Issue of the Week: Losing Local Control of MPS

The state SenateEducation Committee held a rare public meeting in Milwaukeeon Tuesday to listen to testimony from legislators and Milwaukee residents about proposals to changethe governance of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). And it’s a good thingthey did travel to Milwaukee,since, as one member of the committee noted, none of them is from the state’slargest urban area. Not even the suburbs, either. Indeed: The senators who willloom large over the future of MPS are from Racine,Fond du Lac, Poplar, Waunakee, Green Bay, Ripon and West Bend.Not to take anything away from these esteemed outstate legislators, but thenuts and bolts of fixing the problems of sprawling, urban, diverse MPSwhere10% of the state’s students are enrolledmust seem pretty foreign to them.

That means that theselegislators are relying on the advice of Milwaukeeleaders and residentsand they’re deeply divided. It also means that MPSreformno matter how it turns outis in the hands of state lawmakers, not Milwaukee voters, or MPSparents, or even City Hall. Nope. Like the school choice program, the future ofeducation in Milwaukeewill be decided by non-Milwaukeeans.

Again, we applaud theSenate Education Committee for coming to Milwaukeeto listen. We’re counting on them to represent the best interests of thestate’s largest citynot elite businesspeople or politicians who want toadvance their careers.

Hero of the Week

Lona Long Velasco

Just around the cornerfrom Walker’s Point Centerfor the Arts (WPCA), in the midst of a historic immigrant, working-classneighborhood, lives WPCA’s board president, Lona Long Velasco. Velasco, apassionate champion for arts and culture, has put her heart and soul into thework of this local art institution and the community. As a longtime boardmember and current president, Velasco has successfully led WPCA in itsexpansion of arts education and exhibition programs. Her leadership has resulted inincreased exposure to arts education for underserved youth and communityrecognition of the value of the arts in our lives. Too often we fail torecognize the people who sacrifice their time to lead the nonprofitorganizations that are so vital to sustaining Milwaukee’s quality of life. A hero affectspeople and creates change; Lona Long Velasco is truly a hero to our community.

Jerk of the Week

Congressman Paul Ryan

Since Paul Ryan is alikable fellow, it is hard to call him a jerk. It is, however, totallyappropriate to call him the Hypocrite of the Week. Ryan has been a strong andvery vocal critic of the 2009 federal stimulus package that many honestconservatives now admit helped prevent the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009from declining into another Great Depression. The stimulus package was designedto create jobs and get the average person working again. Basically, it was designed to help “Main Street.”

Ryan criticized thestimulus as being ineffective and adding to the federal deficit. So now we haveRyan as a hypocrite twice over. First, he supported the bank bailout monies,known as TARP, which rescued major Wall Street banks and, yes, added to thesame federal deficit. Now, after criticizing the stimulus package for the pastyear and voting against it, Ryan is lining up to try to secure $547,000 for apublic works project in his district. Ourquestion is simple: Why can’t Paul Ryan be a little more honest with hisconstituents and a lot less political?