The Great Schools Legislative Agenda
Every kid deserves a great school. Great schools place kids in classrooms
that work, maintain quality staff, and benefit you. For our state to
prosper we need a strong educational system; and for education to prosper,
we need an economically vibrant state.
The 2005-06 WEAC Legislative Agenda is designed to achieve this goal.
This agenda is based on principles we call our Agenda for Great Schools.
These principles will guide our organization when positions are taken
on legislation. They will also provide guidance for WEAC representatives
who serve on major policy recommending bodies such as Governor Doyle’s
Task Force for Excellence in Education and the Economic Development
Council. The guiding principles are:
- Creation of a new system to adequately and equitably fund our public
education system. This system should be based upon meeting the State
Supreme Court’s constitutional standard articulated in Vincent
v. Voight, and meet the diverse needs of rural, urban, and suburban
students.
- The state must fulfill the Supreme Court's constitutional standard
articulated in Vincent v. Voight, 2000 WI 93, 236 Wis.2d 588,
614 N.W.2d 388. In order to fulfill this standard, the state must
develop programs and appropriate funding levels for high-needs
students, specifically, special education students, limited English
proficient students and students from poverty regardless of where
they live.
- The state must repeal revenue caps.
- Promotion of economic growth and development, the restoration of
a progressive and fair system of taxation, and the promotion of a
more robust, democratic society and economy.
- Great schools depend on a strong economy, and a strong economy
depends upon great schools.
- Reduced class size to promote student learning and achievement
- Continuation of SAGE in grades K-3 and continuation of 4-year-old
kindergarten.
- Collective bargaining rights that give staff a direct role in decisions
affecting wages, hours and conditions of employment
- Repeal the QEO.
- Strengthening educator collective bargaining.
- To be consistent with the state Supreme Court decision
in Vincent v. Voight, require collective bargaining arbitrators
to consider whether the final offers promote an equal opportunity
for a sound basic education.
- Require that education policy issues be subjects of bargaining,
but not subject to arbitration without the agreement of both
parties.
- Authorize the teachers' bargaining unit to include, in
its final offer, items it believes are needed to meet pupil
performance standards if the employer's proposal links teacher
compensation to pupil performance.
- Control rising costs in health care
- Bring down health care costs and not shift the burden of who
pays for health insurance. This is an essential component of a
healthy state economy.
- Inclusion of concepts from “The New Wisconsin Idea”
offered by the Wisconsin Education Association Insurance Trust
- Pooling groups from the public and private sector for purchasing
prescription drugs. This purchasing alliance called Wisconsin
Rx will save consumers millions of dollars in health care
costs.
- Promote reforms in the health care system so individuals
can make consumer-based decisions that reduce overall costs
in utilization of benefits.
- Enhance professional development opportunities
- Great schools depend on real professional development, not
test-based programs that are punitive and impossible to administer.
- The state must provide categorical aid funding to enable districts
to comply with Wis. Admin. PI-34, the new system for teacher preparation
and licensure.
- Use technology appropriately for instruction
- Adopt a resolution outlining the appropriate use of education
telecommunications and technology in the instruction of pupils.
Examine the use of distance learning and the virtual schools phenomenon,
and how technology affects professional and staff development
needs.
- Citizen responsibility
- Appeal to all citizens – legislators, parents, educators,
and members of the community - to stand up when attacks are made
on children, public schools, and communities. As responsible citizens,
we must say no and vote no to concepts that harm public schools
(i.e. expansion of the private school voucher program, expansion
of charter schools, mandatory consolidation of school districts,
and other phony attempts at tax relief that rob our communities
of local control and cut needed funds from our schools).
WEAC will also base its support or opposition for legislative initiatives
on the following criteria:
- Does it work to improve the wages, hours, and working conditions
of our members?
- Is it in line with the principles set forth in the WEAC Agenda
for Great Schools?
- Is it a topic that can be “legislated” at the state
level?
- What are the fiscal ramifications of this proposal for the state?
- Does it improve student learning?
With these guiding principals in mind, our union will continue to advocate
the ideas of a diverse, democratic society and quality public education.
Our union will promote and advance the professional practice, personal
growth, the economic welfare and rights of our members.
Posted March 30, 2004
