tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32117398887276623962024-03-13T15:16:07.981-05:00Monologues of DissentOpen letters and unsolicited commentary for lovers of justice, hyperbole, and complaint.
Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.comBlogger238125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-53737604265968121562016-01-12T16:10:00.002-06:002016-01-12T16:14:09.923-06:00A lesson for all of us -- Detroit teacher to parents: I'm sorry<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you are a public school teacher, I ask you to read this letter that my friend (a Detroit Public Schools teacher) has shared. She didn't write the letter and doesn't know who did, but it's being circulated widely by educators who agree.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V07aod_YeUQ/Ti1VAZH5l3I/AAAAAAAAAOg/rNLZE0rA3wo/s1600/open_letter_stamp%2BSQUARE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V07aod_YeUQ/Ti1VAZH5l3I/AAAAAAAAAOg/rNLZE0rA3wo/s200/open_letter_stamp%2BSQUARE.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We are seeing the seeds of what has <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/01/11/dps-schools-closed-sickouts/78618800/" target="_blank">happened </a>to Detroit Public Schools all over the nation: takeover plans, legislation and policies that defund schools and demoralize educators, gutting of funding to public schools while private schools get more and more public dollars. <br /><br /><i><b>Read this letter carefully. </b></i><br /><br />And speak up now before you find yourself writing a letter like this yourself. Get engaged. Get informed. Get organized. And join us - parents, educators, community members all - in standing up for our students and schools before it's too late.<br /><br />----------<br /><br />Dear Parent,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />I write this to you on this night because you're on my mind. You live in Detroit and you send your child to Detroit Public Schools. You trust me everyday with your children. I feel that I owe you an apology. I apologize because I should have stood up. I kept quiet as they dismantled our schools. I was silent when they took your schools from you. I didn't protest in the streets when they put our schools in State control. I said nothing when they took your democracy. I should be ashamed of myself. I the teacher you trusted had power to start a revolution, and fight for you, and I didn't fight back. Tonight, I am going to make you a promise that I won't sit quiet any longer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />You're going to hear in the news, and in the papers, about how I don't care about the students. You're going to hear that taking days for sick-outs is selfish of teachers. I agree I have been selfish but it was my inaction that was selfish. It was me sitting in my position of authority in your children's life and doing nothing to protect them. I am sorry I let this get so far. I promise that although I want a living wage that is not what brings me to action today. What makes me fighting mad is that your child, who I call "one of my kids", is learning in an environment that is in total chaos. I am sending a message to Michigan politicians that they must sit at the table and legislate to come up with a solution to the financial crisis that they caused.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />I am fighting for these demands:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Supplies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Art</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Music</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Gym</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Recess/Play space</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Proper Maintenance</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Clean Buildings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Safe Buildings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Interpreters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Support Staff</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Quality Food Programs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Class Size</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your Democracy</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I also want to say that I take offense when the politicians involved in this say that the children go hungry if they don't eat at school. I know you take excellent care of your child and that isn't the case at all. I thank you for everything you do and all of your support. I stand with you as we fight to take back your schools.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />Sincerely,<br />Your child's humble teacher.<br />Detroit Public Schools</span>
<br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-82448135129625327912015-12-17T13:22:00.001-06:002015-12-17T13:27:43.748-06:00Open Letter of the Year: Scott Walker Gets Schooled by Former Teacher Turned Small-Business Owner<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x11QldPEWPo/VnMEbQqLBCI/AAAAAAAAB8g/hfuMEHDwKh4/s1600/clancy%2Bletter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x11QldPEWPo/VnMEbQqLBCI/AAAAAAAAB8g/hfuMEHDwKh4/s400/clancy%2Bletter.jpg" width="300" /></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4g0hDAPfQU/VnMEcB8e9bI/AAAAAAAAB8o/tTeWRknM_to/s1600/clancy%2Bletter.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Governo</span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">r Scott Walker sent a letter of commendation to a small business owner in Milwaukee, congratulating him on being named one of the "Best Places to Work." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The small business owner responded. And how [see below].</span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Turns out the small business owner, Ryan Clancy, is a former teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, who was driven from his profession by the very policies Walker set in motion, including the largest cuts to public education funding in the nation, which led to his own school being shut down.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">I happen to think this open letter is the best one of the year, and not just because of the irony (though, <i>oh! the irony! It is sublime!</i>), but because I happen to know this teacher. I had the honor to work with Ryan for many years and I know what kind of teacher he was. He was the kind of teacher whose respect and genuine concern for his students lit up the room. He was the kind of teacher whose enthusiasm for his subject matter was contagious, even for students who couldn't stand school. He was the kind of teacher who voluntarily took on countless hours of extra unpaid work and professional development just to give his students the opportunity to challenge themselves and see them shine. He was the kind of teacher who instilled in students the confidence to believe that they could succeed and achieve regardless of the many barriers standing in their way. He was the kind of teacher, in short, that you NEVER want to see leave the classroom. I remember choking up when I found out his school was closing, and learning that he was changing careers.<br /><br />I am honored to share Ryan Clancy's letter here and invite you to read it carefully, share it widely, and take to heart the message it reveals: when we support policies that undermine public schools and the educators entrusted to ensure they succeed, we turn our backs on the children of this state. A truly successful economy means everyone is respected, and everyone thrives. </span></span><br />
<br />
Ryan Clancy deserves the applause he received from Governor Walker. He deserves it now, and he deserved it four years ago. And Governor Walker deserves the response he received from Ryan Clancy.<br />
<br />
Governor Walker's letter:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Dear Mr. <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=537761676&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ryanmclancy?fref=photo">Ryan</a>,<br /> <br />
On behalf of the State of Wisconsin, we wanted to extend our sincere
congratulations to you and your company on being named one of the
Business Journal's "Best Places to Work." <br /> Bounce Milwaukee <br /> Score: 95.17 <span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Small Business Category <br /> <br />
You and your team have played a critical role in making sure your
employees have the resources to be part of the success of the company.
Through your hard work and an employee/customer-centric approach, you
have inspired confidence in and earned the respect of the Wisconsin
Business Community here in Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Again, congratulations on this award and best wishes on your continued success.<br /> <br /> Sincerely,<br /> <br /> <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=175220979161820&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/governorscottwalker/">Governor Scott Walker</a><br /> Governor, <br /> State of Wisconsin</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Ryan Clancy's response: </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> Dear Mr. Scott, </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">
On behalf of myself and my employees, we wanted to extend our sincere
thanks to you for making this business possible. You and your team
played a critical role in inspiring us to open our doors. As a former
public school teacher, your legislation made abundantly clear how much
you value the students and profession to which I had devoted my life.
<br /><br />Had I not been stripped of my autonomy and respect as an educator, and
had my school closed by budget cuts, I never would have decided to
become a job creator, thereby earning the acknowledgement from our
governor that I never saw after more than a decade of teaching.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">
<br />I do work hard, though I work fewer hours than most of the dedicated
teachers that you frequently demonize and undermine. I also work less
hard than my wife, who owns more than half of the company and also did
not receive commendation from you. On the up side, I have more time to
devote to politics now, especially if you decide to pursue a third term
as governor.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br />We won this accolade because we treat and
compensate our employees fairly, and realize that they are responsible
for our success. If you'd like to stop by, we'd be happy to show you
that valuing employees (and people) is not only the right thing to do,
but leads to growth, success, and respect.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br />Condolences on your failed presidential bid and lack of job creation.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br />Sincerely,</span></span></span>Ryan Clancy<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=537761676&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ryanmclancy?fref=photo"></a></span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> *co*-owner</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> Bounce Milwaukee</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-74364743608711530872015-07-20T22:03:00.001-05:002015-07-20T22:04:48.524-05:00Open Letter to Those Who Hate Teachers (crosspost: Dissent & Cookies)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YWppnKBXTpE/UblR4Uau-kI/AAAAAAAABJA/MJzpMPwzYQM/s1600/mod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YWppnKBXTpE/UblR4Uau-kI/AAAAAAAABJA/MJzpMPwzYQM/s200/mod.jpg" width="181" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <b>MoD Open Letter of the Summer Award</b> goes to our friend at Dissent and Cookies for <a href="http://dissentandcookies.org/2015/07/17/an-open-letter-to-those-who-hate-teachers/" target="_blank">this painfully open letter</a> to those who, in the wake of Act 10 and in the full light of day, declare their disdain for the noblest of professions: teaching. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In addition to exposing the shocking level of visceral hatred that is often and openly directed toward educators, she discusses how this "divide and conquer" tactics (the hallmark of Scott Walker's governance) distract us from the policies that deserve our scrutiny:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"...public sector employees like UW
professors and public school teachers aren’t the enemy, nor have they
ever been, and by placing the blame on them for everything from the
recession to unemployment rates, we don’t focus on what <i>actually</i> blew up the economy. As Robert Reich <a href="http://robertreich.org/post/31335756096" target="_blank">argues</a>,
“Divide and Conquer tactics pit average working Americans against each
other, distract attention from the most unprecedented concentrated
wealth at the top, and conceal regressive plans to further enlarge and
entrench that power.” </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the spirit of bringing people together on the issues that matter - supporting and defending our excellent public schools and our proud tradition of academic freedoms, and building respectful communities where we can live and work together well (regardless of whether we agree or disagree), I share the full post here with her permission (original <a href="http://dissentandcookies.org/2015/07/17/an-open-letter-to-those-who-hate-teachers/" target="_blank">here</a>). Please read it, share it, and use it to start conversations with your friends and neighbors about where we went wrong, and where we can go from here to make things better.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When I graduated from college, I, like many graduates, had no clue
what I wanted to do with my life. I was medically cleared to go to West
Africa to join the Peace Corps. I’d applied to seminary and to
graduate school. Grad school took me first, I took it as a sign, and
started on a path to get my Ph.D. and become a college professor. At no
time on this path did anyone warn me that at some point in my life, I
would be hated, despised, loathed, and treated with contempt for the
occupation I chose. I don’t know that it would have made any
difference, but a heads up would have been nice.<br />
<br />
When I grew up, I loved my teachers. I loved my professors. I’ve
been incredibly lucky to have been in classrooms with some of the most
gifted teachers who inspired me, taught me what it means to teach, and
were not only amazing teachers, but scholars and activists as well. I
truly learned from the best. When I finally landed a job as a college
professor, I was excited to pay it forward–to give my students all that I
had learned during those years. But once I actually began teaching, I
was stunned and deeply confused at the very vocal resentment towards
those who had chosen to work in the field of education. When Act 10 was
passed, to say it divided Wisconsin would be an understatement. We
were called lazy, overpaid, greedy, and undeserving of the benefits we
had bargained for in lieu of lower wages. At the time, I thought this
was hurtful and it made me incredibly angry. Then, Governor Walker got
reelected and we saw an increase in the vitriolic rhetoric towards
educators when they began to speak out against his proposed budget.
