Interest in school-funding reform is alive and growing judging
by the 200 people that showed up at the second WAES-sponsored
“Business, School Breakfast on School Finance.”
The event was held, Jan. 20, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
Milwaukee in conjunction with the 84th annual State Education
Convention that is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Association
of School Boards (WASB), the Wisconsin Association of School
District Administrators (WASDA), and the Wisconsin Association
of School Business Officials (WASBO).
Underwriting a portion of the breakfast were:
- CG
Schmidt, a school construction company from
Milwaukee
- A.N.
Ansay and Associates
an insurance company with offices in Port Washington and
West Bend
- Environmental Management Consulting
Inc. of Lake Mills
- U.S. Lamp Inc., a Green Bay company
that does energy efficient school-lighting projects in schools
all over the state
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Karen Royster
(left), executive director of the Institute
for Wisconsin’s Future (IWF), and
Virginia Wyss, a member of the Janesville
School District Board, took part in the
“Business, School Breakfast on School
Finance.” |
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Greendale School District Director of Business Services Erin
Gauthier-Green—a partner in WAES and the WASBO School
Business Official of the Year—co-hosted the program.
She talked about the importance of school districts from all
over the state working together advocating for reform. Gauthier-Green
asked those in the audience to consider the Wisconsin
Adequacy Plan because it was a common-sense, businesslike
model for reform that actually helps all children.
Jack Norman, research director for the Institute
for Wisconsin’s Future (IWF) and a staff
person for the Wisconsin Alliance
for Excellent Schools (WAES), was also on the
program. He talked about how the present public school finance
system is driving many school districts to the brink of fiscal
and educational crisis, explaining that it is a problem we
must solve inside the Capitol in Madison, not in individual
school districts around the state.
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Jennifer
Morales, director with Milwaukee Public
Schools, talked about being politically
involved to the 200 people attending the
“Business, School Breakfast on School
Finance.” |
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The event concluded with IWF executive director Karen Royster
leading a discussion on how school boards and educators can
take the lead in their communities enlisting support for reform
that will help children not only locally, but all over the
state.
During the discussion, Janesville School District Board member
Virginia Wyss talked about the Joint Legislative Committee
in her district. She said the group represents all segments
of the community, business and educational, and has been very
successful working with legislators on issues and policies
that affect the children of Janesville. She also explained
the work of the district’s legislative liaison.
Jennifer Morales, a director with Milwaukee Public Schools,
described how important it is for school boards to get involved
in the political process. Most of the decisions that affect
the children of Wisconsin, Morales said, are made at the Capitol
in Madison. If we don’t take part in that process, she
explained, we are left out of the decision-making.
This is the second “Business, School Breakfast on School
Finance” co-sponsored by WAES and vendors at the State
Education Convention. Last
year’s event drew about 80 people and led
to many new coalition
partners. Those who attended this year’s
breakfast, or anyone else, can become
a partner in WAES.
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