Christy Welch, the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly District 88, lists public education as one of the top priorities on her campaign website, stating “[i]nvesting in our children’s education is not only a moral imperative, but also the most strategic investment we can make for our state’s future. Making sure our kids have every resource they need to learn and grow lays the foundation for a brighter, more prosperous future for everyone.” 

Referencing the Republican majorities in Wisconsin’s legislature, Welch goes on to say that “[i]t’s unconscionable that Republicans won’t give a dime from Wisconsin’s record $7 billion budget surplus for our kids’ schools, when some districts are considering painful measures like school closures. I pledge to make fully funding education a top priority, for the sake of our children, our communities and our state.”

Welch has been endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council. 

Republican Benjamin Franklin is Welch’s opponent for State Assembly District 88. Franklin states that “[o]ur youth need access to high-quality education. This needs to be available to every child. We need to support and take care of our teachers who are on the front lines of key developmental years for our youth.” 

If elected, Franklin would join the Assembly Republican delegation, the majority of whom voted for SB 330, a school voucher bill that would have increased “taxpayer payments to private voucher schools by 13 percent for K-8 voucher schools and 33 percent for private voucher high schools.” Franklin does not appear to have indicated his position on school vouchers.