Admittedly, I have put myself in the spotlight through Facebook posts,
tweets, and now through my blog posts, so I expected to get a few
horrible comments thrown my way. I was told I should be on a government
watch list because I teach in the field of Women’s and Gender Studies.
I was called a communist. I was told to “quit whining” and get a real
job. Some wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="UFICommentBody">“if you want to know why I seem angry,
it’s because this “crisis” was a manufactured one ” much like the rape
crisis you manufactured on campus. Watch, remove the gender studies
courses and rape claims go way down;” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="UFICommentBody"> “so is someone going to start mocking
and insulting her and telling HER to ‘quit your complaining and whining!
omg! suck it up!” and all that?”</span><br />
<br />
<span class="UFICommentBody">“Teach students something that will
allow them to get a job and pay their mortgages, and then we can worry
about your job and mortgage.”</span></blockquote>
<span class="UFICommentBody"></span>All hurtful and frustrating but I had no idea how bad it would get.<br />
<br />
Here are a list of things I have been personally called since I started blogging:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Liberal union cunt”<br />
“Dyke profesor”<br />
“Lesbo cock sucker”<br />
“Flaming liberal whore”</blockquote>
You get the idea. There are more. You won’t see these on my blog,
because I have the ability to delete them, but they’re there. Anonymous
strangers who feel better about themselves by demeaning me. Misogyny
and ignorance at its finest. And this is mild compared to some of the
things other writers or those in the public eye have gone through–I
don’t in any way want to diminish the very real death threats that have
sent some into hiding for daring to speak out against that which they
see as unjust.<br />
<br />
As John Oliver points out in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuNIwYsz7PI" target="_blank">segment</a>
on online harassment this regularly happens to “any woman who makes the
mistake of having a thought in her mind, and then vocalizing it
online.”</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Again, these were online comments. And I’m clearly not the only one
who’s experienced this. Just this week, a friend posted this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://dissentandcookies.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/joel1.jpg"><img alt="Joel" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-372" height="257" src="https://dissentandcookies.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/joel1.jpg?w=300&h=257" width="300" /></a></blockquote>
Once again, none of these responses to his tweet were accurate (professors don’t teach children, <a href="http://dissentandcookies.org/2015/05/30/yes-changes-to-tenure-are-a-big-fking-deal-an-idiots-guide-to-the-tenure-process/" target="_blank">tenure is not a job for life,</a>) but that didn’t stop the immediate backlash against one tweet regarding the <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-Withering-of-a-Once-Great/231565/" target="_blank">elimination of tenure from state statutes</a> in Wisconsin and the very real ramifications of that.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fast forward to two days ago. I was at a gas station when a man approached me.<br />
<blockquote>
Man: “Looks like gas prices have gone up!”<br />
Me: “Um, yep? I guess so?”<br />
Man: (looks at my UW-faculty parking sticker) “If I had your kind of money, I wouldn’t be complaining about gas prices, bitch.”</blockquote>
I was dumbfounded. A good friend noted, “<span class="UFICommentBody">Wow, eliciting sympathy purely in order to twist it around into mistaken and misplaced class rage. That is truly sociopathic.</span>”
Agreed. This man, this complete stranger, felt it necessary to make
sure I knew how much he hated me. I’ve never experienced anything like
it, but I know it has happened to others. Example? One friend got
punched in the face at a bar by a 70 year old man for simply trying to
correct misinformation regarding faculty salaries. Let me repeat that.
Punched in the face by a 70 year old man.<br />
<br />
I posted my experience on Facebook, and perhaps most disturbing was
the number of people who had reached out and told me they’d experienced
similar interactions. I don’t know when it became ok to physically
confront someone and attack them just “because.” Another friend pointed
out, “<span class="UFICommentBody">The thing is – misconception aside –
even if you were a billionaire it shouldn’t be commented on by a
hateful stranger who would call you or anyone a bitch.</span>”
Exactly. And the fact that this is evidently happening more often and
to more educators should call us all to take pause and ask ourselves,
how did Wisconsin get this divided? What happened in this man’s life,
and what had he been told about educators that he felt entitled to speak
his mind and let me know exactly how much contempt he had for me and
everyone who does what I do? It takes a lot of hatred and misplaced
anger to behave in such a way. And to know that this is not an isolated
incident frankly both saddens and enrages me.<br />
<br />
As I wrote in my Facebook post, I truly want to invent a sign that
says “everything you know about college professors is wrong” and wear it
daily. As I pointed out in the <a href="http://dissentandcookies.org/2015/05/28/letter-to-the-joint-committee-on-finance/" target="_blank">letter </a>I
wrote to the Joint Finance Committee before they passed the budget, “I
will officially make less now as a tenured professor than I did when I
started in 2009. In most jobs, your pay is supposed to <i>increase </i>over
time—not the other way around. And contrary to popular belief, I don’t
make a six figure salary nor will I ever if I spend the rest of my
lifetime working in the Colleges. Up until a few years ago, I was still
eligible for the earned income tax credit. Starting salaries of a
professor with a Ph.D. remain at $43,000 and have stagnated. The highest
paid professor with a Ph.D. at UW-Marshfield/Wood County, after 23
years of experience and service to our campus, makes $65,521.00. Most of
my colleagues have second jobs, some at other institutions and others
in any part time job available. Several who work full time on my campus
and at other institutions are eligible for food stamps and reduced
priced lunch programs for their children. They live paycheck to
paycheck, working as line cooks and waitresses. They continue to pay off
student loans and will do so for the next 25+ years at our rate of pay.
Just the other day, a tenured faculty member asked if I’d be a
reference on her application to Family Video. I bartended for several
years during the summer to help pay off my student loans and make sure I
didn’t find myself further in debt. As awkward as it was to have my
students see me behind a bar, sadly, I couldn’t afford to leave that job
because I made more serving alcohol than teaching in the UW System . . .
. We are being asked, for yet another year, to do more with less. There
is nothing left. State divestment in public education cannot continue. I
get it. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Defunding public education has become politically easy. As <a href="http://m.thenation.com/article/207697-gentrification-higher-ed" target="_blank">the Nation recently reported</a>,
‘If states won’t raise taxes or cut back on mass incarceration, gutting
higher education becomes the path of least resistance.’ But it’s a
dangerous path we’ve been walking on for far too long.'”<br />
<br />
So how did we get here? And what can we expect in the future? As Katharine J. Cramer <a href="http://users.polisci.wisc.edu/behavior/Papers/Cramer2014.pdf" target="_blank">writes</a>
in her piece regarding the politics of resentment, “Consistently
conservative groups saw things differently, obviously. They wanted lower
taxes and fewer government programs . . . and asserted that government
programs —except for defense spending—should be as small as possible.
They believed in bootstraps and lamented peoples’ apparent inability to
use them. Besides spending on defense, they were also ok with funding
for programs like the WPA [Works Progress Administration] and the CCC
[Civilian Conservation Corps] that rewarded hard work. Notice how their
support for government spending hinged on notions of deservingness. We
have seen this theme before. In their eyes, government programs are only
legitimate if they support deserving Americans. And this group, like
others in my sample treated deservingness as a matter of whether or not
the policy recipients are hard-working Americans like themselves (Soss
and Schram 2007; Skocpol and Williamson 2012, ch. 4). They approved of
government programs when they perceived the programs gave out benefits
that were payments to people who had earned them, not handouts to the
undeserving (Winter 2008). Hard work was a key consideration, not just
for the consistently conservative groups, but arguably for the vast
majority of the groups, including the groups who were ambivalent about
small government. This is important. It suggests that support for
limited government is not driven mainly by a principled belief in small
government, but instead by attitudes about a particular program’s
recipients (Nelson and Kinder 1996;Schneider and Ingram 1993) . . .
Support for small government policies or candidates seemed motivated by
something other than abstract adherence to the idea that smaller
government is better, and was not a simple result of disliking
government or feeling ignored by it.<br />
<br />
This is where the politics of
resentment comes in. In the conversations, you can see how resentment
toward target groups often served as the glue between anti-government
and small government attitudes . . . . The blow-up over Governor
Walker’s budget measures shortly after he took office in early 2011
illustrates these sentiments . . . Each of these groups was supportive
of Walker’s proposal to require public workers to pay more into their
health and pension benefits. As we saw in the previous chapter, they
perceived that these benefits came directly from their own pockets and
that as rural residents they worked much harder than the desk workers in
state government. In addition, they perceived that the public workers
in their own communities (especially school teachers) made salaries that
were much higher than their own.”<br />
<br />
<div>
The problem with this is that public sector employees like UW
professors and public school teachers aren’t the enemy, nor have they
ever been, and by placing the blame on them for everything from the
recession to unemployment rates, we don’t focus on what <i>actually</i> blew up the economy. As Robert Reich <a href="http://robertreich.org/post/31335756096" target="_blank">argues</a>,
“Divide and Conquer tactics pit average working Americans against each
other, distract attention from the most unprecedented concentrated
wealth at the top, and conceal regressive plans to further enlarge and
entrench that power.” Similarly, Paul Krugman <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/opinion/krugman-confronting-the-malefactors.html?_r=2&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB" target="_blank">noted</a>,
“There is a better answer, and a teachable moment here, which gets at
the real nature of inequality in America. It’s not about overpaid
teachers. Let’s start by looking at the real winners in soaring
inequality — the people who not only make incredible amounts of money,
but get to pay very low taxes. According to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2013/02/26/the-40-highest-earning-hedge-fund-managers-and-traders/">Forbes</a>,
in 2012 the top 40 hedge fund managers and traders took home a combined
$16.7 billion. Now look at those supposedly overpaid government
employees. According to the BLS, the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm">median high school teacher</a>
earns $55,050 per year. So, those 40 hedge fund guys made as much as
300,000, that’s three hundred thousand, school teachers — almost a third
of all high school teachers in America. OK, teachers get benefits, so
their total compensation cost is higher than their wage, so maybe it’s
only 200,000. But you should keep numbers like these in mind whenever
anyone tries to shift attention from the one percent (and the .001
percent) to Americans who aren’t even upper-middle class.”</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<blockquote>
So why are we still blaming the wrong people for societal’s ills?
