Contact: Sen. Mark Miller (D – Monona) (608)266-9170

MADISON, WI – Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) offered the weekly Democratic radio address today.

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here:
http://media2.legis.wisconsin.gov/multimedia/Sen16/millerradio051018.mp3

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hello, this is Senator Mark Miller with this week’s democratic radio address.

“This week is teacher appreciation week. Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. Teaching is more than a career; it is a commitment to improving the lives of our children and putting them on a path to future success.

“Wisconsin’s public schools are the heart of our communities, universities and colleges are the heart of our state. But they are taking a beating. Since 2011, $2 billion has been cut from K-12 schools, UW campuses and Technical Colleges. As this money has been taken directly out of the classroom, costs have shifted to local municipalities and to students. Public school districts have been forced to pass referenda just to operate. In fact, since 2011 over 240 referenda passed, raising over $1 billion in assistance. With funding uncertain from year to year, our schools are not able to plan, grow and thrive. Teachers should not be forced to spend their own hard-earned dollars to fund supplies for their classrooms. But you’ll find that in Wisconsin, nearly all of them do just that.

“Our state has a strong history of investing in our public education system. We need to ensure educators have the resources they need to effectively teach our children. We need to match the commitment and passion that they bring to the classroom every day. So if you see a teacher this week, thank them.”

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