As Wisconsin works to improve the reading proficiency of its students, state legislators are pushing forward a reading program mandate. Designed to raise literacy rates across the state, the requirement has forced hundreds of school districts to seek waivers due to high costs and mixed results.

Gov. Tony Evers recently spoke with Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, both of whom expressed concerns over the cost of implementation and lack of measurable effects of the program. Superintendent Jill Underly is also pushing back against the mandate with her own program supported by her coalition.

Superintendents such as Susan Austin of Groton, who has worked tirelessly on her waiver application, have expressed their opposition to the program: “Commercial programs are not the magic bullet. They de-professionalize teachers and cannot be a one-size-fits-all.”

With over half of all districts