So much for local control

The Republican party has long been the party of local control. It is a sound argument, that local units of government are best positioned to decide how to conduct their business. What works in Racine may not work in Wausau. Unfortunately, Wisconsin lawmakers only cling to that ideal when it suits them politically. When the pandemic first hit, the Wisconsin Legislature resisted statewide mask mandates and statewide emergency orders meant to slow the spread of the virus. They argued that it should be up to local units of government, not the state, to decide what restrictions should be adopted. However, when it comes to funding Wisconsin schools, our state lawmakers are quick to abandon the idea of local control. They are pressing Governor Tony Evers to financially reward those school districts that have maintained or resumed in-person learning in their schools. They are calling on the Governor to prioritize spending of federal money from the CARES Act to reward those schools for letting students return to the classroom. It isn’t really local control if you give them the freedom to make the decisions which they decide suit them best, then punish them because you don’t like the decisions they made. Wisconsin Republicans should remember their past, and push for local control, and then get out of the way.