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By Terry Lawler
Lynne Kessler, president of the Clintonville Education Association, has been bothered for some time by attacks on the teaching profession. “Look at the picture nationally,” she said. “It seems as if there are factions that want to get rid of public education altogether.”
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Lynne Kessler |
This year, Kessler feels that Wisconsin’s teachers are answering their critics through WEAC’s Great Schools Statewide Action Plan. After the CEA voted to participate at Level 2 of the Action Plan, she and the CEA team attended WEAC’s training session last August at the Summer Academy in Wisconsin Dells.
“I thought it was excellent,” Kessler said. “The training taught us to look closely at the situation in our local and to set goals. I think that’s something the CEA didn’t do well in the past.”
The CEA has had plenty of negative situations to deal with in recent years, including conflicts involving the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) law.
“We were QEO’d in 2001-02. The district became divided, with teachers against the administration.”
After that, the Clintonville School Board was “adamant that a QEO would not happen again,” according to Kessler. Still, relations between the administration and teachers were strained.
“Most personnel business was discussed in closed session, and all grievances went all the way to the top,” she said.
Now, Clintonville faces new challenges. Hamstrung by Wisconsin’s levy limits, Clintonville faces a shortfall of $401,000 to as much as $750,000 if the Legislature acts to further reduce school revenue limits. Clintonville Superintendent Tom O’Toole cites declining enrollment as a major factor contributing to the shortfall. In the past five years, Clintonville’s student population has declined from 1,700 to 1,500. As an initial response to this crisis, the Clintonville board voted, 7-1, on March 1 to close Bear Creek Elementary School, the first part of a major reorganization effort.
“We’re just one of many school districts where boards, administrators and teachers are fed up and want to do something,” Kessler said. This is why Kessler welcomes the Great Schools Statewide Action Plan.
Clintonville’s participation in I See Red Day last fall was very successful. “I didn’t see first-hand how things went in the middle and high schools, but I got the word that participation was high. As far as the elementary schools I was in, it was red everywhere.”
The Clintonville newspaper covered the event with an article and pictures. “Finally, we were drawing attention to the crisis in public education as we see it,” Kessler said.
Improved board-teacher relations paved the way for a letter asking for the removal of the QEO and school district revenue controls.
United Northeast Educators Executive Director Dave Campshure and CEA legislative chairperson Ralph Williams wrote the letter based on WEAC’s suggested language, and, after some discussion, the board approved it and sent it to the WASB, according to Kessler. Clintonville Board President Pat McCarthy took copies of the letter with her to give to legislators at a March 16 Lobby Day sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.
The CEA is now working on other aspects of the Action Plan.
“A few of the Clintonville teachers have contacted their legislators, but not many,” Kessler said. “The CEA has to do a better job of bringing its younger teachers into the political arena. A recent poll of our teachers showed that nearly half are fairly new to the profession. These newer teachers don’t seem to think as politically minded as the veterans.”
Kessler hoped that the March 16 WASB Lobby Day would help alter that situation. At the time of this interview, Kessler was planning an association meeting to review state and local association goals, increase member involvement, and educate members regarding important issues in education and the impact of those issues.
“Recently, each of our board members reported on the most recent WASB Convention and each board member spoke about the need to lobby, to become politically active,” she said.
So Kessler thought, “Why not send a coalition to Madison for Lobby Day? Why not send board members, teachers, ESP staff, and administrators?
“The board is open to the idea, and we’re exploring the possibilities,” she said. “This would give us the opportunity to focus on things about which we mutually agree. And, it would demonstrate that we all care about what we do.”
WEAC is sponsoring a Lobby Day at the Capitol on June 15.
“The times are scary. We need to put a dent in the armor that’s been built around the Capitol,” she said.
Taped to the wall near Kessler’s desk is a note from one of her students telling her she’s “the bestistist music teacher.”
Kessler said she is “hoping to see the comeback of public education. I can’t think of a better profession, a higher calling. If we don’t have education, then kiss it all goodbye.”
Resource page on the Great Schools Statewide Action Plan
Posted March 18, 2005