Testimony by Stan Johnson

Joint Finance Committee
April 11, 2001
Stan Johnson
Stoughton

Thank you chairpersons Burke and Gard and members of the Joint Finance Committee for this opportunity to speak today about issues contained in Governor McCallum's proposed 2001-2003 budget bill. My name is Stan Johnson. I am the Vice President for the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).

In Wisconsin, we've achieved great success in building great schools. By virtually every measure, Wisconsin schools rank among the finest in the nation. Students learn here. They graduate here. They go on to get jobs here, keeping our state's employment rate among the highest in the nation and attracting new employers to our communities. Building great schools requires consistent effort and hard work, and we face greater challenges today than ever before. That is why educators across the state are dedicated to working with our elected officials, parents, administrators and communities to create the kind of education that is best for all of Wisconsin's children.

We believe that many provisions contained in Governor McCallum's budget will put our great public schools at risk. 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.

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.

WEAC believes great schools place students in classrooms that work. Governor McCallum's budget puts that at risk by:

• Dramatically reducing the SAGE K-3 class size reduction program.
• Ratcheting down even harder on revenue caps.
• Expanding the voucher program in Milwaukee.
• Limiting state funding of special education programs.
• Freezing or reducing aid to the WTCS and diminishing the authority of local boards.
• Misusing federal E-rate funds in the TEACH program and charging schools a fee for BadgerLink.
• Folding the Education Communications Board into a nonprofit corporation.

WEAC believes that great schools depend on a great staff. Governor McCallum's budget puts great schools at risk by:

• Expanding alternative certification of educators at the K-12 and WTCS levels.
• Giving school boards power to close schools and reassign staff without regard to seniority or bargaining rights.
• Allowing subcontracting of educational programs statewide.
• Creating a new "pay-for-performance awards" program for schools.
• Eliminating the right to bargain the choice of health care provider.
• Making establishment of the school calendar a prohibited subject of bargaining.
• Redefining the QEO to require that only "substantially similar" benefits be offered.
• Modifying the NBPTS incentive grant program but provide no additional funding.
• Diminishing DPI's ability to distribute federal funds and placing federally funded departmental positions at risk.

WEAC believes great schools benefit everyone in a community. Governor McCallum's budget puts great schools at risk by:

• Dramatically expanding the charter school law to include the CESAs, UW and WTCS.
• Creating a new Board of Education Evaluation and Accountability outside of DPI.
• Creating a new Rule Review Commission and a new Bureau of School Improvement.
• Creating a new grant program to encourage consolidation of services and districts.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council believes that every kid deserves a great school and that every citizen deserves a great technical college system. We look forward to working with the Joint Finance Committee and members of the Legislature in the coming months to achieve that goal. Thank you again for this opportunity to speak today.

Article on April 11, 2001, budget hearing
Resource page on 2001-2003 state budget