When will it stop? And how do we convince someone who only knows and
truly believes that educators are the reason their lives aren’t where
they should be–that educators and other public sector workers should be
punished for “undeserved” benefits, and that their lives are truly
better off because of the dismantling of public education–that all of
these beliefs are based in false ideologies?<br />
<br />
I have no answers. But to those who hate me, who see no value in
what I do, and who think I don’t deserve the privileges conferred by
years of hard work and determination, I ask–if my job is so wonderful,
so star spangled awesome, why don’t you do what I do? If being a
teacher is so easy, why not become one? If our benefits are so
egregiously disproportionate to yours, what is stopping you from going
to graduate school and obtaining your very own Ph.D.? Because instead
of dismissing my job, asking for (more) “shared sacrifice,” and
belittling my career choice, maybe your time would be better spent
becoming an educator, spending some time with people who live and work
in my profession, and a little less time in the comments section of your
local newspapers, on Facebook, on Twitter, or in peoples’ faces saying
cruel and ugly things based on falsehoods, deeply rooted misplaced
resentment, and ignorance.</blockquote>
</div>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-13795681574648269222015-05-20T09:56:00.001-05:002015-05-20T09:57:25.223-05:00While You Were Sleeping: What Happened to Wisconsin Public Schools<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
I don't know if you were following what <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/article_5c5f3599-bd2d-523d-a2ae-871b35ea8b52.html" target="_blank">happened </a>at the Wisconsin Capitol last night, but here is a summary:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s320/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" width="320" /></a>
The Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to put forward an
education budget that will harm our kids into perpetuity. There IS
increased funding (as opposed to the $150/pupil cuts the Governor
wanted), but the increase is illusory; expansion of vouchers and changes
to the funding formula mean that it's difficult to tell how much of the
"increase" will actually go to public schools. Waiting for the fiscal
analysis of that. In the meantime, here's how Wisconsin schools were
sold out from under you while you were sleeping:<br />
<br />
The budget
includes the worst of what thousands of parents, school board members,
administrators, advocacy groups, and grassroots local citizens spoke out
against in droves at the hearings and in writing over the past months.
In the guise of giving an increase to the public school budget, it
creates a new, complicated, confusing & unwanted way of "accounting"
for private voucher school students that allows voucher money to be
laundered through the public school budget. Districts that do not have
voucher schools will lose even more money than they already do, and the
voucher money will continue to come "off the top" as the program is
expanded statewide. All over the state, communities will be forced to go
to referendum and raise taxes to fund local schools. Many of these
referenda will fail. The JFC voted against its constitutional obligation
to fund public education at a level that allows uniform instruction at
all schools. We are a state of haves and have-nots, and the "haves" got
a shiny new gift last night.<br />
<br />
It also includes two unconscionable and highly controversial measures:<br />
<ol>
<li> Inclusion of the Special Needs Vouchers that every single disability
rights advocacy group in Wisconsin opposes and that are the heart of an
ALEC/AFC campaign to get more public money into private schools by
taking advantage of our most vulnerable kids. Private schools do not
have to follow federal regulations and discriminate regularly against
kids with special needs. They are also not required by the bill to use
the vouchers to meet the needs of the children they're intended to
serve. It is the ugliest of entitlements and it was slipped into the
budget at the final hour, with no public hearing, because it is the
weakest chink in their armor and they knew that public outrage would be
widespread, as it was in previous years when the proposal failed on
every attempt after much dissent.</li>
<li>Inclusion of a proposal to
"phase in" takeover of the highest poverty, lowest performing Milwaukee
Public Schools by revoking local control - a few schools at a time, more
each year. This is a perverse, unvetted, ill-considered idea that has
virtually NO local support, involved NO local leaders, and was given NO
forum whatsoever for public input or community engagement. It will
bankrupt MPS. It is the most paternalistic "we know best" of ideas and
doomed to fail, as it provides no funds for the "wrap around services"
it claims it will provide, and essentially hands public property over to
privateers despite their having no track record of greater success in
working with high-need schools, and despite the failures of similar
takeover programs in Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans & Philadelphia.
The kicker for the rest of the state, who will pay the tab for this, is
that the language of the bill allows for replication of the program in
other large cities - Racine and Madison will be next. Under the plan,
public schools will be "managed" by an appointed czar and the local
community/democratically elected school board will have no say in their
governance as they're converted into a charter or even a private school,
though a provision demands no tuition can be charged. Constitutionality
is questionable to say the least. In the meantime, the bill would
"help" just a few of the schools that most need help and the budget does
nothing to meet the needs and call for fair funding and much-needed
services and staffing for high-poverty schools. It is both a slap in
the face of Milwaukee and a message to the rest of the state that local
control and democracy have no place in the "business" of the school
privatization movement. </li>
</ol>
Finally, the 51 items in the Omnibus
Bill included all sorts of other things that will boggle your mind.
Like allowing people with a bachelor's degree and "experience" to become
licensed teachers. And a Jim Crow-style Civics Test that will be
required for graduation (despite the fact that we already have a civics
requirement in Wisconsin). And changing the current school "report
card" system to a star rating system (not joking). And allowing charter
and voucher schools to take different tests than the ones required for
public schools so that all of these measures can be used to cook the
books and feed the hoax that our beloved public schools underperform the
schools that are stealing their funding. And much, more more. Read the
whole thing here: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwispolitics.com%2F1006%2F150519Motion457.pdf&h=hAQFcZzdp&enc=AZN2aqI2GoIf7gfNtUEyJpajpFcYVBuvtMINFB1BZILByb3C5N11-hRHROEPrlBsatg62ZzndBGANsmjowDyp8YoMCbcnqiTcRIojWry2zJ3xzr9zWKLb68IQuiVrGwBGUdwk1v_-vDVpwa4jn_rAs-ViZRAPKa9OZyG8ZsLtLonRAWRCBwA2EeWNQtHfVuuETw&s=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://wispolitics.com/1006/150519Motion457.pdf</a><br />
<br />
I just hope everyone gets the message from that civics test: democracy
means you vote. And elections sure do have consequences.<br />
<br />
Education is not a partisan issue. That was brutally clear when citizens of every stripe testified at the JFC hearings, and school districts and boards all over the state spoke as one to let the JFC know exactly what they need and want to keep our schools great. It's brutally clear in the latest polls that show public education is the #1 issue for Wisconsin taxpayers and 78% oppose cuts to schools. For the first time ever, a majority would rather see a raise in taxes than cutting funds to schools.<br />
<br />
Given the climate of bipartisan consensus in the state, it was shocking to see party line votes on a budget that so clearly is deaf to the will of the people last night. Every single person in this state, regardless of party or politics, should be outraged at these attacks on local control and the democratic process.<br />
<br />
Be
prepared to fight these things tooth and nail. Organize locally. Speak up and speak out and speak loudly. They're not law until the
governor signs the bill.<br />
<br />
<b>There is hope -- when we speak as one, we
cannot be ignored. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Our children have never needed us to speak up more.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i>Action alert:</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li>If you're in Milwaukee, and you want to learn more about how to stop the MPS takeover, you can attend <a href="https://millermps.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/fight-the-takeover-northside-and-southside-meetings-tonight/" target="_blank">events TONIGHT</a> (Wed. 5/20) on both the North and South sides:<br /><ul>
<li>North Side Meeting: NAACP office, 2745 N. ML King Drive 5:30 – 7 PM</li>
<li>South Side Meeting: Centro Hispano Hillview Bldg, 1615 S. 22nd St 5:45 – 7 PM</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-86755265779585293302015-05-18T09:56:00.003-05:002015-05-18T10:09:02.284-05:00EDUCATION DAY OF ACTION: Contact the JFC to support funding for public schoosl!<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today is a statewide EDUCATION DAY OF ACTION, as the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee will take up the education budget tomorrow - Tues. May 19, 2015. Please contact members of the committee asap and share your concerns. My own letter is below - feel free to copy/paste or use it as inspiration.<br /><br />When I sent my letter, I cc'd my own representatives and Governor Walker (govgeneral@wisconsin.gov),</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9KC_M543yc/VVn9BzxhNEI/AAAAAAAAB3s/tX2P4TX5eA0/s1600/JFC%2Balert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9KC_M543yc/VVn9BzxhNEI/AAAAAAAAB3s/tX2P4TX5eA0/s320/JFC%2Balert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Contact information for members of the JFC follows.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Dear JFC members,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
I am writing to share my concerns about the education budget and the
rumors that the proposal to takeover Milwaukee Public Schools could be
included in the budget. I strongly oppose this anti-democratic measure,
and ask the JFC to restore and increase funding to public schools
through the following:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> INCREASE PER-PUPIL FUNDING and
INCREASE THE REVENUE CAP. Stopping the cuts does not meet the needs of
our students - ZERO is still a cut. Restore the $150/pupil cut in
special categorical aid and increase the education budget at least to an
amount that keeps up with inflation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">REMOVE THE CHARTER
SCHOOL LEGISLATION FROM THE BUDGET. This chartering authority is an
attack on local control. Local citizens should have a say in where
their money goes and independent charters take money from traditional
public schools at the expense of students and taxpayers. Who is asking
for this? It is certainly not the school districts or parents of
Wisconsin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DROP THE EXPANSION OF STATEWIDE VOUCHERS PROGRAM
WISCONSIN DOES NOT WANT AND CAN'T AFFORD.The latest application numbers
from DPI show that the expanded program is only helping students who
already attend private religious schools, not the "poor children" in
"failing schools" they supposedly are intended to serve. I reject the
hoax that our schools are failing, and call on the JFC to drop voucher
expansion from the budget. Wisconsin DOES NOT WANT and CANNOT AFFORD
more vouchers. Invest in public schools first, as the will of the people
demands.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">REMOVE NON-FISCAL EDUCATION ITEMS FROM THE BUDGET
Please remove the dangerous, irresponsible proposal to license anyone
with "experience" and a bachelor's degree as a teacher, all items
related to accountability/testing provisions, the removal of the
optional participation in the integration program that ensures our
schools are not segregated by race, etc. These items have no place in
the budget and represent an attempt to sneak policy past the public
without fair hearing. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">REJECT THE PROPOSAL TO TAKEOVER MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Education is a non-partisan issue. 78% of Wisconsinites oppose cuts to
public schools and the majority would rather see taxes go up than cuts
to schools (Marquette University poll). Please listen to the people and
fully support the public schools that are the heart of our communities.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Thank you,<br /> Heather DuBois Bourenane</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">________ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Sen.Vukmir@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Sen.Tiffany@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Sen.Erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Rep.Nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Rep.Kooyenga@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Rep.Loudenbeck@legis.wisconsin<wbr></wbr>.gov<br /> Rep.Knudson@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov<br /> Rep.Schraa@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Rep.Czaja@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Rep.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov<br /> Rep.Hintz@legis.wisconsin.gov <br />Govgeneral@wisconsin.gov<br /> <br /> JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE phone numbers<br /> <span style="background-color: yellow;">Sen. Alberta Darling (R) 266-5830 CO-CHAIR</span><br /> Sen. Luther Olsen (R) 266-0751 <br /> Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R) 266-7745 <br /> Sen. Leah Vukmir (R) 266-2512 <br /> Sen. Tom Tiffany (R) 266-2509 <br /> Sen. Howard Marklein (R) 266-0703 <br /> Se. Jon Erbenbach (D) <span dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr"><img height="0" width="0" /><a href="tel:888-549-0027" target="_blank" value="+18885490027">888-549-0027</a> FREE</span></span> <br /> Sen. Lena Taylor (D) 266-5810 <br /> <span style="background-color: yellow;"><br /> Rep. John Nygren (R) 266-2343 CO-CHAIR</span><br /> Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R) 266-9180 <br /> Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R) 266-9967 <br /> Rep. Dean Knudson (R) 266-1526 <br /> Rep. Michael Schraa (R) 267-7990 <br /> Rep. Mary Czaja (R) 266-7694 <br /> Rep. Chris Taylor (D) 266-5342 <br /> Rep. Gordon Hintz(D) 266-2254</span><br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-73774989082389074852015-04-10T15:52:00.004-05:002015-04-11T15:30:51.767-05:00Standing Up for Schools by Opting Out? Why Wisconsin Parents & Educators Are Saying NO to the Badger Exam<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Stand Up for Schools by Opting Out?<br /> </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Why </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wisconsin </span></b>Parents & Educators Are Saying NO to the Badger Exam</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've blogged often about how I feel about testing and assessment, and about how we problematic it is that the main thing standardized tests measure with any accuracy is affluence. I've also <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2013/10/say-cheese-on-instamatic-education-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MonologuesOfDissent+%28Monologues+of+Dissent%29" target="_blank">written quite a bit</a>
on the topic of the hypocrisy of privileging standardized testing
data even when we know how little it actually tells us about student
performance, and we know full well that it has a long history of reproducing cultural and racial biases. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now I
don't have a problem with data. We <i>need </i>data to understand and aid our
students. But data should inform, not "drive" our decision making. And privileging "data" that comes from standardized tests over a teacher's much more comprehensive assessment
is risky, foolish and unprofessional. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And we're simply doing way too much testing, and not enough teaching, in our schools. The hunger for "assessment" and "accountability" has become a self-defeating enemy of a love of learning. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have seen countless children I personally know get extremely anxious, barfy
and teary on test days. Many of these are, as you might expect, the kids who
are NOT scoring well but who I have seen making progress in other ways.
