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Governor Doyle and WEAC President Stan Johnson raise their
hands in unity as the governor concludes a speech at the
2006 WEAC Summer Academy in Appleton.
More Summer Academy coverage |
Governor Jim Doyle said Tuesday (August 1, 2006) that he doesn't just want to win re-election in November - he wants Wisconsin voters to help him win big and demonstrate that they reject the "open hostility to education" exhibited by Republicans in the Legislature.
"We have the opportunity this November to really take the offense," he told participants at the 2006 WEAC Summer Academy in Appleton. "A strong win in the governor’s race is going to show these people that they’ve been headed in the wrong direction. We’re not only going to win, we’re going to win big. And we’re going to send the message that Wisconsin stands behind public education."
Doyle - who was greeted by standing ovations and repeated chants of "Four more years!" - said Wisconsin residents strongly support their public schools, and it is only a group of Republican legislators who seem bent on undermining schools.
"The people who entrust their children to you every day deeply, deeply, deeply appreciate what is going on in the schools in this state. They are very thankful for the teachers and support staff they have. They are very thankful for the quality of the schools," Doyle said.
"And yet we have this little group in Madison whom you would think is living on a different planet." In the last state budget, he noted, the Republican Legislature sent him a budget that would have cut $400 million in public education funding. Doyle used his veto authority to restore the needed school funding, while maintaining a balanced state budget.
"They seem to have no regard for the fact that not only would teachers be hurt – they probably wouldn’t mind that – but that families would have their lives totally disrupted," Doyle said. "Well, I am proud to say that with your help we’ve been able to stand up to that kind of attitude. We’ve been able to express the real values of Wisconsin, and we have been able to support the greatest public education system anywhere in the country."
Doyle said he sees his role as one of support for teachers and education support professionals.
"My role is to be there for you," said Doyle, whose wife Jessica is a teacher. "My role is to make sure that when you go out and do the most important job that is done in this state that you have support behind you to get it done. And I pledge to you that with every ounce that I have I am going to do everything I can to provide that support as you do this incredibly important job."
Doyle said that as he travels the state, he finds that Wisconsinites support a strong system of public education.
"The attacks on education led by the Legislature are not shared by people in this state," he said. "You know, outside the Legislature I have not had one person in this state come up to me and say I wish you had signed that budget, I wish you had cut $400 million out of the schools. I have not had one person say that."
Doyle reminded WEAC members that when he was running for governor four years ago he vowed to end "the war on teachers" in Wisconsin. "I am proud to come back and report to you that - in the executive branch of the state government - that war has ended."
The governor emphasized the importance of his re-election to the future of education in Wisconsin.
"There is no question about it. If I am not governor, you know where these guys are going. They’ve already shown you where they are going. We know what this battle is about," he said.
Doyle asked WEAC members, whom he acknowledged already have worked very hard on his behalf, to "double or triple what you have done before" because of the high stakes in the November election.
"The stakes are high, the goal is clear, and I have a challenge to you that let’s not just win this; let’s win this one so big that nobody doubts where the people of Wisconsin are in support of public education," Doyle said. "I look forward to working with you. We’ll make sure that Wisconsin continues to grow and prosper."
Posted August 1, 2006