Governor's Budget Puts Great Classrooms, Staff and Communities
at Risk, Legislators Told at Hearing
Governor McCallum's proposed 2001-2003 state budget
threatens to undermine the key elements that contribute to great schools
in Wisconsin, the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee was told Wednesday
(April 11, 2001) at a public hearing in Madison.
"Governor McCallum's budget does little to place
students in classrooms that work, shows no commitment to develop quality
staff through collectively bargained approaches, and promotes education
schemes that will not benefit everyone in the community," WEAC
Vice President Stan Johnson told the committee at a hearing at the State
Capitol.
"Governor McCallum's budget ratchets down even
harder on revenue caps, makes dramatic cuts in the SAGE K-3 class size
reduction program, grabs authority away from the DPI, expands the scope
of the voucher and charter school laws, freezes assistance to our WTCS
system and includes several direct assaults on the bargaining rights
of education employees," said Johnson, a Stoughton teacher.
Johnson presented a laundry list of ways in which
the budget proposal runs counter to WEAC's belief that:
- Great schools place students in classrooms that work.
- Great schools depend on a great staff.
- Great schools benefit everyone in a community.
Mary Bell, a middle school library media specialist in Wisconsin
Rapids, focused on the devastating impact of revenue controls, which
would become even more harmful to classrooms, staff and communities
under the governor's budget. She said revenue controls are:
- Hurting classrooms by forcing districts to increase class sizes,
cut materials budgets, and reduce the breadth of classes offered.
- Jeopardizing the quality of staff by prompting many excellent,
experienced teachers and staff to retire early and by discouraging
talented young people from entering the profession.
- Endangering the ability of school districts to "provide the
kind of education programs that keep our community attractive to our
graduates."
"We serve a great diversity of students with needs that cannot
be restricted to yesterday's curriculum, and who rely on you to
advocate for them in your budget deliberations," she said.
Margaret Guertler, WEAC secretary-treasurer, asked the committee
to remove non-fiscal policy from the budget.
"WEAC believes that each non-fiscal policy item should be
reintroduced as separate legislation where it may be given a full
and fair public hearing before an appropriate standing committee
of the Legislature. Only then can we determine whether each policy
initiative truly places students in classrooms that work, promotes
the recruitment and retention of great staff in our schools and
maintains a public school system that benefits everyone in the community,"
she said.
Resource page on 2001-2003 state budget
Stan
Johnson's testimony
Mary
Bell's testimony
Margaret
Guertler's testimony