State Superintendent Decries GOP-Backed Education Policies During Address

Evers Points To School Funding Levels, Proposed Licensing Requirements At 'State Of Education' Speech

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Courtesy of Wisconsin Public Television

Wisconsin schools Superintendent Tony Evers said that teachers across the state are doing a good job, despite efforts by a Republican-controlled Legislature that he said are making their jobs harder.

In his annual State of Education address on Thursday, Evers said the political debate over public school policies is “flooding into the classroom.”

“Whether it’s school funding, whether it’s lowering licensing requirements or mandating another test, the drum beat can be deafening and deflating. And the impact may not be immediate, but by golly, it will happen,” he said.

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Evers said the impact can already be seen in the drop in the number of college students signing up for teacher training courses: He said there’s been a 12 percent drop in new teachers getting licenses over the past two years.

Evers said students he’s talked to say they don’t want to enter a profession that’s become the target of negative political rhetoric.