Clintonville Tackles Issues Head-On
By Terry Lawler
Lynne Kessler, president of the Clintonville Education Association,
has been bothered for some time by attacks on the teaching profession.
“Look at the picture nationally,” she said. “It seems
as if there are factions that want to get rid of public education altogether.”
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Lynne Kessler |
This year, Kessler feels that Wisconsin’s teachers are answering
their critics through WEAC’s Great Schools Statewide Action Plan.
After the CEA voted to participate at Level 2 of the Action Plan, she
and the CEA team attended WEAC’s training session last August
at the Summer Academy in Wisconsin Dells.
“I thought it was excellent,” Kessler said. “The
training taught us to look closely at the situation in our local and
to set goals. I think that’s something the CEA didn’t do
well in the past.”
The CEA has had plenty of negative situations to deal with in recent
years, including conflicts involving the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO)
law.
“We were QEO’d in 2001-02. The district became divided,
with teachers against the administration.”
After that, the Clintonville School Board was “adamant that a
QEO would not happen again,” according to Kessler. Still, relations
between the administration and teachers were strained.
“Most personnel business was discussed in closed session, and
all grievances went all the way to the top,” she said.
Now, Clintonville faces new challenges. Hamstrung by Wisconsin’s
levy limits, Clintonville faces a shortfall of $401,000 to as much as
$750,000 if the Legislature acts to further reduce school revenue limits.
Clintonville Superintendent Tom O’Toole cites declining enrollment
as a major factor contributing to the shortfall. In the past five years,
Clintonville’s student population has declined from 1,700 to 1,500.
As an initial response to this crisis, the Clintonville board voted,
7-1, on March 1 to close Bear Creek Elementary School, the first part
of a major reorganization effort.
“We’re just one of many school districts where boards,
administrators and teachers are fed up and want to do something,”
Kessler said. This is why Kessler welcomes the Great Schools Statewide
Action Plan.
Clintonville’s participation in I See Red Day last fall was very
successful. “I didn’t see first-hand how things went in
the middle and high schools, but I got the word that participation was
high. As far as the elementary schools I was in, it was red everywhere.”
The Clintonville newspaper covered the event with an article and pictures.
“Finally, we were drawing attention to the crisis in public education
as we see it,” Kessler said.
Improved board-teacher relations paved the way for a letter asking
for the removal of the QEO and school district revenue controls.
United Northeast Educators Executive Director Dave Campshure and CEA
legislative chairperson Ralph Williams wrote the letter based on WEAC’s
suggested language, and, after some discussion, the board approved it
and sent it to the WASB, according to Kessler. Clintonville Board President
Pat McCarthy took copies of the letter with her to give to legislators
at a March 16 Lobby Day sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of School
Boards.
The CEA is now working on other aspects of the Action Plan.
“A few of the Clintonville teachers have contacted their legislators,
but not many,” Kessler said. “The CEA has to do a better
job of bringing its younger teachers into the political arena. A recent
poll of our teachers showed that nearly half are fairly new to the profession.
These newer teachers don’t seem to think as politically minded
as the veterans.”
Kessler hoped that the March 16 WASB Lobby Day would help alter that
situation. At the time of this interview, Kessler was planning an association
meeting to review state and local association goals, increase member
involvement, and educate members regarding important issues in education
and the impact of those issues.
“Recently, each of our board members reported on the most recent
WASB Convention and each board member spoke about the need to lobby,
to become politically active,” she said.
So Kessler thought, “Why not send a coalition to Madison for
Lobby Day? Why not send board members, teachers, ESP staff, and administrators?
“The board is open to the idea, and we’re exploring the
possibilities,” she said. “This would give us the opportunity
to focus on things about which we mutually agree. And, it would demonstrate
that we all care about what we do.”
WEAC is sponsoring a Lobby Day at the Capitol on June 15.
“The times are scary. We need to put a dent in the armor that’s
been built around the Capitol,” she said.
Taped to the wall near Kessler’s desk is a note from one of her
students telling her she’s “the bestistist music teacher.”
Kessler said she is “hoping to see the comeback of public education.
I can’t think of a better profession, a higher calling. If we
don’t have education, then kiss it all goodbye.”
Resource page on the Great Schools Statewide
Action Plan
Posted March 18, 2005