WITESOL is committed to advocating for the rights of multilingual learners. The Advocacy Committee Chair is appointed by the WITESOL Board and is dedicated to furthering WITESOL’s efforts to communicate with local and state policymakers and local government. The WITESOL Advocacy Chair for 2026 is Melanie Schneider, pictured below (right) representing advocacy at the 2025 WITESOL fall conference. Join WITESOL to stay informed about the Advocacy Book Club and other upcoming events!

WITESOL President Attended TESOL and NABE Advocacy in Action Days in Washington, DC – June 2026

The 2026 TESOL x NABE In-Person Advocacy Days represented a coordinated effort to advocate for critical legislative support affecting multilingual learners in Wisconsin. This initiative brought educators and advocates to meet with legislators to present specific funding requests and policy protections essential to serving the state’s growing population of English learners and multilingual students.

The advocacy effort addresses the needs of more than 5 million K-12 multilingual learners of English (MLEs) in U.S. public schools, a population that includes English learners, bilingual students, and dual language students. Notably, over 50% of these students are U.S.-born citizens. Educators serving this population teach all students in their classrooms regardless of English proficiency level, ensuring that every child learns to read, succeeds academically, and develops prospects for future employment or post-secondary education.

Legislative Asks and Rationales

Ask 1: Federal Education Funding for FY27

It was requested that legislators support maintaining or increasing funding for three critical federal education programs:

Title II-A of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Title II of the Higher Education Act

We requested level funding for these programs, which improve professional development for educators and support pipelines to address teacher shortages. Critically, advocates emphasized that this funding should not be rolled into a “MEGA” grant, which would dilute its effectiveness.

*Rationale:* This legislation directly addresses teacher shortages for English learners. The U.S. Department of Education has approved Wisconsin DPI’s identification of ESL and Bilingual/Bicultural Education teachers as a Teacher Shortage Area for five consecutive school years (2021/22 through 2025/26). Maintaining dedicated funding streams ensures targeted support for recruiting and developing educators qualified to serve multilingual learners.

Title III of ESEA

We requested increased funding to $1 billion for Title III, which directly supports more than 5 million multilingual learners by providing supplemental funds for states and local districts to assist students in reaching language proficiency and meeting state academic standards.

*Rationale:* The stakes for Wisconsin are substantial. If Title III funding were eliminated entirely, Wisconsin would lose $8.2 million for English Language Acquisition programs and 187 teacher positions, according to the Education Law Center. Advocates emphasized a straightforward message: if policymakers want English learners to learn English, they must fund Title III rather than eliminate it.

 Ask 2: Protecting Sensitive Locations

We requested support for the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, introduced by Representative Espaillat (HR 1061) and Senator Blumenthal (S 455).

Background: Since 2011, the Department of Homeland Security’s Protected Areas Policy prohibited immigration enforcement actions in locations providing vital services to U.S. citizens and migrants, including healthcare facilities, public and private schools, churches, government buildings, and places where children gather. On January 20, 2025, this policy was rescinded, with immigration officials instructed to use “common sense” in enforcement decisions at previously protected locations.

The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act would codify the longstanding guidance into law, ensuring that schools remain accessible to all learners for education without fear of immigration enforcement.

*Rationale:* The ambiguity of “common sense” in immigration enforcement has created significant fear among families, driving down school attendance. Students cannot learn if they are afraid to attend school. Survey data reveals the widespread impact of immigration enforcement concerns on school communities: 44% of respondents from K-12 public schools—including educators, school leadership, administrators, researchers, and program leaders—report that 89% of their schools serve English learners. This legislation is essential to protect public and private schools from immigration enforcement actions and maintain educational access for all students.

Impact on Wisconsin Educators and Students

The advocacy initiative addresses multiple interconnected challenges facing Wisconsin’s educational system:

Teacher Shortage Crisis: The persistent identification of ESL and Bilingual/Bicultural Education as teacher shortage areas for five consecutive years demonstrates an ongoing workforce crisis. Without adequate federal funding for professional development and recruitment pipelines, Wisconsin will struggle to staff classrooms serving multilingual learners.

Financial Vulnerability: The potential loss of $8.2 million in Title III funding and 187 teaching positions would severely compromise Wisconsin’s capacity to serve English learners effectively, undermining both language acquisition and academic achievement for this growing student population.

Climate of Fear: The rescission of protected areas policy has created an environment where families fear accessing essential services, including education. Declining school attendance among multilingual learners directly impacts their academic progress and long-term educational outcomes.

Learn more!

You can learn more about these asks and other advocacy priorities in these slides from the Advocacy Action Days Two Months Out webinar, held in August 2026!

WITESOL Legislative Days 2026

WITESOL’s Legislative Days took place from Feb. 9-11, 2026 with some participants extending that time in order to be able to meet with their state legislators. The main ask of Legislative Days was to reinstate Wisconsin’s in-state tuition law, which was in place for one year (2009-10) under Governor Jim Doyle. This law made it possible for all high school graduates and holders of a high school equivalency diploma, regardless of their legal status, to attend public colleges and universities at the in-state tuition rate. The out-of-state tuition rate is about double the in-state rate.  Specifically, our ask is the following:

Reinstate Wisconsin’s in-state tuition law so that all graduates of Wisconsin high schools or those who have completed a high school equivalency diploma, regardless of legal status, can attend public universities and colleges, including technical colleges, at the in-state (resident) tuition rate. 

A total of eight WITESOL members met with 14 state legislators (8 Assembly Representatives and 6 Senators) to lay the foundation for reinstating this law.  Most legislators were supportive of the law, but passage requires bipartisan support, and the upcoming November elections will determine if there is any shift in control of one or both houses of the state legislature. Passing a new law will require ongoing effort. One thing that WITESOL members can do before next year is to talk with Assembly and Senate candidates (new or incumbent) about the importance of reinstating the in-state tuition law for our state’s multilingual high school graduates and holders of a high school equivalency diplomay. An in-state tuition law will make a difference in their ability to afford tuition for two-year colleges, public universities, or technical colleges.

NELR Letter to ED & DOJ: Rescinded EL Guidance

The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice rescinded the 2015 Dear Colleague Letter in August, leaving many of us concerned that states would take that to mean that school districts no longer needed to comply with the laws and Supreme Court decisions that address the education of multilingual learners. This letter is an essential way we ensure educational access and equity for our multilingual learners.

In response, WITESOL has signed onto a letter from the National English Learner Roundtable (NELR), of which our parent organization TESOL International is a member, calling on the Department of Education and Department of Justice to restore the 2015 Letter.

ED-OMB Letter: U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

On July 17, 2025, a letter was sent to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Director of the Office of Management Russell Vought urging them to release $6.8 billion in already allocated funds to states to support K-12 public school and adult learners.  The letter was signed by 600 nonpartisan local, state, and national organizations across the nation, including WITESOL. The legally obligated funds were to be sent to the states by July 1, 2025, and are critically needed to allow for planning for the upcoming school year in the various title programs. These funds include $890 million for Title III: English Language Acquisition grants to the states, which support multilingual learners of English across the nation. Wisconsin’s share of K-12 funding is $72.6 million (Source: Learning Policy Center)

Please read the letter and go to the #EdFundsNow campaign page to contact your U.S. legislators and urge them to put pressure on Secretary McMahon and Director Vought to release these critically needed funds to the states.  Also, please consider sharing a story telling how you, your school district, or your program has been or will be impacted by the withholding of these funds. Your personal story will help your message stick!