Citizen Advocates for Public Education

06/01/2026

A great reminder from our friends at Public Education Partners!!

05/31/2026

Congrats to the LMASD Class of 2026! You were the last class to enter Kindergarten in the old Prospect School building and the first first grade class in Lake Mills Elementary School. Wishing you confidence in your steps and courage in your next adventures!!

05/28/2026

Funds from our Scoopie Night Fundraiser supported this program at LMMS. Congrats to all students involved!!

05/27/2026

We're proud to be a member of this great organization! "Formed in 2013, CAPE has grown to include more than 300 members and friends representing all facets of our community - including local business leaders, educators, parents, and grandparents.
As an independent citizens' group, they are dedicated to supporting and advocating for quality public education in Lake Mills by championing our exceptional teachers, facilities, and school programs."

Please join us in welcoming our newest Chamber member, Citizen Advocates for Public Education (CAPE), to Legendary Lake Mills!

Formed in 2013, CAPE has grown to include more than 300 members and friends representing all facets of our community - including local business leaders, educators, parents, and grandparents.

As an independent citizens' group, they are dedicated to supporting and advocating for quality public education in Lake Mills by championing our exceptional teachers, facilities, and school programs.

They are incredibly active in our schools! Just this year, CAPE has supported:
🔹 The Mill at the Lake Mills High School
🔹 The Sunrise Reach clothing giveaway
🔹 The Jenni Nichols Outdoor Learning Center
🔹 The Lake Mills Middle School Library

We are so proud to have this dedicated group as part of our Chamber family.

👇 Drop a warm welcome message for CAPE in the comments below!

05/18/2026

"One-time or limited funding increases are not a substitute for the sustainable, equitable funding system Wisconsin public schools deserve. The landmark lawsuit we're supporting focuses on our state's constitutional obligation to provide adequately and equitably funded public education."

It's clear there is growing recognition that schools across the state need more support – and every additional investment helps. The Governor’s proposal for one-time funding has already begun to falter politically — underscoring the very concerns raised by plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The inability of state leaders to secure even limited, temporary relief for schools further demonstrates the instability and dysfunction of Wisconsin’s current school funding system, and highlights why meaningful structural reform is necessary.

One-time or limited funding increases are not a substitute for the sustainable, equitable funding system Wisconsin public schools deserve. The landmark lawsuit we're supporting focuses on our state's constitutional obligation to provide adequately and equitably funded public education – which means determining whether Wisconsin's school funding system meets the constitutional standard of a sound basic education for public school students.

Join our effort to advocate for the funding public schools need to prepare our students for the future: www.FundWIPublicSchools.org/join

05/12/2026

"The devil is in the details and the details are not good - putting in more "aid," but not letting districts spend more money means none of those dollars get to kids. And the increase to special education funding is good (great even!), but because it isn't sum sufficient it's not guaranteed."

Hold your applause on that budget deal.

Giving you $300 might buy a couple tanks of gas, but it keeps our schools running on empty.

The devil is in the details and the details are not good - putting in more "aid," but not letting districts spend more money means none of those dollars get to kids. And the increase to special education funding is good (great even!), but because it isn't sum sufficient it's not guaranteed.

This deal won't close our gaps, and it won't decrease the need to go to referenda to fund our schools. It squanderers our surplus without meeting our needs.

This is election year theater.
What we need is less acting, real action. 

There's time to make this deal better. Let's fix this for Wisconsin kids.

Tell lawmakers: lose the gimmicks & giveaways and use the money Wisconsin has now to meet the needs Wisconsin kids have now.

05/09/2026

Thanks to our amazing volunteers who made Operation Recess possible at LMES! The gift of time was greatly appreciated by our teachers and an extra recess was enjoyed by all students!

05/08/2026

On Thursday, CAPE treated LMES and LMMS teachers to beverages and snacks from our Hospitality Cart.

05/07/2026

From Legendary Lake Mills Chamber Main Street: "A special welcome to our newest Chamber member, Citizen Advocates for Public Education, who work to support quality learning in our city."

Today is 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆, and in Lake Mills, we have a lot to be grateful for! From our early childhood centers to our higher-ed partners, these educators are the backbone of our community and our future workforce.

Please join the Chamber in thanking the incredible teams at:
• 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗞-𝟭𝟮 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Lake Mills Area School Lake Mills Area School District, Lakeside Lutheran High School, St Paul Lutheran Church and School
• 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀: Joyful Hearts Learning Center, Kuhl Corner Campus, Little Woodland Preschool, and Teddy Bear Preschool
• 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Our partners at Madison College Watertown
• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: A special welcome to our newest Chamber member, Citizen Advocates for Public Education, who work to support quality learning in our city.

Lake Mills is stronger because of the people who teach, lead, and care for our students every day.
Drop a comment below to shout out a specific teacher or provider who has made a difference for your family! 👇

05/06/2026

Teacher Appreciation week!