Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander) issued the following statement after being appointed by Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) to be the Chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Rural Schools.

“I am honored to chair this important task force,” Swearingen said. “Speaker Vos is committed to helping rural schools throughout the state. We agree that the challenges facing rural schools need to be addressed now. Rural schools’ budgets are vastly different than those in Madison and Milwaukee. I look forward to working with the members of the bipartisan task force to find real solutions for smaller districts across Wisconsin.”

The Speaker’s Task Force on Rural Schools was created to study issues pertaining to financial stability, declining enrollment, transportation needs and other rural school issues.

The members of the task force will be announced soon. The first meeting will be held this month in Rhinelander, followed by a meeting in Merrill.