Four years ago when traveling through northern New England there were many “EDUCATION IS ON THE BALLOT” yard signs mingled in with many candidates’ signs for the November ballot. Today, almost four years later and in the Coulee Region of Wisconsin, education is still on the ballot.

This was evident at the recent 2026 WISGOP State Convention in Wisconsin Dells. Immediately after the Convention was called to order, the first featured speaker was the United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Secretary McMahon presented a very exciting and encouraging; patriotic and positive speech that shared many accomplishments of the current Trump administration. While it did not single out education it could have been presented by any of the many Cabinet Secretaries, but it was the Secretary of Education! The featured speaker at the noontime luncheon was Brittany Kinser, the former conservative candidate for Wisconsin’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Kinser gave a power-packed and passionate presentation on solving the current woes of Wisconsin public education. Many believed the speech may have been her opening speech of the 2029 campaign for the office she sought unsuccessfully 2025!

Other speakers offered comments on education as well. Senator Ron Johnson referenced a survey of current campaign issues where education was the number one issue. In a panel of Wisconsin’s Representatives Scott Fitzgerald (R-5th) offered “Dismantle the NEA” as an initial step to improving Wisconsin education. Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-3rd) emphasized that Rep Tom Tiffany – current conservative candidate for Governor – is a strong advocate for education. Van Orden, you may remember, campaigned in 2024 on “An education our children deserve”.

One of the many business items brought before the Convention was the approval of the Republican Party of Wisconsin Platform which was an edited version of the previous Platform but with eleven priorities added to guide the Republican Party. One of these priorities was titled “Education freedom, transparency, and excellence” and stated “We support parental choice and transparency in curricula and spending, and we call for high standards that prioritize core academics, civic literacy, and respect for parents’ primary role in their children’s education.”

The costs of education and dissatisfaction with school district leadership have been on the ballot in the past few years and probably longer. In 2021, Wisconsin had eleven school board recall elections making it second only to California with 25. The only known effort in the Coulee Region (in 2011) was at the Sparta Area School District where the two School Board Members being recalled both resigned prior to the recall election. About the same time, or soon thereafter, the Sparta Superintendent of Schools left her position ahead of schedule. The impact of the pandemic may have affected both of these situations but other Coulee Region school districts didn’t suffer the same story!

This past spring there were a great number of Wisconsin school district referendums asking for more money many of which failed. It seems that schools have a lot of reasonable wants, maybe even needs, but a lack of money. But, student populations are dropping across the region, across the state, and even across the country. Since state aid is based on a per student criteria, less students equates to less state aid! Generally speaking, school boards need to both prioritize the needs and “DOGE” their school district inside-out! More taxes, especially with Gov. Evers famous 400 year veto, don’t seem to be the answer.

Seems school boards spend a lot of time on a lot of pertinent issues other than academics. We have all read about the dismal efforts of Wisconsin schools especially after the State Superintendent of Public Instruction lowered the standards so more students could appear to meet standards. Some refer to the required academics as “The three Rs” (“reading, ‘writing, and ‘arithmetic”) but our students seem severely lacking in civics and basic financial education too. Others refer to the elements of education as “the ABCs” but we need to add a D. The D is for Discipline which is something lacking in American education today. A lack of discipline not only impacts the misbehaving student but all the other students in the classroom and certainly the teacher!

So, with education on the ballot, be prepared to ask the tough questions. Be ready to express a concern with the “business as usual” aptitude and attitude. Be ready to question the priority of where our tax dollars are spent and if that is the best investment. Questions on discipline in the classroom and how that impacts society could be asked of all candidates. All the candidates for any office should be concerned!

A bright spot in the Coulee region is the recently established taxpayer advocacy group in support of the Sparta Area School District. Hopefully this group of concerned citizens will make a positive impact in Sparta and maybe set the example for other Coulee Region school districts.

Education is on the ballot. But, we need to remember what George Will, the well-known American journalist and pundit known for political conservatism and for being a friend of Ronald Reagan once said “Voters don’t decide the issues, they decide who will decide the issues.”

Get informed and get involved. Help elect the right candidates to decide the issues!