Organizations Rally Around Wisconsin Values

A coalition of 29 state organizations put its support behind a series of items in the proposed 2007-09 state budget that reflect Wisconsin’s priorities. Wisconsin Values took its message to the State Capitol on Thursday (July 26, 2007), a day after the state legislature’s conference committee began meeting to resolve the differences between the State Senate and Assembly proposals.

The conference committee is comprised of members from the majority and minority parties. The committee will work to find compromise, as the two houses are more than $10 billion apart and have very different visions for the future of Wisconsin.

While the Senate Democrats’ pro-public education state budget provides the support to continue Wisconsin’s great schools tradition, the Assembly Republican budget proposal cuts $85 million in general school aids. The Assembly’s version also ratchets down the per-pupil revenue cap adjustment to $200, compared to the $264/$270 adjustment proposed by Governor Doyle and the Senate Democrats.

“It is abundantly clear that Wisconsinites are clamoring for a real emphasis on our state’s shared values,” said the Rev. Debbie Huber of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship Church in La Crosse. There are 29 organizations – including WEAC – that comprise Wisconsin Values.

“We have come together to ask the state legislature to ensure that the state budget is firmly rooted in the values that have made Wisconsin great,” Wisconsin Values members said in a joint message. “As the legislature’s conference committee begins its deliberations this week, we raise our united voices to ask legislators to craft a biennial budget that reflects the value Wisconsinites place in strong communities, good schools, care for vulnerable populations, quality health care and childcare, and affordable higher education.”

Among the values the coalition is united around are:

Wisconsin values strong public schools:

The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Investments in public schools bridge all economic and cultural boundaries and improve the standard of living for everyone. Now is a critical time to make sure the diverse educational needs of each child are met. It is the only way to prepare children for the 21st century in a knowledge-based economy. Our state has pride in its public school system, and Wisconsin’s budget should reflect what works in our classrooms: high-quality teachers and staff, small class sizes, early childhood programs, school safety, and opportunities for a well-rounded education.

 Wisconsin values high quality early care and education and access to that care for all children, regardless of their parents’ income:

Ensuring that every working parent in our state has access to safe and nurturing care for their young children is a high priority in Wisconsin. With strong bi-partisan support, the Joint Committee on Finance maintained Wisconsin’s commitment to subsidized child care for those parents who need it most and the final budget document must reflect this commitment.

Wisconsin values keeping children safe, nurturing communities and supports for those with disabilities:

Wisconsin’s budget must ensure the abilities of counties to maintain a strong system of human services to vulnerable populations, including abused and neglected children, teens, adults and seniors. Wisconsin values services and programs that maximize community integration and choice for persons with disabilities. The Joint Committee on Finance demonstrated its vision to do just that, as well as to expand support for Family Care, and this vision must be maintained in the final budget.

Wisconsin values quality, affordable health care for all residents:

A recent AARP survey of Wisconsin residents found that 76 percent believe it is extremely or very important for the state to reduce the number of residents without health insurance and 82 percent agree that all Wisconsinites should have access to the same basic health care coverage. Those goals will not be achieved if our state budget fails to proactively enhance the health and well-being of all Wisconsin’s residents (including women’s health, preventative care and treatment and mental health) and instead only includes tax incentives for individuals to buy high deductible private health insurance plans. Wisconsin’s final budget must reflect the value Wisconsin residents place on reducing the number of uninsured in our state and expand health care coverage to, at minimum, all of Wisconsin’s children, and also to as many adults, farmers, self-employed individuals and families as possible.

Wisconsin values access to higher education:

The affordability of Wisconsin’s higher education system (both the University of Wisconsin system and the state technical college system), especially the funding of financial aid for those who cannot afford post-secondary education on their own, is something on which Wisconsin has long prided itself. The final budget document must ensure that this high quality education is not out of reach for Wisconsin’s students and their families. Wisconsin’s legislature must provide our higher education institutions the minimum funding level needed to maintain their status as national leaders in worker training and education.

Find out more about how the budget proposals stack up against each other by visiting OnWEAC’s Members Only page. The information is located in Cyberlobby, under 2007-09 State Budget Action. While you are there, be sure to use Cyberlobby to let members of the conference committee know where you stand on the budget.

Posted July 26, 2007