A Community Leader: Bringing Life to Milwaukee And Leadership to Madison
Charlene's leadership will strengthen families and the 17th District Community
About Charlene
Serving The Community
Charlene Abughrin is a Milwaukee mother of six, healthcare professional, educator and entrepreneur who believes strong families, safe neighborhoods and a quality education can give every child the opportunity to succeed.
Charlene knows Milwaukee Public Schools firsthand. She attended MPS and raised six children who attended MPS. After her own children experienced violence in Milwaukee schools, Charlene became the plaintiff in Abughrin v. Milwaukee Board of School Directors, the successful lawsuit that forced MPS and the City of Milwaukee to follow state law and return school resource officers to our schools.
Charlene has more than 15 years of experience in healthcare and education, from direct patient care and community health education to healthcare administration, staff supervision and professional training. Her experience includes working with the Blood Center of Wisconsin, serving donors and supporting the health of communities throughout the region.
As Chief Administrator of Alliance Health Care Institute, Charlene has also built and managed an organization of her own. Today, she trains medical professionals, helping people establish careers caring for others, achieve financial independence and become valuable contributors to their communities. She understands firsthand what it means to manage employees, create opportunities and face the challenges of running a small business.
Charlene has also been active with organizations throughout the community. Through the Alliance Foundation of Hope, she has provided tuition-free medical training to help people pursue careers in healthcare. She serves as a board member of Wings International, an AIDS ministry, and has volunteered with domestic violence organizations, the NAACP and the American Red Cross.
Charlene believes government requires accountability. Elected officials have become so comfortable spending your money that too many have stopped listening to the people they serve. She's a fighter who isn't afraid to stand up to government when it fails the people it's supposed to serve.
Now Charlene is running to represent Wisconsin's 17th Assembly District.
She stood up for Milwaukee families as a mother. Now she's ready to fight for them in Madison.
Welcome to Our World
We believe in creating meaningful experiences that inspire and connect. Let us help you bring your vision to life.
Education
Every child deserves a safe school and a real education.
I've already fought to make Milwaukee schools safer. When MPS failed to follow state law requiring school resource officers, I took action — and won.
But making our schools safe is only the beginning.
A safe classroom should be a place where teachers can teach and children can learn.
In Milwaukee Public Schools, only 23.6% of students are meeting grade-level expectations in English and just 19.3% are meeting expectations in math.
For Black students, the results are even more alarming. On the Nation's Report Card, only 5% of Black fourth-graders in MPS were proficient in reading.
Yet out of more than 72,000 MPS students last year, only 3,139 — 4.3% — were held back to repeat a grade.
We cannot keep moving children from grade to grade without making sure they've learned what they need to succeed. Too many eventually receive a high school diploma without the knowledge and skills they need — and a diploma should mean something.
Parents deserve honest information about how their children are doing. Teachers deserve orderly classrooms where they can teach. And students deserve high expectations, discipline and an education that prepares them for a career, college and life.
College isn't the only path to success. We should expand career and technical education, apprenticeships, certifications and other training that connects students directly with family-supporting careers.
We know the problems. It's time to start measuring results and trying new ideas.
A vote for me is a vote for
Safe schools. High standards. Strong families. Real results.
Safe Neighborhoods
Stolen vehicles. Violent teen takeovers. And a system that too often lets it happen again.
We cannot build strong neighborhoods when families are afraid to let their children play outside, businesses are afraid to invest, and young people grow up believing there are no consequences for dangerous behavior.
Policing alone won't solve the problem.
As a mother of six, I fought to return school resource officers to Milwaukee schools. A good officer isn't just there when something goes wrong. Officers can build relationships with students, establish expectations and become trusted adults in a young person's life.
As your representative, I'll support law enforcement and consequences for violent crime. We'll also invest in proven crime prevention: strong families, mentoring, after-school activities, job opportunities and positive role models.
But we can do more!
HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door program encourages first responders, teachers and other eligible professionals to buy homes and put down roots in neighborhoods that need investment. Children need successful adults they can look up to living right in their own neighborhoods.
I'll propose that Wisconsin build on this idea and expand it to include other working professionals, such as nurses and skilled tradespeople, as neighbors and mentors for our children. We can strengthen neighborhoods, create more positive role models and make Milwaukee an attractive place to buy a home again.
Safer communities aren't created by one government program. They're built when good people have a reason to stay, invest, raise families and become a Good Neighbor.
Real Results
It's your money. Government should remember that.
