Question of the Week for Democratic Candidates

How would you save public education?

Apr. 25, 2012

midnight

In the final weeks leading up to the May 8 Democratic primary for governor, the Shepherd will ask the candidates questions about tough issues facing the state, then print their answers for our readers' review. This is the second installment in our “question of the week” series. Question of the Week: Last week, state Superintendent Tony Evers announced that 73% of the state's 424 school districts cut teachers during the 2011-2012 school year, resulting in 2,312 fewer positions, including 1,446 fewer teachers in classrooms. The cuts are due to Gov. Scott Walker's slashing of $749 million in general school aids as well as reducing the per-pupil revenue limit by $1.6 billion from prior law. Because of these cuts, as well as the loss of federal stimulus money, public school districts are bracing for an even worse 2012-2013 school year. But Walker and his fellow Republicans claim that the savings from Act 10 are helping school districts weather the cuts in state aid. If you are elected governor in June, you would begin your term in the midst of a biennial budget cycle that is already showing signs of strain. You'd also have to work with Republicans who have shown little to no interest in supporting public education, whether it's funding elementary schools or the state's universities. So, how would you help Wisconsin's public schools as they face an expected funding crisis in the 2012-2013 school year? Tom Barrett, Milwaukee mayor: Gov. Walker pushed through the largest education cuts in Wisconsin history. This is in addition to Walker's deep cuts to the University of Wisconsin System and our state's technical colleges. At the same time, Walker gave primarily corporations and the super-rich $2.3 billion in tax cuts over the next 10 years. The consequences of these cuts are beginning to be felt. A new report shows that Wisconsin schools lost 2,300 staff positions last year, including 1,400 teacher positions. A strong education systemK-12, technical college and four-year collegeis absolutely essential to Wisconsin's future economic health and vitality. Companies want a skilled and educated workforce. If we lag behind other states, then those states become more attractive for companies to expand or relocate. Education is a jobs and economic development issue, pure and simple. As governor I will work to roll back Walker's tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations, and restore the investments in education that Walker cut. To learn more about Tom Barrett, go to <a href="http://www.barrettforwisconsin.com" target="_blank">www.barrettforwisconsin.com</a>. Kathleen Falk, former Dane County executive: Education will be my top priority as governor. Gov. Walker's record cuts to public education hurt our children and limit our economic growth. Gov. Walker's approach is to give big, unaccountable tax breaks to the few, but my belief is you create jobs by investing in education. All across the state people have told me Gov. Walker's cuts to education is one of the top reasons he is being recalled. I also believe public tax dollars should go to public schoolsand any school receiving taxpayer funds should have the same accountability standards. When our kids, our teachers and our schools need resources the most, Gov. Walker is failing us. I have a 14-year record of balancing budgets and funding our most important priorities, and that is the skill I will bring to undoing Gov. Walker's attacks on public education. To learn more about Kathleen Falk, go to <a href="http://www.kathleenfalk.com" target="_blank">www.kathleenfalk.com</a>. Doug La Follette, secretary of state: Wisconsin had the largest reductions in state aid per student this school year because of this budget. The dollar change in spending from the last fiscal year to this year dropped $635 per student under Gov. Scott Walker's budget. A cut to education funding of this magnitude is deplorable. It is plain that the results are larger class sizes, fewer subject offerings and a reduction in the quality of education in our public schools. I support the proposal put forth by the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES), which would increase funding for public schools and the state's university system through the addition of 1% to the state sales tax. I would review the overall sales tax to provide exemptions for necessities, and close loopholes, making it more progressive. I also support Superintendent Evers' “Fair Funding for Our Future” plan. I would work with legislators from both parties. To learn more about Doug La Follette, go to <a href="http://www.douglafollette.com" target="_blank">www.douglafollette.com</a>. Kathleen Vinehout, state senator: As governor, everything I propose would have to be approved by the Legislature. Some Republicans might be willing to help, however, since their governor's budget priorities would have been recently rejected by the voters. My approach to public schools would be similar to the approach I took last year when I proposed an alternative to Gov. Walker's budget. I restored $398 million to public schools and technical colleges, $116 million to family care, and $4.5 million to veterans' programs. I also reversed the $70 million tax increase on lower-income working families and homeowners. To balance the budget I eliminated $105 million in new programs, $43 million in new payments to private schools and $98 million in tax cuts to corporations. In addition, I returned the $343 million transferred out of the general fund. In fixing the budget midterm, I would look first at these changes. To learn more about Kathleen Vinehout, go to <a href="http://kathleenvinehout.org" target="_blank">kathleenvinehout.org</a>.

