Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers visits Florence County schools, tours technology and welding centers
FLORENCE, Wis. (WLUC) - “Kids Get Ahead” is an initiative started by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D). Its goal is to establish strong academic and mental health resources for children across the state. Evers toured classrooms in Florence County Wednesday.
The Florence County School District offers programs like music, welding and dual enrollment classes with Northern Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). Evers was formerly the state superintendent. He said the Florence district has come a long way.
“Just to see how they are able to work with a small population and give them the same opportunities as a large high school could is wonderful. We have great leadership here,” Evers said.
On Wednesday, Evers spoke to students and staff about their work and their needs. He said every district has different necessities.
“During the pandemic, we were able to supply some resources to help get kids ahead,” Evers said. “We are going to expand that going forward in the next budget. I think that is really important.”
Through the Kids Get Ahead program, the Florence County School District has received about $40,000 in state money. Superintendent Karl Morrin said he is still assessing the district’s needs, but a decision to allocate the funds could come as early as spring.
“What we are going to look at doing is trying to make sure we meet the needs of the mental health of our students,” Morrin said. “That is state-wide, where we are dealing with the mental health of our students coming out of COVID.”
Evers said the mental health needs of students will continue to be there, so resources need to grow.
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