Public Schools

Everyone in this picture, my immediate family, is the product of public schools. Both of my parents and all my brothers and sisters went to Loyal High School. Thank goodness the generations who came before us were willing to support strong public schools at the state and local level. I’m sure there were many people who had no children in the system, but still chose to support their school district. They understood investment in a vibrant school system would show great returns by creating a well educated citizenry to follow in their footsteps.

Why won’t the Republicans in Madison do the same? Sitting on a $3.25 billion surplus, they have chosen to cap state spending on our public schools and require the shortfall be covered by local referendums. For wealthier school districts, that is a possibility; for others, it is a huge uphill battle. In some school districts it is extremely difficult to pass referendums for public schools. Their only option is to cut staff and curriculum. What comes next is a slow death spiral. As enrollment (and state aid) declines, schools are less competitive, the community is less attractive to new families, and property values decline which makes it harder to pass needed referendums.

To make matters worse, Republicans support a voucher system that rewards the wealthy at the expense of the less fortunate. I believe if parents want to send their children to a private school, that is absolutely their right, but it must not be at the expense of our public schools. If parents can afford a private school, they can afford it without a voucher.

For many communities, schools are the bedrock around which everything else is centered. School systems are vitally important to our communities and our democracy. I believe Wisconsin owes it to our youth, our teachers, and our communities to adequately fund our school districts. The money is there, just not the vision towards the future.