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Comments (8)

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Can't you all see? There is no answer, the only wa...

Can't you all see? There is no answer, the only way to get by for awhile is to get rid of those "glorified babysitters" that watch other people's kids while they are either at work or out doing their "business". All the baby boomers are now old enough to no longer have any kids in public schools, so cut them off, don't take taxes from empty-nesters to pay for schools that they no longer benefit from! -- simple selfish greed!

A state is supposed to balance its budget, only the Feds can use deficit spending, it's in our US constitution! With limited revenue, cuts had to be made. Look at Oconomowoc, faced with the choice of keep all teachers employed but take a pay cut, or keep full pay but let some be laid off, they all said "like hell will I take a pay cut, lay off the low seniority ones instead!"... even the "thugs" have spoken.

No, Republicans are severely divided, the Romney top 0.1% of them own the businesses, both small and large. They depend on America to be their customers, they do not want these customers to be smart and buy with a critical eye, just blindly buy what the paid ads on TV, radio, and newspaper tell them to buy. They have already outsourced some of the labor, so they no longer need to educate the future workers. And what workers thy do need here, they want them not to be smart enough to know that they are putting themselves in danger on their job, or know what the environmental consequences of their work practices are, just do what they are are paid to do. If a worker gets hurt, they are a dime a dozen, another is ready to step in to take their place, right?

Yet we complain about the shortage of skilled workers. Is it really a shortage, or just a shortage of skilled workers who will accept a wage far lower than what they used to make? This is why the Romney class needs to have MORE women and minorities put through our tech schools, so that they who are already used to a lower level lifestyle will be able to survive on the lower pay that is offered... and be happy for it! Nobody wants to hire that older skilled worker who knows what the good life is, also has high bills to pay, they will not happily do their new job.

When I lived in GM town Janesville, the students had no desire to go to college, or even get good grades in High School. Why should they, they will just go work for GM and make better starting pay than if they went to college. -- That's your working class conservative, eduction past 6th was really not that important to them... You out there, how much of your daily job is using that stuff you learned in Middle School or High School? Not much, I'll bet, except how to read people, learn who you could dominate, the stuff you learned in the hallway, the athletic field, the school dance, not the stuff learned in the classroom.

The rest of the Republicans, the Santorum ones, they see another problem. School did not get them where they are, they had apprenticeships and real world skills taught in the school of hard knocks. They know that Affirmative Action quotas denied them of the fruits of their preferred status, they saw nameless welfare moms on the news who cold not possibly be related to any of their neighbors, saw school integration put the drug-dealer's kids in the classrooms with their "innocent" kids. They have a whole different reason to tear down this liberal, huge government that they got hurt by instead of benefits.

Any fixing to be done needs to be done at the Federal level, with the 453 elected to Congress and 100 elected to Senate. Only they can make sure the states stay equal, don't allow one state to take advantage of other states, don't allow them to undercut each other. The man in the Oval Office can do nothing without those 553. A State is not allowed to really set themselves up for success, so long as the US Constitution prevents them from closing their borders, or prevents them from forcing their unproductive citizens to leave or to at least stop consuming oxygen, water, food, and other costly life-sustaining resources.