WEAC members recommend Burmaster
WEAC members are recommending Elizabeth Burmaster for re-election as State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
WEAC announced today that Burmaster received the recommendation after she was interviewed by a panel of WEAC members from throughout the state and then won a statewide ballot of members who contribute to the WEAC Political Action Committee. All candidates were on the ballot to members, even though two candidates did not show up for the interview: State Rep. Gregg Underheim and UW-Whitewater professor Paul Yvarra.
"Superintendent Burmaster is a strong advocate for great schools," WEAC President Stan Johnson said. "She has brought energy, vision and an unwavering commitment to our state's children to the office of superintendent. WEAC members are proud to stand with Superintendent Burmaster in the campaign to ensure that every kid has a great school."
http://www.weac.org/News/update/2004-05/2_14/1.htm
Cyberlobby legislators on tax gimmick
Legislators are poised to vote on a gimmick that would devastate Wisconsin's schools, in spite of widespread public opposition.
The Assembly is scheduled to vote Tuesday, February 15, on the so-called property tax freeze.
WEAC members are urged to use the WEAC Cyberlobby to encourage their legislators to support the governor's rational property tax freeze plan rather than the Republican gimmick that would devastate public education and other public services.
http://www.weac.org/News/update/2004-05/2_14/2.htm Governor's budget draws positive reviews
Gov. Jim Doyle's budget proposal is drawing positive reviews throughout Wisconsin and from an unexpected source.
The governor is visiting schools and talking to the public about his education proposals. He traveled to Green Bay and Eau Claire last week and will visit more schools this week, to explain how his plan would create great schools in Wisconsin.
Last week, a leading Republican lawmaker told a newspaper he supports Doyle's budget. Senator Mike Ellis told the Appleton Post-Crescent that fellow Republicans are placing politics before policy.
"This is the best proposed property tax mechanism that could have been designed in Madison," Ellis said, according to the newspaper. Ellis called the governor's property tax freeze proposal "mathematically honest, workable and far superior" to the Republican plan.
http://www.weac.org/News/update/2004-05/2_14/3.htm Bush budget attacks technical colleges
President Bush's proposed budget would eliminate funding for the Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education program, the federal government's main career and technical education program.
Elimination of the Perkins program is a major blow to the Wisconsin Technical College System. In the current fiscal year, Wisconsin received $25 million in Perkins funding, $12.6 million of which went to the Wisconsin Technical College System.
The cuts would also affect the state Department of Public Instruction, which received about $10.2 million in 2004-05. The money is used for career and technical programs in secondary schools.
WEAC members are urged to contact their congressional representatives and tell them how important the Perkins program is to the success of Wisconsin's technical college students. Click the following link for talking points.
http://www.weac.org/News/update/2004-05/2_14/4.htm |
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deadline extended The registration deadline for the WEAC Winter Conference has been extended, but there is limited space so please sign up now. The remaining spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The conference is February 25-27 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel Milwaukee Airport. The keynote speaker is Ronald Ferguson of the Wiener Center for Social Policy Research at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His topic is "Narrowing the Achievement Gap: How Educators Can Help Get it Done." http://www.weac.org/AboutWEA/2004-05/winterconf05/default.htm
The Department of Public Instruction last week asked the Milwaukee County district attorney to investigate two schools participating in Milwaukee's private school voucher program for possible fraud. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, DPI officials wrote a letter asking for an investigation of potential improper or falsified student applications, cashed checks that should have been returned to the state, and inaccurate student counts at Academic Solutions Center for Learning and the Louis Tucker Academy. The two schools received about $1 million from the state this school year alone. The full story is at: http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/feb05/300717.asp
discounts to NEA RA Airlines are offering discounts for WEAC members traveling to the NEA Representative Assembly in Los Angeles this summer. http://www.weac.org/News/update/2004-05/2_14/5.htm |
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