Progress with the state budget is at a standoff in the Capitol. Behind closed doors, leaders are talking details and trying to find votes. Openly, legislative leaders point to a lack of agreement on public education. They say no progress can happen until they round up necessary votes for the education portion of the budget. Privately, some GOP lawmakers are also angling to spend money on a big change to business personal property taxes. However, changes to taxes could take away money promised to schools. Education is the largest part of the general fund budget (the ...

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In his address to the county chairs, Tony Evers (current State Superintendent of Public Schools) had many incisive and wise observations about the state of our state's public schools. He was particularly clear on why sending our tax dollars to private voucher schools is wrong. He pointed out that in the more than 20 years that the private school voucher program has been in effect, all studies show that they perform no better than public schools. And yet that was the reason given for starting them in the first place, to provide a school that would have better results. ...

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Public education in Wisconsin should provide high quality learning for ALL children no matter who they are or where they live,” Eau Claire School Board President Chris Hambuch-Boyle recently told me. Chris and education leaders across the state read with interest details of the Governor’s plan for our next state budget. Governor Walker gave money to a number of new initiatives and reaped the praise of some education leaders. The plan picks and chooses among various proposals advanced over the last few years. Some new programs are funded and some existing programs ...

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For decades, the religious right has gained access to tax dollars by filling a niche in the education system. In addressing an ‘at risk’ population among children, these religious activists have made great strides toward the use of tax dollars for religious instruction. It’s a clever end-run around the law. In Arkansas until 2012, a quietly growing swarm of such preschools illegally utilized millions of tax dollars for programs that began each day with prayer and Bible study. (Which they have never been required to pay back.) Classroom activities included coloring ...

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For years, Wisconsin was in the TOP TEN states when it came to spending money on public education. In the past years, Wisconsin has slipped below the median. Yes, sad but true, Wisconsin is in the middle ranking in financial support of public education. It is important to be aware of this and to arm yourself with facts. Call your legislators and let them know you are among the 90 per cent of the public who support our public schools. You can call the legislators on off-hours and put your message on the message machine or you can call during office hours and talk with ...

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For a long time, teachers have been blamed for the shortcomings of public education. Teachers have been villainized and given many new hoops to jump through. Is it any wonder that a shortage of teachers exists? Some teachers have left Wisconsin for Minnesota. Other teachers have left the profession. College students are choosing careers other than education. Tony Evers, state superintendent of public instruction in Wisconsin, spoke at the Wisconsin Public Education Network Summit in Wauwatosa about the teacher shortage. Hundreds of Wisconsin supporters of public ...

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HOW CAN WE SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? ATTEND THE SUMMER SUMMIT ON AUGUST 23 By WIS. PUBLIC EDUCATION NETWORK TUESDAY, AUGUST 23 8:30 A.M. WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN We need you to help us make our Summer Summit the education event of the year. This is our opportunity to come together to connect, learn, and strategize. What can we do where we live to support Wisconsin public schools? What can we do together as a statewide coalition? How can we maximize our impact? What's happening right now that we need most to understand and connect around? At the ...

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HOW CAN WE SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? ATTEND THE SUMMER SUMMIT ON AUGUST 23 By WIS. PUBLIC EDUCATION NETWORK TUESDAY, AUGUST 23 8:30 A.M. WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN We need you to help us make our Summer Summit the education event of the year. This is our opportunity to come together to connect, learn, and strategize. What can we do where we live to support Wisconsin public schools? What can we do together as a statewide coalition? How can we maximize our impact? What's happening right now that we need most to understand and connect around? At the ...

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Phase 1: 26 years ago, education by exclusion was wrapped in the camouflage of "parental choice". Charter schools were touted as citadels of best practice, hotbeds of innovation, and a much-needed alternative to "failing" public schools. The courts determined that as long as taxpayer money (vouchers) went to the child and not the school, such public support for religious and other private education did not violate the constitution. The bulging public pocket was now open for picking. But, the privatizers had a problem: public schools were not failing fast enough, and in ...

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