<b>For these kids, the test not only fails to measure their progress; it stunts it. </b> By
constantly setting up these kids to fail, the test creates a
self-fulfilling negative pattern and they learn to doubt their instincts
and their intelligence. I have seen this with my own eyes. I have seen
confident, struggling learners turn to jelly before these tests and
break down in tears, repeatedly changing their answers from right to
wrong. The only thing these tests are teaching such students is that
they are not good students, or smart kids. Neither of those things are
true.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />On testing days, many districts bring in water, bananas, granola bars, and
other healthy snacks. This is yet another way we give a little extra advantage
to kids who don't need it and a uselessly superficial gesture to the
kids who do. Why not fund snacks for hungry kids, every day, so they'd
ALL be learning with full bellies and prepared for testing? If we
recognize the value of nutrition on test day, why aren't we prioritizing
its impact on comprehension and retention? Why do we care more about <i>performance </i>on tests than <i>learning</i>? And what are we teaching our kids through those priorities? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />I don't want to be told by district administrators that the test is a
"just one snapshot" of a child's performance one more time. I <i>know </i>it's a snapshot. But
it's blurry and out of focus, and I don't think we should pay for it. It's a
picture that means nothing to me, because I have read the research and
the research is clear. My question remains: why are we putting this
crappy snapshot up on the wall in a frame for everyone to see?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As
a parent, I am not asking for or interested in a number or a ranking or
a score that compares my kid to everyone else. The things I want to
know are the things that can't be quantified: how eager is he to get to
work? How prepared is he for his lessons? How hard is he working at
not blurting out during class? Has she expressed an interest in reading
more challenging books? Has she been able to focus during the lessons
that are review to her? Has she been distracting others with chatting? I
don't want to compare my kids to others. I don't want to compare our
school to other schools. I want to know one thing: are we all working
together to make sure every kid at the school can do his or best? </span><br />
<a href="http://www.salem.k12.wi.us/cms/lib/WI01000808/Centricity/Domain/45/BadgerExam_300px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.salem.k12.wi.us/cms/lib/WI01000808/Centricity/Domain/45/BadgerExam_300px.jpg" height="212" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 91px;" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>But today I have some good news: we've opted out </b>of the Smarter Balanced Assessment - which is called the <a href="https://oea.dpi.wi.gov/assessment/Smarter" target="_blank">Badger Exam </a>here in Wisconsin. This is the brand-new test designed to measure whether students are meeting the Common Core State Standards we implemented some years ago in our district.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have been on the fence about opting out
since the first time I volunteered on testing day, when my son was in
2nd grade, and I saw children sobbing over their MAPS tests. I was
afraid to opt out because I was worried my kid would be stigmatized, or
that the school might be angry at us for not "bringing up the average"
with his high scores. And since my own kids didn't seem to have the test
anxiety many other children face, I just bit my tongue and picked my
battles elsewhere. But over the past few years I have read book after
book, and talked to educator after educator who says the same thing:
this has got to stop. And when I learned how many district educators -
including a principal, many teachers, an advance learners specialist/talented & gifted teacher, and
even the Director of Assessments - have opted out <i><b>their own </b></i>kids, I knew
I couldn't justify not taking a stand any longer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Every parent or guardian
has the right to opt his/her child out of SmarterBalanced Assessments.</b> [See <a href="https://oea.dpi.wi.gov/assessment/FAQ" target="_blank">FAQ on opting out at the DPI website here</a>].</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://oea.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/oea/images/Smarter%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="71" src="https://oea.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/oea/images/Smarter%20logo.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We are opting out not because we're opposed to testing, but because
we're opposed to testing that hurts students, teachers and schools
without providing any meaningful data that can be used to inform
instruction and diagnose a student's needs. The Badger Test has been
fraught with <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fnews%2Feducation%2Fproblems-swirl-around-new-state-test-tied-to-common-core-standards-b99440358z1-291220931.html&ei=_jIoVbmyM5GzyQSxsoHACw&usg=AFQjCNEVxI3TqltY-bho4RzeytObJD87ag&sig2=NBTz9IfXmB7CyRQFz8kpjQ" target="_blank">problems </a>and was <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weau.com%2Fhome%2Fheadlines%2FProblematic-portion-of-Badger-Exam-to-be-delayed-2-weeks-297698971.html&ei=_jIoVbmyM5GzyQSxsoHACw&usg=AFQjCNGUnIEj3qz_yUN3TC_Wb-GBsr2aWg&sig2=GxgdoeleFzkHp9y03UKE7A" target="_blank">not ready</a> to be rolled out this year. It
does not meet any of the criteria we were promised last year in terms of
being an authentic assessment of our kids' learning, and literally
thousands of hours of time are being wasted across the state on "prep"
and testing for a test that will not provide any reliable data for
teachers to use in their classrooms. DESPITE THIS, that data will be
used by the state to rank and grade schools, and if some legislators get their way, to
also rank <b><i>teachers </i></b>based on student performance. I oppose all of this. And so do many, many others. In <a href="http://discoverhometown.com/59-of-germantown-students-opt-out-of-badger-exams" target="_blank">Germantown</a>, Wisconsin, over half of the students have already opted out of the test with <a href="http://www.germantownschools.org/news/Opt%20Out%20FAQs.pdf" target="_blank">support </a>from district administrators.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have said it before and I will say it forever: I do not want my kids
to be "the best." I want them to DO their best. I do not want my kids
to be "the smartest." I want them to love learning. I do not want my
kids to go to "the best school." I want EVERY kid to go to a great
school. I don't want a ranking system that pits teachers and students
against each other based on test scores. I want a system that applauds
the talents of EVERY kid and gives every teacher space to meet the needs
of every learner. A system based on over-reliance on the "data-driven
results" of standardized testing can't do that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The
test-and-punish philosophy behind the current assessment system is
dangerous to kids, teachers, and schools. It feeds our achievement gaps
and it demeans the professionalism of our educators.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Worse, it's antithetical to the very foundations of public schooling and the equal opportunity of every child to succeed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We are opting out our high-scoring child because we oppose all this.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you would like to join us, you have that right. Just talk to your
child's teacher and principal and tell them you want to opt out. Be
sure to request that your child be given a productive way to spend time
while other students are testing without making a lot of extra work for
the teacher. Buddy up with another parent (or more!) in your grade
level, if possible, and help facilitate a project or reading group for
the students who will not be testing. But all it takes is a letter. Some districts might also ask you to fill out a form.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you live in Sun Prairie, <a href="http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/%E2%80%A6/2014-15%20SBAC%20Parent%2%E2%80%A6" target="_blank">that form is here</a>: </span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>And I'm pleased to report that our District has change the language on its opt-out form to
remove the untrue and misleading clause that kids who weren't tested would be reported
to the state as "zero" scores which would hurt the district! When I
opted our 5th grader out of the Badger Exam, I was disturbed to see that
language and didn't want to share this link until it had been revised.
Many thanks to the Director of Assessments for correcting that error.
If you opt out your child, it will NOT hurt the school's average scores,
but your child will be counted as "non tested" (and the state does
track those numbers). Please note that you can opt out your child AT ANY TIME during the testing process; the request for two weeks' notice on the form is for the district's bookkeeping preference only.<br /><br />After you opt out, please take time to sign this <a href="http://goo.gl/forms/6FyaL0ZKUx" target="_blank">Opt Out Support Form</a> to send the message that you've opted out to support our students and schools.<br /><br />The <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rm_WDtaUlLI6q10v4TIHonbV_C5r3pndEBvgtkNnMCo/viewform" target="_blank"><b>MADISON </b>OPT OUT Support Form is linked here</a>.</i></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you don't live in Sun Prairie, just write your principal and teachers and make your request. You might find the resources on the <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out?hc_location=ufi" target="_blank">Fair Test page </a>helpful in determining what to include in your letter. I also recommend that you talk to <span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">the teacher regularly to make sure you
are part of any conversations about placements that might normally be b</span></span><span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".oj.1:3:1:$comment10153057283847891_10153057318452891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">ased
largely on test scores (like identification for TAG or advanced learner
programming, or other referrals), and to make sure that the lack of a
score won't have any adverse academic affect on your child.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One parent can make a difference. But I know that two parents of high-scoring kids opting out
of standardized kids is a symbolic gesture. I know many educators in our district who've opted out their own kids, but they aren't really in a position to "go public" in the same way that we can. Last fall, Edgewood
College's Dean of the School of Education, Tim Slekar, a long-time critic of standardized testing <a href="http://www.isthmus.com/news/opinion/is-madison-ready-for-tim-slekar/" target="_blank">who's been leading the charge to reclaim the conversation on public education Madison</a>, has shared that his
family has elected to opt of out standardized testing.
