Chippewa Valley groups press new state majority on schools, health care and affordability
Chippewa Valley nonprofit and advocacy groups gathered outside the Eau Claire County Government Center on Monday, Nov. 9, urging newly elected Democratic lawmakers to act on school funding, Medicaid expansion, criminal justice reform and rising costs.
The Wisco Wire · November 10, 2026 · Eau Claire, WI
Advocacy and nonprofit groups from across the Chippewa Valley gathered in Eau Claire on Monday, Nov. 9, to call on newly elected Democratic state lawmakers to use their new majority to address affordability, health care and school funding.
The press conference was held outside the Eau Claire County Government Center while the election certificate process was taking place inside. Bill Hogseth, co-executive director of GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said the results of last week's election showed voters want meaningful change, describing the vote as a rejection of an economy that leaves regular people struggling.
School funding was a central theme. Dr. Stephanie Farrar, president of the Eau Claire Area School District Board of Education and speaking for the Wisconsin Public Education Network, called for full funding of public schools, saying every profession starts in a public school and that the state should invest in every child now.
Representatives from Citizen Action of Wisconsin and WISDOM also spoke, calling for expansion of Medicaid and for reforms to the criminal justice system. Organizers said health care costs and general affordability were among the issues voters raised most during the campaign.
