WEAC Members Speak for Education at State Budget Hearings
Public education at all levels deserves the state’s commitment
and support. That’s the message WEAC members are delivering to
state legislators as they gather input on the 1999-2001 state budget.
WEAC Vice President Stan Johnson called for the repeal of the Qualified
Economic Offer law at a Joint Finance Committee hearing in Racine April
8.
Johnson compared conditions facing teachers 25 years ago, when the
Hortonville strike occurred, to conditions today.
“The Hortonville School Board fired almost all of the district’s
teachers after they went on strike to win a new contract,” according
to Johnson’s prepared testimony. “The mass firings provided
a dramatic example of how a flawed collective bargaining law led to
an abuse of power by an unreasonable school board. The firings contributed
to a political climate for change by showing the people of Wisconsin
how much disruption a bad law can cause.”
Johnson said the QEO is creating a climate similar to the one that
forced teachers to strike at Hortonville and dozens of other school
districts before the mediation/arbitration law went into effect.
“Teachers’ voices are once again ignored at the bargaining
table,” Johnson said. “The QEO law unfairly singles out teachers
and destroys their collective bargaining rights. When combined with
the revenue caps, this law is forcing school districts to make painful
decisions to cut or reduce programs that affect the quality of education
in their schools. Employers are hiding behind the law rather than bargaining.”
WEAC members also took the case for increased state support of the
Wisconsin Technical College System to legislators last week.
Eugene Dunk from the Gateway Technical College in Racine and Steve
Holden from the Chippewa Valley Technical College Teachers’ Union
told legislative panels that technical colleges serve all segments of
Wisconsin society.
Dunk told the Joint Finance Committee in Racine that the WTCS works
effectively to train Wisconsin’s work force and deserves adequate
funding.
“Anyone who has worked in the Wisconsin Technical College System
could retell dozens of stories of disadvantaged individuals now participating
and contributing greatly to a vital economy and quality of life,”
Dunk told the panel. “This happens because of the assistance made
available to the colleges with local and state tax dollars.”
Dunk said the system needs increased funding to develop and implement
new programs. “We need new programs to respond to our employers’
work force needs so they can continue to expand.”
Holden told an Assembly Colleges and Universities hearing in Eau Claire
last week that state funding for the system has increased half a percent
a year over the last three years. The governor is proposing no increase
in state aid in the upcoming two-year budget.
“WTCS state support is not in line with Wisconsin’s booming
economy,” according to Holden’s prepared testimony. “It
is essential that the state reinvest a portion of its revenue growth
back into the system.”
Posted April 9, 1999