Wisconsin folks should lead
the effort
to stop billion-dollar cut in school aid
 Some
parents, students, and community members around Wisconsin
were 100-percent behind teachers who left their classrooms
last week to make a statement about their rights and about
the future of public education.
Others are understandably confused and upset. “How,”
they ask, “can good teachers abandon their children
for their union rights?”
What gets lost in all of this is the common denominator that
should bring us all together: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
has signaled up to a billion dollars in cuts to public school
aid — a brutal move that will decimate programs and
services that all of our children need for successful futures.
That is something that should bring us all together to send
a loud and clear message from every community in the state.
WAES has a unique position in this discussion, and our partners
— whether they are educators, parents, students, or
taxpayers-are the key to safeguarding quality public education
into the future.
We need to talk about what’s really going on and, in
the final accounting, why teachers went to Madison. As a critical
component of your community, WAES members and others should
work hard to make sure that communication is held-the sooner
the better.
Teachers who came to The Capitol are fighting for their rights
as workers and as professionals. They have already agreed
to work with the Governor to correct the state’s fiscal
problems, and you need to give them the opportunity to tell
that story back home.
More importantly, teachers left their classrooms —
and were joined by tens of thousands of other Wisconsin citizens
— to fight for the future of public education and the
opportunity for your children to succeed. For 18 years, the
state’s school-funding system has slashed programs and
services, snatching opportunities from the hands of students
all over the state, and decreasing the state’s commitment
to our children.
Now, it has been widely reported, Governor Walker will propose
in his 2011-13 budget address, set for early March, to devastate
public schools by cutting up to a billion dollars from school
aid. The consequences of this brutal action will be far-reaching
and tragic.
Whether you agreed or disagreed with your teachers’
decisions last week, you must all stand together this week
to protect our students and fight against budget proposals
that will hurt our schools, our children, and our communities.
You are in the position to start the discussions about what
you can do together tomorrow.
Please let’s work together and take advantage of this
opportunity.
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