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Governor McCallum signs the state budget at
Westside School in Sun Prairie. Among those at the ceremony were
Westside teacher Allison Monday (right) and children from her
SAGE classroom. McCallum said Monday helped "lead the charge"
to preserve funding for the SAGE class-size reduction program.
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Governor McCallum settled for a "field goal" when he should have gone for a "touchdown" Thursday (August 30, 2001), in signing the state budget bill, WEAC President Stan Johnson said.
The governor maintained status quo funding for the SAGE class-size reduction program and the state's 4-year-old kindergarten program. Those were positive steps for Wisconsin's children, considering that the budget at one point would have cut money for those programs, Johnson said.
However, the governor missed a clear opportunity to score more points for Wisconsin's children when he vetoed two items that would have greatly helped Wisconsin schools succeed, Johnson said.
The governor's two destructive vetoes were:
“Gov. McCallum had the opportunity to ensure that every kid attends a great school,” WEAC President Stan Johnson said. “The governor signed two very important education initiatives that place students in classrooms that work, but he did not have the courage to sign other items that are just as important to great schools. Public education is left with the status quo at a time it is facing an uncertain future.”
Johnson said the governor should be applauded for his actions to fully fund the SAGE class-size reduction and 4-year old kindergarten programs, his veto of a delay in aid payments to school districts, and the continuation of two-thirds state funding of education.
He noted the actions do not change the programs: The budget keeps the state’s existing commitment to fund SAGE and 4-year-old kindergarten and to provide aid to school districts.
“The governor’s vetoes of revenue cap flexibility and teacher collective bargaining rights items are a serious misjudgment, ” Johnson said. “Revenue controls are devastating many school districts throughout Wisconsin. The vetoed items would have given districts minimal relief from this onerous law, which is preventing districts from placing children in classrooms that work by cutting vital programs and services.
“The fact that the budget contains no extra funding for special education costs means school districts will be forced to pit special education against other programs, resulting in decisions that hurt all students.”
Johnson said schools will have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers and staff because of the veto of collective bargaining items in the budget.
“Great schools depend on great teachers and staff,” Johnson said. “The fact that restrictions on genuine collective bargaining remain on the books will intensify the existing teacher shortage and continue a law that unfairly singles out one profession for compensation restrictions.”
Johnson said the lost opportunities to improve public education will affect all residents of Wisconsin.
“Schools are training the workers and employers of the future. Without the resources to provide a quality education, all of society will suffer.”
Other items included in the final state budget, as signed by the governor, include:
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Posted August 30, 2001