This statement, coming from a respected authority, is huge. But
individual parents acting alone on this particular issue is not
enough. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>If
we're really going to make an impact on how standardized assessments
are conducted and how the data is used, it's going to take a coalition
of many parents, many educators, and many students, who are willing to
stand together and say ENOUGH. This is not how we want our kids to be
evaluated. This is not how we want our schools to be run. This is not how we guarantee success for every child, every day.</b><br /><br />We're
going to have to do it together. That model has worked in Seattle.
And it's working in DC. And in New York. It can work in Wisconsin. Our schools are ours and its our job to make them as great as they can be; we still have local control and we should exercise it.<br /><br />We need to stand together and insist that our districts stop privileging misleading and largely useless data - especially when that data is
clearly and directly in conflict with making real progress in addressing
our priority goal of reducing the massive gaps between students of
color and limited economic means and students of privilege. <br /><br />Advocating
for public education means
making sure our policies provide and support a system that allows every
student the opportunity to succeed. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The testing madness we see today does not provide that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know we are not alone and invite
anyone who's ready to stand up for these issues to join us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul class="UFIList" data-reactid=".kf"><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</ul>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-21718181692072510072015-02-25T09:34:00.001-06:002015-02-25T09:44:34.391-06:00Business owner: "Right to Work" does not "promote growth" for small businesses<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Notably absent from the debate over so-called "right to work" legislation is support from local business owners. <a href="http://www.wisconsincontractorcoalition.com/right-to-work/" target="_blank">Over 400 Wisconsin contractors have formed a coalition opposing</a> the bill. <a href="http://www.wisconsinbusinessalliance.com/2015/02/23/where-is-the-love/" target="_blank">Even in very conservative districts, local Chambers of Commerce refuse to speak in favor of it</a>. And small business owners are terrified about what it means to local business and potential growth.<br /><br />Small business owner Laura Komai has some serious concerns about the wage theft bill. Like many small business owners, she fears the negative impacts of this bill that have already been demonstrated in other states. Like many Wisconsinites, she was unable to testify on this fast-tracked legislation, and asked that her letter to legislators be made open to share her concerns with all who will listen to the voice of Wisconsin business owners who fear what this bill will mean to the future of the state we all love. As per usual, she received the following autoreply from the Governor's office:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> "I take into account the views of all of the
citizens of Wisconsin, and I will keep your specific comments in mind
during my service as your Governor." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I thank her for sharing her letter and her concerns, and urge lawmakers to take them seriously. And I ask you to encourage the Governor to "keep her specific comments in mind" when this bill gets to his desk and put people before politics on this important and unpopular bill.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zfQGVtP6Ik/VO3qGRR-HGI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/meJl29NKGk0/s1600/anthology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zfQGVtP6Ik/VO3qGRR-HGI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/meJl29NKGk0/s1600/anthology.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Small business owner Laura Komai knows her customers share <br />her </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">belief that "creating your own dream" is key to her success<br /> in business and beyond. She has one question for Gov. Walker <br />and the Wisconsin legislature: <br /><i>What is this state doing to promote growth?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Dear Governor Walker and Wisconsin Legislators:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
I am writing to you as a graduate of the Madison public schools and
the University of Wisconsin, and as a member of the Wisconsin Business
Alliance. Though writing from Madison may leave me outside your
district, I am writing as Wisconsin business owner with customers from
around the state. I ask you to vote against “right to work,” the
proposed cuts to the University, the ongoing cuts to the public school
system, the undermining of environmental stewardship, and privatizing
what should be government work (for the greater good, not for profit). I
am very concerned about the effects of such legislative and budgetary
actions upon the prosperity of Wisconsin’s citizens, and thus the
success of my own business, not to mention others around the state.<br /><br />
Until I started my own business with my sister in 2008, I never
understood what people were talking about when they said government
should be run more like a business. I still don’t entirely agree, but
there are some things about running a business which I think that this
state is ignoring at its peril. What does it mean to run a business?
First and foremost, is the realization of my complete dependence upon
other people: my business is nothing if not for customers, taxpayers,
union members, government employees, students, women, employees, family.
The success of my business depends upon the success of everyone.<br /><br />
Other than that, there are really only two things on my mind: </span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What is new and unique? I am constantly on the lookout for new products
and how I can differentiate myself from others. Just a hint: someone
can always offer lower prices. What is Wisconsin doing to cultivate new
industries and new customers in areas where growth is occurring? Is it
really useful to undercut University research and teaching? How are we
building upon what is unique about this state, the good people, great
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4zqodDoH7Y/VO3tt9_-NfI/AAAAAAAAB1c/JpJqfsVdYWY/s1600/anthology%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4zqodDoH7Y/VO3tt9_-NfI/AAAAAAAAB1c/JpJqfsVdYWY/s1600/anthology%2B2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Komai wants her customers, and her community<br />to know that RTW is #WrongforWI and<br />wrong for local businesses.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
schools and natural resources.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How can I get more money? How do I
reach more customers and get them to spend more? What is Wisconsin doing
about the earnings of the majority of its citizens? Frankly, the $60 I
saved in property taxes can either be undermined or exponentially
increased in a matter of minutes if I have more customers earning and
spending more money. What is Wisconsin doing about the welfare of all of
its citizens, about their quality of life and earning potential? I have
seen distressingly little action that would bolster my customers and
thus my business. <br /><br />Please note that taxes are not on that list.
To be clear, I pay taxes, I just don’t base any of my business decisions
on how they might change.</span></li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
So, I ask you: what is this state doing to promote growth? How
is the budget or SB44 in service of such growth? What actions have been
taken that would benefit the majority of my customers (the women? the
middle class?). I have seen little evidence that voucher and charter
school expansion, “right” to work and reduced University funding will
improve the bottom line of this business that is all of ours, the state
of Wisconsin. I ask you to honor your commitment to our state
Constitution and to all the people in your district and this state, to
preserve that which keeps us unique and above all, improves the
prosperity of all of our citizens.<br /><br />
Thank you very much for your service and your attention.</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Sincerely,</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Laura Komai, co-owner</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Anthology<br />
218 State Street<br />
Madison, Wisconsin 53703</span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.anthology.typepad.com/" target="_blank">www.anthology.typepad.com</a></span></blockquote>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-73863286630129631102015-02-25T09:21:00.001-06:002015-02-25T09:22:34.182-06:00Ironworker: Wage Theft Bill will cost taxpayers, hurt workers, jobs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0h1cW8_P8yY/VO3oUuEWZMI/AAAAAAAAB1E/mRaKdGj6I-c/s1600/randy%2Brtw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0h1cW8_P8yY/VO3oUuEWZMI/AAAAAAAAB1E/mRaKdGj6I-c/s1600/randy%2Brtw.jpg" height="494" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygpqBVCEMyc/VO3naqTKuhI/AAAAAAAAB08/QVsx5pDeEjs/s1600/randy%2Brtw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Milwaukee ironworker Randy Bryce took the day off to come to Madison to testify against the so-called Right to Work bill (SB44) that saw its only public hearing yesterday. He sat in a crowded, heavily secured overflow room for over 10 hours, waiting for his chance to speak, before the hearing was abruptly shut down and he was unable to speak. He <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/randy-bryce/my-testimony-on-wagetheftbill-that-was-not-allowed-to-be-read-before-the-committ/843927255673810" target="_blank">shared his testimony</a> in the hope that he would be heard, and I reshare it here with the same intention. Like hundreds of others who waited all day to speak, Randy was shut out of the hearing yesterday. Please listen to what he wanted legislators to know:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<h2 class="_5clb">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My testimony on #WageTheftBill by Randy Bryce</span></h2>
</div>
<div class="mts _50f8">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="timelineUnitContainer"></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="_5k3v _5k3w clearfix">
<div>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My name is Randy Bryce. I have been a member of Ironworkers Local 8 since 1997. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I’ve
had the privilege in that time to work on many of Wisconsin’s
landmarks, private businesses, and, numerous parts of our
infrastructure.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Prior to this, after leaving
the US Army with an honorable discharge, I had several jobs that had no
bright future, but, allowed me to pay my bills. (usually two jobs at a
time)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One day, a friend of our family - a physician who had a
patient that was the former ironworker apprenticeship coordinator let me
know that the ironworkers were taking applications. I hated the job
that I was at. It was in a dirty warehouse, and, I dreaded going into
work every day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I applied. I had never done
construction work before. After going through the application process, I
finally made it onto the apprenticeship list. I’m not going to go into
great detail explaining how my apprenticeship went, because I understand
that this body has a bill that they’d like to ram through before the
rest of the state is aware of how horrible it really is. I’ll be as
brief as possible.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fact is, the ironworker's
apprenticeship has the ability to take unskilled people off of the
street, and, gives them a career that they are proud of. They taught me
everything that I needed to know in order to now have a career that not
only takes care of my family, but, has me proudly pointing out every
project that I worked on as I drive throughout the state to my son Ben. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That
training isn’t cheap. But, WE pay for it through our union dues, and,
from contributions from the contractors who hire us. The apprenticeship
board consists of 5 union reps, 5 contractor reps, and, a rep from the
state who meet monthly. Zero tax dollars are used. After passing the
#WageTheftBill (let's not pretend that this bill involves rights or the
ability to work) Michigan has found out that it is now lacking with
skilled trades workers. They will soon be using tax money to train
workers.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This horrible attack on the Building
Trades is not good for anyone in the state. It is a blatant attack due
to political ideologies. Sen. Fitzgerald admitted such when this idea
was first mentioned when he sought to exempt certain unions who
supported Republican candidates. (Unconstitutional) Proponents have
admitted that it will not raise wages.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am
sure that you are all aware of the Wisconsin Contractor coalition - a
group of around 400 private businesses - many of who donated heavily to
Republican candidates - who are opposed to this bill. They see it for
what it is - the government getting in the middle of how they hire their
help.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We make those contractors a LOT of money. They CHOOSE to use us.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If
we are not allowed to collect money from members who freely choose to
join our organization, who will pay to train us? Why stop at collecting
union dues. A college tuition freeze is nice, but, why not let the
student get a degree, then pay what they feel it is worth? Why do groups
who want to see this passed charge a membership fee? Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce charge fees. The Associated Builders and
Contractors charge membership fees. Even ALEC charges membership fees -
and I recall that taxpayers foot the bill for a few members of
Wisconsin’s legislature to belong to that group. Think of all of the
extra jobs that they could create if this bill only went a little bit
further and actually addressed freeloading for all. Why not let people
pay taxes based on how well they feel that they are being represented?
