Joint Finance Committee Public Hearing Tuesday, February 1, 2005 2005

Wisconsin Education Association Council Written Statement by Bob Burke, Director of Government Relations

WEAC members, parents, administrators, local government officials and technical college representatives are present today to express strong opposition to passage of 2005 Assembly bill 58 and 2005 Senate Bill 28. In spite of the late notice of this public hearing, the education community is ready to speak out and explain how a freeze would devastate public education at all levels.

The bills offered today would inflict immediate and massive harm on Wisconsin's great schools and staff. Attached to this statement, is a district-by-district analysis of the impact these bills will have on public schools in Wisconsin. AB 58 and SB 28 represent reckless fiscal policy that would seriously impair school district and local government operations and damage the ability of technical colleges to train the workforce of the future. The proposals will jeopardize Wisconsin residents' investment in public education and starve school districts of the resources they need to create a great school for every child.

The substitute amendment presented will further tighten revenue controls, which already are severely harming the ability of school districts to provide the essential services needed to maintain our great schools. Cuts of any kind are unacceptable and will cause further harm to our schools.

AB 58 and SB 28 take school districts and children down the road to failure. The only difference between the original bills and the changes offered today may be the speed at which they get there. In either case, they are headed in the wrong direction. What we need is a budget that moves our great schools along the road to success and is based on the needs of children, not the aspirations of politicians.

Posted February 3, 2005