per student are higher than a decade ago even after controlling for inflation.  Despite record spending, students have not made up for the learning loss created by pandemic-era school closures. Funding is more than adequate across the state.  

WPEN, of course, has the right to put on whatever sort of conference they want. But taxpayer funded state agencies should not be contributing to an event with such a radical agenda any more than they should be funding the work of a conservative-leaning organization. The Department of Public Instruction is responsible for administering the laws fairly for public schools, choice schools and charter schools, so why would the agency sponsor a conference by a group that has consistently lobbied against these alternate options? Recent years have seen Wisconsin families empowered to fight back against the education establishment. To spend their hard-earned tax dollars on something diametrically opposed to their interests is wrong.