Education is key to economic vitality, citizens say

At a Wisconsin Way forum in Madison, WEAC-Retired member Allen Knop
advocates for a "much fairer tax system" and major reforms to health care.
"The biggest problem I see is health care," he said. "Health care costs are escalating so much faster than anything else."

As at previous forums, education was a dominant topic of discussion at the Wisconsin Way community forum in Madison Thursday (December 6, 2007), as citizens repeatedly emphasized the key role quality education plays in supporting economic vitality.

University of Wisconsin-Madison student Jessica Bradley applauds Wisconsin Way.

University of Wisconsin-Madison student Jessica Bradley, who is studying to be a teacher, said education in Wisconsin faces major challenges, including large achievement gaps, ongoing budget cuts, and low teacher salaries.

"Education is one of the lowest paid professions in the state of Wisconsin," she said. "It's not fun knowing this is what you're going to be paid."

Bradley, president of the UW-Madison Student WEA, applauded Wisconsin Way for searching for new approaches for ensuring that education remains a priority.

Brad Lutes, president of the Sun Prairie Education Association, said low salaries are causing some quality teachers to leave the profession, a trend that threatens the quality of our education system. "If we want to keep people in the profession, we have to value the profession," he said.

"School funding is a mess," added another speaker. "A system that looks at this (education) as an economic driver for the state is essential."

Another speaker said the state's school funding system is set up to fail: it restricts school funding to a level that is less than rising costs. If that is not changed, she said, Wisconsin's public schools will "go out of business."

Former Verona Mayor Phil Salkin says we must focus on quality jobs, services and education to "grow the economy."

If people understood the extent to which the state's school funding system has damaged education since revenue controls were implemented in 1993, said another speaker, "they would be appalled." The state and federal governments keep adding testing requirements and other costly mandates at the same time that they are choking off school funding, he said.

A woman said the state needs to provide greater support for the University of Wisconsin. It is "a terrible mistake" for the state to be cutting back on university funding while the costs to students keep rising, she said.

Another speaker said the state must put a priority on funding programs that support families and especially to support children from birth to age 5. "Not enough is being done for these little children," she said.

Several speakers focused on the need to reduce property taxes, which are driving people out of their homes and turning people against their schools.

That is one of the main goals of Wisconsin Way, said moderator James Wood: to find a way to reduce property taxes while maintaining the state's support for infrastructure and public services, including education.

The forum was the 13th community conversation sponsored by Wisconsin Way. It is a grassroots project looking for ways to build a stronger Wisconsin economy that can better support public services. WEAC is a coalition partner, along with the Wisconsin Counties Association, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association and the Wisconsin Realtors Association. More than 2,000 citizens have attended the forums.

After the final forum January 16 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin Way organizers will review the input from throughout the state and use it to develop an agenda for solving the state’s tax problems, Wood said. That agenda will eventually be presented to the Legislature.

Some of the other comments made at the Madison forum included:

• Nothing will change until campaign finance is reformed because politicians are committed to special interests that get them elected.
• The problem isn't the existence of property taxes, it is the unfair way in which taxes are assessed.
• We should eliminate or reduce some of the tax breaks for businesses so the the brunt of the property tax burden does not fall so hard on homeowners.
• Taxes should not be considered just an expense but an investment.
• We should spend less money incarcerating people - especially for non-violent crimes - and invest that money instead in programs that support families.
• Taxes are necessary to support the infrastructure.
• We should have universal health care.
• Government must be efficient and accountable.
• One of Wisconsin's biggest strengths is its quality of services. "People don't move here for the weather," one speaker said.
• Agriculture is an important part of our economy - especially the economy of small communities - and the state must support farming.
• If citizens are resistant to consolidating local units of government - our 72 counties and 426 school districts - they should at least consider consolidation of government services.

Wood applauded the 120 or so people who showed up for the Madison forum in a snowstorm to have their voices heard. "Nobody ever gives you your government back," Wood said. "If you want it you have to stand up and do something about it. You've all done that."

OnWEAC Resource Page on Wisconsin Way

Posted December 7, 2007