Small Town Teacher Worries About Future of Community's School

If children in rural communities such as Plainfield are going to compete with their peers in more affluent areas, they will need more financial help.

That was the message that Linda Copas brought Thursday (November 6, 2003) to the Governor's Task Force on Educational Excellence, a special panel that is investigating ways to make the state's school funding system fairer and more effective. Copas, who teaches in the Tri-County Area School District, is hoping the panel can find a way to preserve quality education in rural Wisconsin.

She was one of several WEAC members who attended the panel's listening session in Wausau to talk about the need to preserve and improve Wisconsin’s great schools.

"Rural school districts in Wisconsin, like the one that I teach at, face enormous challenges," Copas said.

"Many of these challenges are linked to the funding issues that we face now and for the future. We have some different issues than suburban or urban schools districts, but all of us share the goal of making sure that every student in every school attends a great school. We are dedicated to making sure that every school provides classrooms that work for our children. And it is no secret that great schools depend on great teachers and staff.

"So what does it mean for all of us regardless of where we live…large or small communities? Rural or urban? Great schools benefit everyone in every community. Public schools are a wise investment for taxpayers. All citizens, regardless of whether or not they have children in school, will profit from maintaining our strong public schools at a level of excellence that is a Wisconsin tradition."

The current school funding system is hurting children in districts such as Tri-County, Copas said. The district, which is midway between Portage and Stevens Point along Highway 51 in central Wisconsin, has a declining enrollment and a rising proportion of students from low-income families.

"A greater burden of taxation for the operation of our schools falls increasingly on senior citizen populations in our school district who are on fixed incomes," she said. "In addition, much of the tax burden is being shifted to the residential property owner."

Transportation costs are high because of the reliance on busing, and the district recently had to hire an English-as-a-second-language teacher because of the rising number of Spanish-speaking students.

"My district is not unlike other rural schools districts that are dealing with extraordinary issues and decisions," Copas said in her prepared remarks. "Local school boards, administration, and staff do not take lightly the discussions of consolidation; of forcing deep cuts to existing programs; of maintaining small class sizes for optimum instruction; of providing dollars for technology; of continuing extracurricular activities that are often the heartbeat of a small town; and of continuing the high level of instruction by caring, dedicated professionals who are highly qualified.

"These issues and concerns are not unlike those heard from larger districts. We all want what is best for all children. We all want what will help us to provide great schools for all children regardless of where we live. Our state needs to provide a plan for the future that will guarantee all students with the resources that will provide for equal opportunities leading to academic success. Please remember as you develop your plan for Wisconsin's educational future that, 'Every kid deserves a great school.' "

In other testimony:

WEAC Secretary-Treasurer Mary Bell told task force members that the requirements of the new teacher licensure law, known as PI 34, must be supported financially. “Passing the cost of this programming along to the professional is not reflective of the appropriate level of investment in quality professionals for Wisconsin,” she said. “Restricting schools through revenue controls robs districts of the ability to budget appropriately for the professional development that attracts and retains the best staff possible while maintaining quality student programming.”

Dick Le Clair, a retired teacher from Wausau, told the task force that PI 34 is an investment in public education. He was a member of one of the work groups that developed the new teacher licensure standards and was involved in implementing the new rules after they were formally adopted.

“A modest investment in PI 34 will provide tremendous returns in teacher quality and retention,” he said.

Mary Lee Reineking, a speech and language pathologist in Stevens Point, told the task force that special education programs need adequate funding.

She said the federal government is not providing enough funding for special education, and state funding has shrunk. State-imposed revenue controls exacerbate problems caused by the lack of funding.

“If legislators are going to continue to mandate programs and services while only partially funding them, then something has to be figured out so that the majority of students aren’t victimized, in a financial sense, in order to do what’s right for the neediest subgroups,” she said. “We need to do what’s right for all students. I would hope that you might consider re-instituting categorical aids for school nurses, consider seeing that more of the federal dollars are directed to local districts, consider raising the level of categorical reimbursement from the state, and perhaps explore ways to separate costs of mandated programs from the revenue caps.”

Others testifying on behalf of WEAC included Vilay Her of Wausau, addressing English language learner issues; and WEAC Teaching and Learning consultant Russ Allen, who talked about revenue controls.

Background on Governor's Task Force on Educational Excellence

Posted November 11, 2003