(I think we know how that would turn out)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Another
aspect of what is trying to be sold is that this bill gives workers a
choice. There already is a choice. If somebody wants to do what I do for
a living, there are plenty of open shops that already exist. People are
free to go work there. They won’t get the same training that our union
dues pay for, and, they probably won’t make the same amount of money as a
result, but, they exist. Their lessor wages are what I refer to as
their “nonunion dues”. It’s the cost that they choose to be paid for not
joining a highly skilled workforce.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The
ironworkers created the first union in order to pool money together in
order to give someone killed on the job a decent burial. Because of what
we saw that could be done by looking out for each other, we were able
to demand safer working conditions. Our trade is annually listed among
the top 5 with regard to having a high mortality rate, but, it is a lot
better than it used to be. </span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The union that I belong to is self
insured. We get no sick days or holiday pay. As stated before, we pay
to self train. Our instructors are experienced journey men
ironworkers.There is ZERO burden on the taxpayer. The 4 year
apprenticeship has members graduate with no student loan debt. Once
graduating to Journeyman status, one can work anywhere in North America
with a network that has been set up to attract skilled labor when an
area faces a shortage. We have no seniority. If you don’t work, you
don’t get paid. Our vacations are taken understanding that we will not
get paid for the days that we are on vacation. All of our
representatives are elected. All of the decisions that we make are voted
on. The general membership is given monthly reports on how every dime
is spent. Every dime spent is voted on. Unlike what is taking place this
week, Ironworkers local 8 is PURE. DEMOCRACY. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Every single
member of the legislature is cordially invited to come view our training
facility. When running for state senate, I made it a point to invite
members of the opposition party to see what we do.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am
disappointed beyond words at not just what this bill contains, but, how
it is being passed. I am proud to be among those who build Wisconsin. My
job is construction. This bill is demolition.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thank you for
the opportunity to speak my mind. Because I belong to a union, I was
able to take off of work today and not fear that I would lose my job. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="photo "><img alt="" class="photo_img img" src="https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/559562_843927725673763_3441160711800769864_n.jpg?oh=6fa298f3b100f0d3f3d29dfd17b1991b&oe=558D967C" title="" /></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Randy Bryce reads his testimony to reporters as state troopers prevent entry to the hearing room after the Wage Theft Bill hearing was abruptly shut down due to a "threat of disruption."</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="fb-like" data-action="like" data-href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2015/02/ironworker-wage-theft-bill-will-cost.html" data-layout="standard" data-share="true" data-show-faces="true">
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-75943396285288568392015-02-21T16:01:00.001-06:002015-02-22T14:10:25.464-06:00Wage Theft Bill Action Guide: Hold Legislators Accountable for Representing the Common Good<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7p9hAS4X1ko/VOj4z5OClTI/AAAAAAAABzo/wnkjieDXNi8/s1600/rtw%2Bis%2Ba%2Blie.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7p9hAS4X1ko/VOj4z5OClTI/AAAAAAAABzo/wnkjieDXNi8/s1600/rtw%2Bis%2Ba%2Blie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Don't be fooled Wisconsin! </b><br />
The so-called "right to work" law....is really called the "wage theft" law. Workplace
freedom is about being able to take a grievance to your employer without
fear. It's about being able to negotiate your pay fairly and about
being able to take a day off when your child gets sick. Wisconsin
workers want to be able to have a set schedule so they can know when to
go to a meeting with their child's teacher. <br />Those are the types of
workplace freedoms we should all have.</span></span></span>Image and caption: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OverpassLightBrigade/photos/pb.178953955536123.-2207520000.1424555572./729530807145099/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Overpass Light Brigade</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>STATEWIDE ACTION ALERT</b>: <br /><br /><b>What the Wage Theft Bill (aka "Right to Work") Means to Wisconsin and What You Can Do About It</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b> Hold Wisconsin legislators
accountable and let them know they have our support in doing the
right thing</b></span></i> </b><br />________________________<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wisconsin Republicans plan to <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/what-s-the-difference-between-special-and-extraordinary-sessions-of/article_e126ef6e-9885-5b71-8ee0-084ab2b5c311.html" target="_blank">fast-track</a> an <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/02/12743/wisconsin-introduces-verbatim-alec-right-work-bill" target="_blank">ALEC</a>-authored <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/02/12743/wisconsin-introduces-verbatim-alec-right-work-bill" target="_blank">Wage Theft Bill</a> next week that would put Wisconsin on a fast track to lower wages and fewer living-wage jobs. [<a href="http://media.jrn.com/documents/unionbill.pdf" target="_blank">Bill text here</a>].</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5afMQyJG7c/VOj5tiqKiXI/AAAAAAAAB0I/2c61sOMYoJc/s1600/rtw%2Bjihad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5afMQyJG7c/VOj5tiqKiXI/AAAAAAAAB0I/2c61sOMYoJc/s1600/rtw%2Bjihad.jpg" height="400" width="372" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".j9.$mid=11424554093506=209cc27dcacdb355f03.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".j9.$mid=11424554093506=209cc27dcacdb355f03.2:0.0.0.0.0.0">
Scott Walker says busting teachers' unions <br />will have jihadists quivering in fear.</span></span>Image and caption: Nicole Desautels</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You may have heard already that <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/16/1364829/-Four-things-you-MUST-KNOW-about-Scott-Walker-before-it-s-too-late" target="_blank">Gov. Walker</a> has been suggesting that his ability to "deal with" the protests in 2011 translates to the "security credentials" necessarily to "deal with" Putin, ISIS, etc. He's also been sharing stories of <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/06/wisconsin-gov-scott-walker-tripped-truth" target="_blank">dubious credibility</a> of late, including ones that make the hardworking Wisconsin citizens opposed to his policies look like bloodthirsty criminals (such as a false one about how <a href="http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2013/dec/23/scott-walker/gov-scott-walker-says-protesters-surrounded-his-ca/" target="_blank">protesters tried to tip over his car,</a> and new, unsubstantiated claims about threats to his family). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />At the same fundraiser in which he sat in silence as Rudy Giuliani claimed that Pres. Obama "doesn't love America," <i> [update: <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/21/scott-walker-doesnt-know-obama-loves-usa/23810023/" target="_blank">Walker has since said he "doesn't know" if Obama "loves his country"</a>],</i> Gov. Walker<a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414183/what-scott-walker-actually-said-larry-kudlow" target="_blank"> said this</a>, according to Larry Kudrow at the <i>National Review</i>:</span><br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7p9hAS4X1ko/VOj4z5OClTI/AAAAAAAABzo/wnkjieDXNi8/s1600/rtw%2Bis%2Ba%2Blie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>"Walker argued that when Reagan fired the PATCO air-traffic
controllers over their illegal strike, he was sending a message of
toughness to Democrats and unions at home as well as our Soviet enemies
abroad. Similarly, Walker believes his stance against unions in
Wisconsin would be a signal of toughness to Islamic jihadists and
Russia’s Vladimir Putin."</span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dRZ_lGyzqgM/VOkHq6CNzvI/AAAAAAAAB0k/GP2jMFrfJuE/s1600/mlk%2Bon%2Brtw.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dRZ_lGyzqgM/VOkHq6CNzvI/AAAAAAAAB0k/GP2jMFrfJuE/s1600/mlk%2Bon%2Brtw.JPG" height="237" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wisconsinites won't have the "weapon" of a vote on this issue.<br />Call on legislators to do the right thing with theirs.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That's right: In 2011, the Wisconsinites who stood in opposition to a budget that would gut our schools and revoke workers' rights were "union thugs". In 2015, he wants the world to believe these citizens are no better than terrorists.<br /><br />We learned now that there are plans to "crack down" on Capitol security next week. Legislators have been told to be prepared to show ID to enter the building.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />We are being played. The <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0220sargent.pdf" target="_blank">divisive </a>Wage Theft Bill<a href="http://www.wpr.org/right-work-vote-coming-next-week-say-republican-lawmakers" target="_blank"> on the table for passage next week</a> is the "<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/3/walker-says-right-to-work-law-would-be-distraction/" target="_blank">distraction</a>" Walker was looking for to <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0220reptaylor.pdf" target="_blank">draw attention</a> away from his much-<a href="http://www.wkow.com/story/28143806/2015/02/18/dane-county-superintendents-ask-governor-walker-for-consistent-funding" target="_blank">criticized </a>budget bill (which has taken <a href="http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/03/walkers-budget-cuts-property-taxes-uw-funding/22816803/" target="_blank">lots </a>of media <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gov-scott-walker-eyeing-2016-bid-picks-fight-with-wisconsin-universities/2015/02/16/e84fd5be-b3c1-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html" target="_blank">heat </a>from both the <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/election-matters/paul-fanlund-neither-big-nor-bold-scott-walker-s-budget/article_1884dae6-f131-5ae1-a4de-532a6fff3d73.html" target="_blank">left </a>and the <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/gov-scott-walker-made-an-easy-call-look-hard-b99446266z1-292285561.html" target="_blank">right</a> and already generated protests at <a href="http://www.wkow.com/story/28111205/2015/02/14/protestors-gather-to-oppose-uw-budget-cuts" target="_blank">UW-Madison</a> and <a href="http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_1e78789c-b914-11e4-b0e3-6b4e98a3586d.html" target="_blank">beyond</a>), and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/randy.m.bryce/posts/841681192565083?fref=nf" target="_blank">they knew that the outrage would be strong</a> from all sides. After months of saying the bill would be a "distraction," <a href="http://fox11online.com/2015/02/20/walker-comes-out-in-support-of-right-to-work-bill/" target="_blank">Walker said yesterday</a> he'd sign it into law as soon as it hits his desk. An angry "mob" trying to gain entry to the Capitol will be used to feed the narrative of Walker as the "victim" as he promotes his <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Flacrossetribune.com%2Ftomahjournal%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fgovt-and-politics%2Fwalker-budget-gets-bad-reviews-at-listening-session%2Farticle_f3570482-af9c-511f-84e7-6babd34abd37.html&ei=OQPpVL7BI9OmyATMtYKYBw&usg=AFQjCNGc2uUrq4QFd4kp5sdH43u3Zt2DpQ&sig2=dBsGExHMaJEEmoIcUCTouA" target="_blank">unpopular</a> budget - and his own presidential aspirations. </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">WE NEED TO SET THIS STRAIGHT.
