Wisconsin special education funding; 2 moms lead advocacy campaign
Wisconsin special education funding advocacy program
Two mothers have started what's called the Learn in My Shoes Campaign, raising awareness for special education funding.
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - In a profession already struggling to hold teachers in classrooms at a national level, the fight for funding is growing – especially for parents of children who use special education programs.
Two mothers have started what's called the Learn in My Shoes Campaign. They are collecting stories and sharing them with legislators in hopes of increasing special education funding.
Learn in My Shoes Campaign
Local perspective:
In just a matter of weeks, Tiffany Schanno has collected stories from across the state, showing the realities of special education in Wisconsin.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Each entry is attached to a sneaker for this campaign.
Why you should care:
For Schanno, it's personal.
At 3 years old, her son Jack was diagnosed with autism. Since then, she's had to navigate the special education system.
"Without those services, my son wouldn’t be able to go to school," Schanno said. "There’s not enough funding."
Going to Madison
What we know:
Next week, the Sheboygan mom will take the shoes and the stories to the Wisconsin State Capitol, hopeful legislators will listen.
Special education services are reimbursed by both the state and federal governments. Currently, the state reimburses at close to 30%. Schanno said it should be at 60%, a figure proposed in Gov. Tony Evers' budget.
She worries potential federal cuts could add strain.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
"It really leaves a lot of uneasiness. We don’t know what that’s going to look like on an already stressed and underfunded system," Schanno said. "We’re just asking for what we’re already supposed to be getting and we think that’s fair and adequate."
She's currently gotten support from Democratic lawmakers and is asking Republicans to join as well. State Republicans have said they won't approve increases without changes to standards and testing.
Schanno said it's an issue that shouldn't be partisan.
The shoes will be put on display at the Capitol next Wednesday.
What you can do:
People have until March 15 to share their own stories about the special education system. They can visit the Learn in My Shoes Campaign website or Facebook page for more.
The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.