Education
THE RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT PRIVATE SCHOOL FUNDING
In the last few weeks school boards in Janesville, Rhinelander, Green Bay and Wisconsin Rapids passed resolutions stipulating that the public has a right to know how much state aid for public schools is being sent to subsidize private education. I encourage you to work with school boards in your area to further these efforts.
In addition to asking school boards to pass their own resolutions, we can encourage school board members to support a WASB resolution--that will be introduced Jan. 17th at their state convention--that calls for reporting on local tax bills the ...
POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT STATEWIDE VOUCHER FUNDING
By WEAC (Wisconsin Education Association Council)
Some observers suggest that because school districts can increase the levy on local taxpayers to offset losses in state aid that go to voucher schools, there is no need to make the public aware of these transactions.
There are, however, several important points to consider about the funding.
The public has a right to know where its tax dollars are going. Without transparency, there can be no accountability for how dollars are being spent, or for the organizations that are receiving subsidies.
School district ...
BARGAIN BASEMENT TEACHING LICENSES
By Union Labor News
There was a Cyber Monday deal this year that surprised a lot of people who care about public schools.
A little Atlanta-based outfit you probably never heard of, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), was having a doorbuster.
On Wisconsin teaching licenses.
That’s right. For the bargain price of just $1600, you could sign up - online - for an online program that would get you a bona fide teaching credential in the state of Wisconsin in just ten months. Without ever having to set foot in an actual classroom.
...
Please Contact Your School Board
I am the parent of a first grader in the district. There are hungry children in our Wausau schools. I’m working on the “no thank you table/food pantry” at my son’s school. But we need accessible food pantries established on-site in all our schools. We need a clear district policy addressing this critical need.
Some schools have food pantries already, or the beginning phases of one. Some of our schools have greater needs than other school, but there are hungry students in every school and we need one in every school.
There is so much opportunity for donation ...
FOOD PANTRIES NEEDED IN WAUSAU SCHOOLS
I am the parent of a first grader in the district. There are hungry children in our Wausau schools. I’m working on the “no thank you table/food pantry” at my son’s school. But we need accessible food pantries established on-site in all our schools. We need a clear district policy addressing this critical need.
Sections 1100 and 5900 of the Wausau School Board Policy identify advancing student learning, achievement and success as goals, stating “…it is important to provide a healthy learning environment by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular ...
FREE TUITION MEANS FREEDOM TO LEARN
"Every Wisconsinite should have access to education or training past high school… To be pursued at whatever point and pace makes sense for individual workers and industries,” wrote researchers at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) eight years ago.
Long before the current shortage of skilled workers, COWS anticipated the need for additional training. In 2009, the Center teamed up with the Workforce Development Board, Skills2Compete and others to study “Wisconsin’s Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs.”
Middle skill jobs are those jobs that require more than a ...
A COMMUNITY CARES FOR ITS CHILDREN
It is deep in our human nature to care for other people. Many years ago that was the only way for people to survive. We humans still come equipped with caring for others or showing empathy. A good example of one community showing empathy for all its children and teachers is Marathon, Wisconsin.
Caring citizens in Marathon, Wisconsin established the Marathon School District Endowment Fund. In the years since its beginning, this fund has supported projects throughout the Marathon School District. The Endowment Fund has given tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to ...
THE SUMMIT IS AROUND THE CORNER
With budget negotiations still stalled, a pile of troubling legislation on deck at the Capitol, and our schools facing more budget uncertainty than ever, the time to unite to stand up for our students and their public schools is now.
Wisconsin Public Education Network's 3rd Annual Summer Summit is your invitation to come together.
Register today and be a part of the public education event of the year.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 AT LAKE MILLS HIGH SCHOOL
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The agenda has something for everyone: from veteran teachers, board members, administrators and ...
LIBRARIANS DESERVE RETIREMENT SECURITY
I was a librarian for a total of 30 years in Wisconsin and spent the last 23 years working in La Crosse schools. Becoming a librarian was definitely a calling. I enjoyed teaching others to read and appreciate literature, the challenge of research and teaching children to do it, and mastering and teaching the new technologies as they came along. Not everything is easy in this profession. Each day presented a new set of challenges, but when working with children, there is never a dull moment. Librarians often take home low pay, but have the promise of a guaranteed secure ...
PROTECT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
I believe public schools are the heart of our communities. Taxpayer-funded vouchers are quietly bleeding our public schools of much-needed funding. This school year, vouchers silently skimmed $245 million in taxpayer state aid away from our public schools.
School districts are being forced to pay for taxpayer vouchers in their districts. This year Marshfield paid $58,584, Merrill paid $175,752, Stevens Point paid $339,225 and Wausau paid $428,610 for private school tuition. The costs will be higher next year.
Eight-five percent of this year’s taxpayer vouchers went ...