</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As in 2011, there is widespread bipartisan opposition to Walker's self-inflicted <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-budget-again-declines-federal-money-for-medicaid-expansion-b99445846z1-292084711.html" target="_blank">kick-the-can</a> budget "crisis" as well as both the draconian budget and the <a href="http://jakehasablog.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-primer-on-lies-deception-and-truth-of.html" target="_blank">Wage Theft Bill </a>that would <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/Legislation-and-Politics/State-Legislative-Battles/Ongoing-State-Legislative-Attacks/Right-to-Work" target="_blank">reduce wages & benefits</a>, restrict worker protections, revoke workers' rights, and lead to decreased funding for public schools and other services. We know this. We have seen it happen in other states, as non-RWT states pick up the tab for the many working poor in RTW states who are forced to rely on subsidies to augment their poverty wages -- all during a time of record profits for corporations. <a href="http://www.nea.org/home/52880.htm" target="_blank">Data </a>shows that states with Wage Theft Laws spend over <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/Legislation-and-Politics/State-Legislative-Battles/Ongoing-State-Legislative-Attacks/Right-to-Work" target="_blank">30% less</a> on public schools.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>This is not a partisan issue. </b></i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dRZ_lGyzqgM/VOkHq6CNzvI/AAAAAAAAB0k/GP2jMFrfJuE/s1600/mlk%2Bon%2Brtw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></b></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />It's not a question of "workers vs employers" either. Or "union members vs non union members." Check out this list of <a href="http://www.wisconsincontractorcoalition.com/supporters/" target="_blank">400+ Wisconsin contractors who <i>oppose </i>Wage Theft Legislation</a>. <br /><br />Listen to what former Republican Senator <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/21/3625577/scott-walker-right-to-work/" target="_blank">Dale Schultz has to say</a> about the bill, which is likely to lead to an average lose of wages of $1,500 per person, per year:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">“This is going to hurt Wisconsin employers terribly in the long run, as
the workforce gets more angry. I represented a
lot of blue-collar labor people, both union and non-union. So I know
that even the wages of non-union workers are determined by collective
bargaining. They may not be paying for it, but it has an impact. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It’s a cowardly move to make certain the public can’t be heard on this
issue and rush it through in a special session. They
ought to be embarrassed or ashamed. I thought they would have at least
gone through the trouble of having a sham public hearing, but they don’t
even think that’s necessary here.”</span>”</span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMgZVlmzAyA/VOj7fqQumHI/AAAAAAAAB0U/VPgi9QmFBZA/s1600/rtw%2Bis%2Bwrong.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMgZVlmzAyA/VOj7fqQumHI/AAAAAAAAB0U/VPgi9QmFBZA/s1600/rtw%2Bis%2Bwrong.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/defeatrighttowork/photos/pb.1564362383807966.-2207520000.1424554833./1579609722283232/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Defeat "Right To Work" in Wisconsin</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We need to let our friends, neighbors and legislators know that we OPPOSE a budget that further guts our public schools and social services (while handing out money we can't afford for tax breaks and private school tuition vouchers) and we OPPOSE a <a href="http://www.scfl.org/2014/12/17/why-right-to-work-is-wrong-for-wisconsin/" target="_blank">Wage Theft Bill</a> that makes it even harder to earn a living wage at a time when so many are struggling. Good people deserve good jobs, good schools, and good communities. And Wisconsin is full of good people.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>These good people are the same nurses, teachers, laborers, retirees, students, professionals, and citizens of all walks of life who simply want to hold elected officials responsible for doing what they were elected to do: REPRESENT US, not special interests or campaign contributors.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>We can only make this happen if we do OUR civic duty: TAKE ACTION.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />Here's what you can do:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>MOBILIZE</b>. Rallies are already planned for Milwaukee and Madison. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl"></span></span>Plan
to be there if you can. Peaceful protest is a way we can put a kind,
human face to our concerns and counter the absurd, insulting portrait
Gov. Walker would like to paint of us as a step away from radical
terrorist thugs. Think carefully about your signs, and send a positive message of support for living wage jobs and democracy (holding legislators accountable to represent the will of the people).</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Mon. Feb. 23, Milwaukee: </span>5:00pm, Zeidler Union Square (4th and Michigan)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl">Tues. Feb. 24, Madison. Noon, Wisconsin State Capitol, State Street entrance.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl">Wed. Feb. </span>25, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl">Madison. Noon, Wisconsin State Capitol, State Street entrance. </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fsl"></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XielquW8Pb8/VOj40GfNwhI/AAAAAAAABzs/3NIiIVncKC4/s1600/rtw%2Bwrong.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XielquW8Pb8/VOj40GfNwhI/AAAAAAAABzs/3NIiIVncKC4/s1600/rtw%2Bwrong.png" height="302" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Image: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/197466610278275/photos/pb.197466610278275.-2207520000.1424554581./956030487755213/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">MTEA</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Rallies are a powerful way to create a visibility and momentum for holding legislators
accountable and letting them know they have our support in doing the
right thing. But there are many ways to protest this bill and attending a rally is just one of them. Here are some others:</b></span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>SPEAK UP.</b> Contact your legislators. Call. Write. Visit their offices on Monday. If they don't hear from you, they don't know you oppose the bills. It's that simple. You must contact them.<br />If you're unsure of your legislators, <a href="http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/" target="_blank">find them here</a>. Or <a href="http://www.citizenactionwi.org/stop_right_to_work_in_wi" target="_blank">use the Citizen Action form here </a>and send your letter online.<br />You might also consider cc'ing your letter to the Governor and these key Senators, who may be more likely than others to vote for the people on this issue:<br /><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$4:0">Cowles -<span class="skype_c2c_container notranslate" data-isfreecall="false" data-ismobile="false" data-isrtl="false" data-numbertocall="+19204485092" dir="ltr" id="skype_c2c_container" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span" id="non_free_num_ui"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" height="0" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" width="0" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">(920) 448-5092</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> Green Bay area </span></span><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><br data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$1:0" /><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$2:0"> Gudex -<span class="skype_c2c_container notranslate" data-isfreecall="false" data-ismobile="false" data-isrtl="false" data-numbertocall="+16082665300" dir="ltr" id="skype_c2c_container" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span" id="non_free_num_ui"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" height="0" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" width="0" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">(608) 266-5300</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> Fond du Lac area</span><br data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0"> Harsdorf -<span class="skype_c2c_container notranslate" data-isfreecall="false" data-ismobile="false" data-isrtl="false" data-numbertocall="+16082667745" dir="ltr" id="skype_c2c_container" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span" id="non_free_num_ui"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" height="0" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" width="0" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">(608) 266-7745</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> River Falls </span><br data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$6:0"> Marklein -<span class="skype_c2c_container notranslate" data-isfreecall="false" data-ismobile="false" data-isrtl="false" data-numbertocall="+16082660703" dir="ltr" id="skype_c2c_container" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span" id="non_free_num_ui"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" height="0" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" width="0" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">(608) 266-0703</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> Spring Green</span><br data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0"> Petrowski -<span class="skype_c2c_container notranslate" data-isfreecall="false" data-ismobile="false" data-isrtl="false" data-numbertocall="+16082662502" dir="ltr" id="skype_c2c_container" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span" id="non_free_num_ui"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" height="0" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" width="0" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">(608) 266-2502</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> Marathon<i><br />Email addresses for your copy/paste convenience</i>: <br />Sen.Cowles@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Gudex</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">@legis.wisconsin.gov</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">, Sen.Harsdorf</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Marklein</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Petrowski</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".de.1:3:1:$comment10152953877252891_10152954312067891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">@legis.wisconsin.gov, GovGeneral@wisconsin.gov</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>SPEAK OUT.</b> Make your letter to your legislator an OPEN LETTER. Post it online. Send it to your friends and neighbors. Print copies to pass out at work. This is critical to spreading the word and sharing our concerns widely. If you want to make it <i>really</i> open, <a href="mailto:monologuesofdissent@gmail.com" target="_blank">send it to me</a> and I'll put in up on the blog.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Attend the PUBLIC HEARING </b>on the bill on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 9am at the State Capitol. You can register to speak or you can just register "for" or "against" the bill.<b> </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Talk </b>to your neighbors, friends, family, colleagues, people you run into at the grocery store or school. Use email, call people. Do whatever it takes. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Use social media</b>. Share your letters, news links, and posts like this widely. If you're on twitter, use these hashtags: #WageTheftBill #WrongForWI #RightToWorkForLess</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://act.aflcio.org/c/270/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9419" target="_blank">Sign this petition</a></b> from AFL-CIO Wisconsin. Then share it widely.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Attend a listening session</b> and share your concerns in person. Visit your legislator's homepage or call his/her office to find out when listening sessions are being held in your community. This action has more impact than you can imagine, as these events are taken very seriously by legislators and are often not very well attended. BE THERE and your voice will be amplified more than you know -- your representatives will hear you, and so will your local community. Exhibit A: a recent budget hearing in the conservative Mauston community got big coverage last week under the headline "<a href="http://lacrossetribune.com/tomahjournal/news/local/govt-and-politics/walker-budget-gets-bad-reviews-at-listening-session/article_f3570482-af9c-511f-84e7-6babd34abd37.html" target="_blank">Walker Budget Gets Bad Reviews at Listening Session.</a>" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Write a letter to the editor</b> of your local paper(s). Keep it short, simple, personal, and to the point (250-350 words is the max for most papers). Focus on the VALUES shared by members of your community, and how those shared values are threatened when we pass laws that hurt jobs, schools, workers, the elderly, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Contact local government</b> (city council, school board, county board members) and urge them to pass a resolution opposing the Wage Theft Bill and/or the budget. <i><b> Local officials answer to you:</b></i> authorize them to speak on your behalf by putting pressure on them to do due diligence by your community! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Know the facts. </b>According to a Marquette University economist, there is "<a href="http://wuwm.com/post/marquette-economist-simply-no-economic-reason-argue-right-work-wisconsin" target="_blank">simply no economic reason to argue for right-to-work in Wisconsin</a>." Share articles like this widely.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coCLZ9dWfWQ/VOj40LSc5FI/AAAAAAAABzw/SCnuZt2XPL0/s1600/rtw%2Bwisconsin%2Bjobs%2Bnow.