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Wisconsin does not need to sacrifice quality education for fiscal responsibility, State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster said at the 2005 WEAC Winter Conference.
"We must choose both," she said.
Burmaster said maintaining great schools is the basis of her New Wisconsin Promise for children, which focuses on small class sizes in the early grades, early learning through 4-year-old kindergarten, retaining the best teachers and education support professionals in the country, offering school breakfast programs, expanding career and technical education programs, helping rural schools survive and thrive, and raising student achievement in reading.
Many of her New Wisconsin Promise ideas have been included in Governor Jim Doyle's 2005-07 state budget plan, which includes $850 million in new aid to schools.
Burmaster said Wisconsin should be proud of its history of supporting quality education. Wisconsin has one of the highest graduation rates in the country; state students have scored first or second in the nation on the ACT for 15 years in a row; more students than ever are taking advanced placement exams; the number of students of color taking AP exams increased 28% last year; 3rd-grade reading scores are the best ever; and state students excel in extracurriculars, the arts, and service learning.
In addition, she said, "We are national leaders in placing high-quality teachers in our classrooms."
But some politicians don't believe education is a high priority and have pushed through legislation that is hurting schools and children.
"Some ignore all this and aim to undermine our nationally recognized quality education system," Burmaster said. "There are some career politicians who don't see the good in our schools, the good in our educators, and the good in our students."
As a result, she said, "Our schools and our communities are struggling."
Cuts in education funding, reductions in school staff, rising transportation costs, high poverty rates, larger class sizes, and other daily challenges educators face are threatening the quality of education, she said.
The state must provide the funding needed to meet the growing challenges of education and must repeal the Qualified Economic Offer law, which is making it more difficult to retain and attract the best teachers possible, she said.
Burmaster, who is up for re-election April 5, told conference participants that they have the power to "make the difference."
"You know which candidate has been in education for the past 30 years and which candidate has been out of education for the past 30 years," she said.
Posted February 28, 2005