The Wheaton R-III School District Board of Education reviewed, discussed, and approved the District's Legislative Priority list for this year's legislative session at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday evening. This platform provides the District's community members, school personnel, and representative organizations to present a unified voice when advocating for the school at the state and federal level.
Superintendent Chris Paullus had this to say about the upcoming legislative session, "Political advocacy for our small, rural schools has never been more important than it is today. By approving this list of priorities, the Board has provided a strong foundation for the community to voice concerns to their state and federal representatives about how their actions could impact the lifeblood of our community. With legislation surrounding property taxes, open enrollment, voucher expansion, income tax, and accreditation measures on the horizon, we will need our community voices more than ever."
The list of priorities centers on six primary topics that are likely to be impacted by proposed legislation in an increasingly challenging state legislature. These topics include:
Advocacy for our Local School District
Prioritizing Funding for Public Education
Recruitment and Retention of Teachers and Support Staff
Tax Revenue Considerations
Assessment and Accountability System Reform
Economic Development
The full document is available for review on the District's website, and can be found directly here. Mr. Paullus welcomes any questions from the community surrounding political advocacy, impending legislation, or this list of priorities. He may be contacted via email at cpaullus@wheatonschools.org.