Families don't have the luxury of ignoring their household budgets. You know what comes in. You know what goes out. And when money gets tight, you make choices and demand value for what you spend.
Government should be held to the same standard.
The City of Milwaukee spends approximately $2.1 billion a year.
The State of Wisconsin spends more than $50 billion a year.
Where does all that money go?
When Milwaukee Public Schools wasn't following the law, I didn't accept excuses. I demanded accountability — and took them to court.
I'll bring that same determination to fiscal oversight in Madison.
I'll ask where your money is going, whether programs are producing results and why taxpayers should keep paying for programs that don't work.
Let's keep what works, fix what doesn't, and stop measuring government's commitment by how much money it spends on it.
Because elected officials aren't spending government money.
They're spending your money.
About Us
Education
Safe Neighborhoods
Healthcare Access
Every child deserves a safe school and a real education.
I've already fought to make Milwaukee schools safer. When MPS failed to follow state law requiring school resource officers, I took action — and won.
But making our schools safe is only the beginning.
A safe classroom should be a place where teachers can teach and children can learn.
In
Every child deserves a safe school and a real education.
I've already fought to make Milwaukee schools safer. When MPS failed to follow state law requiring school resource officers, I took action — and won.
But making our schools safe is only the beginning.
A safe classroom should be a place where teachers can teach and children can learn.
In Milwaukee Public Schools, only 23.6% of students are meeting grade-level expectations in English and just 19.3% are meeting expectations in math.
For Black students, the results are even more alarming. On the Nation's Report Card, only 5% of Black fourth-graders in MPS were proficient in reading.
Yet out of more than 72,000 MPS students last year, only 3,139 — 4.3% — were held back to repeat a grade.
We cannot keep moving children from grade to grade without making sure they've learned what they need to succeed. Too many eventually receive a high school diploma without the knowledge and skills they need — and a diploma should mean something.
Parents deserve honest information about how their children are doing. Teachers deserve orderly classrooms where they can teach. And students deserve high expectations, discipline and an education that prepares them for a career, college and life.
College isn't the only path to success. We should expand career and technical education, apprenticeships, certifications and other training that connects students directly with family-supporting careers.
We know the problems. It's time to start measuring results and trying new ideas.
A vote for me is a vote for
Safe schools. High standards. Strong families. Real results.
Healthcare Access
Safe Neighborhoods
Healthcare Access
I've spent more than 15 years working in healthcare. I've seen it from the inside.
I've worked in direct patient care, medical assisting, laboratory services, healthcare administration and training the next generation of healthcare professionals.
That experience matters when government makes decisions affecting patients, caregivers and the
I've spent more than 15 years working in healthcare. I've seen it from the inside.
I've worked in direct patient care, medical assisting, laboratory services, healthcare administration and training the next generation of healthcare professionals.
That experience matters when government makes decisions affecting patients, caregivers and the people we depend on to provide our care.
We need to make healthcare more accessible while building the workforce needed to provide it. That means creating more opportunities for people to enter healthcare careers through training, certifications and other pathways that lead directly to good jobs.
I've spent years helping people build those careers.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The rent really is too damn high.
For too many Milwaukee families, housing consumes so much of the monthly paycheck that there's little left for groceries, transportation, childcare or an emergency.
We need more paths to homeownership, more investment in our neighborhoods and policies that reward work instead of making it harder to get ahead.
Safe Neighborhoods
Safe Neighborhoods
Safe Neighborhoods
Stolen vehicles. Violent teen takeovers. And a system that too often lets it happen again.
We cannot build strong neighborhoods when families are afraid to let their children play outside, businesses are afraid to invest, and young people grow up believing there are no consequences for dangerous behavior.
Policing alone won't solve the prob
Stolen vehicles. Violent teen takeovers. And a system that too often lets it happen again.
We cannot build strong neighborhoods when families are afraid to let their children play outside, businesses are afraid to invest, and young people grow up believing there are no consequences for dangerous behavior.
Policing alone won't solve the problem.
As a mother of six, I fought to return school resource officers to Milwaukee schools. A good officer isn't just there when something goes wrong. Officers can build relationships with students, establish expectations and become trusted adults in a young person's life.
As your representative, I'll support law enforcement and consequences for violent crime. We'll also invest in proven crime prevention: strong families, mentoring, after-school activities, job opportunities and positive role models.We need more paths to homeownership, more investment in our neighborhoods and policies that reward work instead of making it harder to get ahead.
Commutiy Gatherings
