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Governor's budget puts great classrooms, staff and communities
at risk, legislators told at hearing

Governor McCallum's proposed 2001-2003 state budget threatens to undermine the key elements that contribute to great schools in Wisconsin, the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee was told Wednesday (April 11, 2001) at a public hearing in Madison.

"Governor McCallum's budget does little to place students in classrooms that work, shows no commitment to develop quality staff through collectively bargained approaches, and promotes education schemes that will not benefit everyone in the community," WEAC Vice President Stan Johnson told the committee at a hearing at the State Capitol.

"Governor McCallum's budget ratchets down even harder on revenue caps, makes dramatic cuts in the SAGE K-3 class size reduction program, grabs authority away from the DPI, expands the scope of the voucher and charter school laws, freezes assistance to our WTCS system and includes several direct assaults on the bargaining rights of education employees," said Johnson, a Stoughton teacher.

Johnson presented a laundry list of ways in which the budget proposal runs counter to WEAC's belief that:

Great schools place students in classrooms that work.
Great schools depend on a great staff.
Great schools benefit everyone in a community.

Mary Bell, a middle school library media specialist in Wisconsin Rapids, focused on the devastating impact of revenue controls, which would become even more harmful to classrooms, staff and communities under the governor's budget. She said revenue controls are:

Hurting classrooms by forcing districts to increase class sizes, cut materials budgets, and reduce the breadth of classes offered.
Jeopardizing the quality of staff by prompting many excellent, experienced teachers and staff to retire early and by discouraging talented young people from entering the profession.
Endangering the ability of school districts to "provide the kind of education programs that keep our community attractive to our graduates."

"We serve a great diversity of students with needs that cannot be restricted to yesterday's curriculum, and who rely on you to advocate for them in your budget deliberations," she said.

Margaret Guertler, WEAC secretary-treasurer, asked the committee to remove non-fiscal policy from the budget.

"WEAC believes that each non-fiscal policy item should be reintroduced as separate legislation where it may be given a full and fair public hearing before an appropriate standing committee of the Legislature. Only then can we determine whether each policy initiative truly places students in classrooms that work, promotes the recruitment and retention of great staff in our schools and maintains a public school system that benefits everyone in the community," she said.

Resource page on 2001-2003 state budget
Stan Johnson's testimony
Mary Bell's testimony
Margaret Guertler's testimony