WEAC Opposes New Bill to Mandate Math Curriculum
WEAC has registered in opposition to a bill to overhaul math curriculum in Wisconsin Public Schools, akin to the Act 20 literacy law enacted in 2023.
Math teachers across the state have reached out in concern of another mandated math curriculum with no additional funding to support the program. The bill’s authors have referred to the new bill as ‘Act 20 for math.’
Act 20, the new literacy law has been riddled with problems, including the Legislature’s refusal to release funding for implementation for years and a fast-tracked timeline that left teachers without resources and training in the early stages. The oversight council of the literacy law includes political appointees and bureaucrats – and one teacher.
WEAC members stress that no one cares more than teachers about math instruction and achievement, but that teaching students requires funding for interventions, one-on-one instruction and flexible approaches. “Students are at the center of everything Wisconsin math teachers do,” said WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen. “Highly qualified professional educators are working tirelessly and have been clear about what we need to be sure every student – without exception – grasps the math needed for today’s world. We need the state to fund its fair share for those proven methods to boost achievement, not more standardized tests and textbook lobbyists in the state Capitol.”
Madison Teachers Inc. President Andrea Missureli, a math teacher, agreed. “Our children do not need more hoops to jump through or more unfunded bureaucratic hurdles,” she wrote. “Our students who are struggling with meeting test scores need money and resource investments, not unfunded mandates that will only drain existing funds and reduce services elsewhere, including support for our Special Education and ELL students.”
The same authors of the unfunded math bill voted for a zero percent increase in general aids for public schools and refused to increase special education reimbursement for them to the same amount private vouchers receive.
WEAC’s position mirrors that of the state Department of Public Instruction. We stand for high standards and show up every day to do our part to make sure every student masters the math skills they need to be successful in today’s world. In our classrooms, educators have high standards for students, constantly trying new things to get every single one of them to surpass expectations.
“The same politicians who refused to fund public schools are now bemoaning the results of their actions without remedy,” Wirtz-Olsen said. “They’re not talking about the huge gaps that exist between different groups of students, something about which educators have desperately sounded the alarm. Instead, these politicians invoke sweeping statements and refuse to address equity to close racial and economic gaps in learning that have reached epic levels.
“Teachers don’t need more mandated curriculum from politicians,” Wirtz-Olsen said. “Wisconsin doesn’t need more highly-paid lobbyists selling curriculum in the Capitol. Students don’t need more standardized tests. Educators and schools need predictable, fair funding for math programs that allow struggling students one-on-one tutoring and classroom teachers to meet each student where they are.”
WEAC members are asked to contact your legislators today to share your views on Assembly Bill 615.