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coCLZ9dWfWQ/VOj40LSc5FI/AAAAAAAABzw/SCnuZt2XPL0/s1600/rtw%2Bwisconsin%2Bjobs%2Bnow.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Image: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wisconsinjobsnow/photos/pb.178277548860028.-2207520000.1424554628./898126863541756/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Wisconsin Jobs Now</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.forwardinstitutewi.org/conservatives-and-right-to-work-its-a-trap/" target="_blank">Avoid the hype.</a> </b> "Right to Work" is a confusing and misleading name for a bill that takes freedom, protections, and rights away from workers and is more accurately called a "Wage Theft Bill". Don't fall into the trap of thinking that RTW is about creating jobs - it's not. <b>States with RTW laws have lower wages, fewer protections, and more people on government assistance</b>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Volunteer</b>. Contact your union or professional association,<a href="http://www.wisconsingrassroots.net/directory_of_groups" target="_blank"> your local grassroots team</a>, your civic groups, etc, and find out what local actions are being planned and how you can help. One thing you can do today is <a href="http://www.scfl.org/2015/02/21/forced-to-work-for-less-legislation-to-be-introduced-in-senate-this-week/" target="_blank">volunteer to help phonebank </a>(in Madison) and let people know why this issue is so important to Wisconsin families.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Keep calm and do the right thing.</b> Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The time is always right to do what's right." Take that charge seriously. Even though it's evident that the supermajority in the assembly and senate can pass these bills regardless of what we say, that doesn't give us permission to stay silent or feel there's nothing we can do - if anything, it amplifies the urgency of speaking loudly, and as one. <br /><br />Speaking truth to power isn't easy. And it can be frustrating - terrifying, even - when we feel that "power" isn't just not listening, but is openly hostile to our concerns.<br /><br />But it's not our job to worry about whether they're listening. We can't control that. It's our job to have spoken at a time when what we had to say needed to be said. That we can control. That we can do. <br /><br />Our silence is consent, and apathy is not an option when the common good is at stake. <br /><br />Have faith. Stay calm. Do the right thing. And, again, remember the words of Dr. King: The arc of the moral universe <i>is </i>long, as we have most certainly seen here in Wisconsin. But it <i>does </i>bend toward justice. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-71899329008196979802015-02-19T18:42:00.006-06:002015-02-19T18:57:46.289-06:00Guest post: An Open Letter to Berlin Schools: Teach Respect, Not Racism<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZQZCotz4kI/VOaD0oFrOSI/AAAAAAAABzU/oX0uWBVQBsQ/s1600/mascot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZQZCotz4kI/VOaD0oFrOSI/AAAAAAAABzU/oX0uWBVQBsQ/s1600/mascot.gif" height="320" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.indianmascots.com/" target="_blank">Wisconsin Indian Education Association</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Barbara E. Munson, Chair of the <a href="http://www.indianmascots.com/" target="_blank">Wisconsin Indian Education Association</a>'s “Indian” Mascot & Logo Taskforce, has written an open letter to the Berlin Area School District's board, asking them to consider what is lost by <a href="http://www.wkow.com/story/27970722/2015/01/29/berlin-schools-keep-indian-mascot" target="_blank">retaining </a>the use of their controversial mascot, the "Indians." The Berlin board <a href="http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2015/jan/29/berlin-school-board-votes-to-keep-indians-nickname/" target="_blank">voted </a>to retain the mascot after conducting a survey of area residents and students.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The open letter reminds us that this decision doesn't "end" the debate - it just prolongs the discussion and forces the district to address more pressing questions about how they're preparing students to be global citizens:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How will your school prepare the 2015 graduating class to be culturally competent? How </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">will you teach them that they are not the ‘Indians,’ that they have never been the ‘Indians’ and that there are real people whose identities are defined by being Indian living nearby? People who do not fit the stereotypes and myths that students in the Berlin Schools promote and have come to believe are true? People who are demeaned and disrespected by race- based ‘Indian’ team name branding and the playacting and pageantry that accompanies Indian mascots. When will you teach them? How will you prepare your sons and daughters to enter the larger community post high school? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The book about race-based Indian mascots in Wisconsin is not finished, but the most recent chapter, has certainly not been about the District opening hearts and minds by applying good educational practices, but rather about Berlin repeatedly avoiding educational engagement. Perhaps the next chapters will be about how the Berlin community learns to undo the damage perpetrated by years of tolerating race-based stereotyping wrapped up in high school athletics and justified by bits of local history and a claim to be honoring people whose children and cultures are harmed by the practice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Keeping the “Indian” branding keeps controversy alive and brings a dubious reputation to the community. </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/256204260/Letter-to-Berlin-School-Board-Teach-Respect-Not-Racism">Read the full letter here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-46503356599586779942015-01-29T19:38:00.000-06:002015-01-29T20:26:58.936-06:00Art Teacher to Walker: I'm ready to take my So-You-Think-You-Can-Be-A-Surgeon Test<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of the many <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/column/phil_hands/hands-on-wisconsin-walker-cuts-funding-for-uw-and-funds/article_0b38b0c9-1749-5d6b-bcbf-6a39fad2fd83.html#.VMkVv9qZx1s.facebook" target="_blank">terrible ideas</a> that have come out of <strike>Governor Walker's Presidential Campaign Headquarters </strike>the Wisconsin State Capitol lately, perhaps none is more offensive than Gov. Walker's proposition that anyone with "life experience" should be allowed an <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/state-and-regional/walker-proposes-new-teacher-licensure-plan/article_77ed56b2-ff0a-5d8c-a789-17ef6ef0b818.html#ixzz3PZU8qC2V" target="_blank">easy path toward "teaching"</a> our kids. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaDsOArvXb4/VMrYKQ6rf6I/AAAAAAAAByc/VUCohrasTRM/s1600/mtea%2Bteacher.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaDsOArvXb4/VMrYKQ6rf6I/AAAAAAAAByc/VUCohrasTRM/s1600/mtea%2Bteacher.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/197466610278275/photos/pb.197466610278275.-2207520000.1422579399./940376002653995/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">MTEA</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Despite DPI having already significantly weakened teacher certification options just two years ago by creating a <a href="http://tepdl.dpi.wi.gov/licensing/license-based-on-equivalency" target="_blank">"teaching equivalency" certificate</a> (about which, of course, I have <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-or-equivalent-of-school.html" target="_blank">much-blogged</a>), the governor would like to take his disrespect for both <a href="http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/scottwalkerteaching.html" target="_blank">the teaching profession</a> and the<a href="http://bustedpencils.com/2015/01/wanna-play-teacher-im-charge/" target="_blank"> 875,000 children who attend Wisconsin public schools</a> to the next level by loosening teacher licensing requirements thusly: by creating "alternative pathways to allow a candidate with real life experience to
pass a competency test to gain a teacher license."</span><br />
</div>
<div class="_4_j7">
</div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That's right. Scott Walker <a href="http://walker.wi.gov/newsroom/press-release/governor-scott-walker-announces-workforce-readiness-plan" target="_blank">thinks</a> anyone who passes a "competency test" is fit to teach your kids.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<br /></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your ADHD kids.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your special needs kids.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q20HPnN0KO0/VMrYHOZZBRI/AAAAAAAAByQ/c4EGJ4PqV6g/s1600/walker%2Bcompetency%2Bexam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q20HPnN0KO0/VMrYHOZZBRI/AAAAAAAAByQ/c4EGJ4PqV6g/s1600/walker%2Bcompetency%2Bexam.JPG" height="125" width="400" /></a>Your kids who only get one balanced meal a day, and that's at school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your high-achieving kids who need individualized attention and assignments at discrete moments throughout the day so they don't get bored and tune out.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your tactile learner who needs something in her hands at all times or she totally loses focus.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Your English language learner who just started 10th grade midyear in the US and is doing math at a college level but reads at a first grade level.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But don't worry. We're going to make sure these "teachers" have A LOT of life experience. Your child will be lucky to have them. And you'll be lucky to be paying their new, improved salaries with your tax dollars.</span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
</div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Creates
alternative pathways to allow a candidate with real life experience to
pass a competency test to gain a teacher license. - See more at:
http://walker.wi.gov/newsroom/press-release/governor-scott-walker-announces-workforce-readiness-plan#sthash.0aWN0PXB.dp</span></div>
</div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Creates
alternative pathways to allow a candidate with real life experience to
pass a competency test to gain a teacher license. - See more at:
http://walker.wi.gov/newsroom/press-release/governor-scott-walker-announces-workforce-readiness-plan#sthash.0aWN0PXB.dpuf</span></div>
</div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gqtqba1w0I/Tc2szgM1AmI/AAAAAAAAADE/tPL3HNmyWD8/s1600/those%2Bwho%2Bcan%2C%2Bteach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gqtqba1w0I/Tc2szgM1AmI/AAAAAAAAADE/tPL3HNmyWD8/s1600/those%2Bwho%2Bcan%2C%2Bteach.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="_4_j7">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And maybe, just maybe, if things go really well, Walker will expand the program and you'll be lucky enough to get this amazing art teacher to you'll also be lucky enough to be your surgeon, should you ever need one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I present to you, with the author's kind permission, our MoD OPEN LETTER OF THE WEEK....a brilliant letter to governor Walker from Wisconsin elementary art teacher, Michele Hatchell:</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Governor Walker,<br />
<br />
I
heard about your idea for a new program where individuals with
“real-life experience” and a bachelor’s degree would be able to get a
teaching license in any subject as long as they pass a test proving they
are knowledgeable. What a great idea! Why don’t you do this for all
kinds of jobs? I have been thinking, and I would love<span class="text_exposed_show">
to be a surgeon, but I sure don’t have time or money for all that
college that it would take to change careers. And I think I have many
experiences that would enable me to pass a test to help people
surgically. Also, the pay would be a bit better than my current
profession which would be helpful for my family.</span><br />
<br />
You
see, I have been an elementary art teacher for the past twenty years
and I have spent at least 11 years taking college courses to get my K-12
art license and 1-6 classroom license and to renew my licenses every
five years. So wow, it would be so much easier if I didn’t have to go to
medical school to start my new career.<br />
<br />
I looked at a
few medical sites and thought I would share some cross over skills from
my life experience as an elementary art teacher that would help me be a
good surgeon. Maybe that would be helpful to you when developing “the
test” for being a surgeon. Maybe someone in your family would be willing
to let me remove their appendix after I passed the “Be A Surgeon Test.”
I wouldn’t want to start with brain surgery or heart surgery because
hearts and minds take a lot of time to heal if they are damaged. Also, I
have become very skilled at tests in this current educational climate,
so I feel confident I would be deemed proficient on the first try.<br />
<br />
Surgical Skill: Bone Fixation and Casting<br />
<br />
Real Life Experience:<br />
I
have made several thousand paper mache masks and plaster finger puppets
with children over the past twenty years. I have photos if that would
be helpful.<br />
<br />
Surgical Skill: Hand Sewn Gastrointestinal Anastomosis<br />
<br />
Real Life Experience:<br />
I
have a lot of experience hand sewing sock monkeys and quilts with small
children. I also knit every day to keep my fingers nimble-- I could
provide a couple sweaters as portfolio examples for the test.<br />
<br />
Surgical Skill: Knot Tying<br />
<br />
Real Life Experience:<br />
I tie young children’s shoes many times a day to keep my knot tying skills sharp.<br />
<br />
Surgical Skill: Stapled Gastrointestinal Anastomosis<br />
Real Life Experience:<br />
I
have stapled hundreds of bulletin boards to display the children’s
creativity-- I know that tools matter because I am particular about the
type of stapler I use and the type of staple remover so that the
children’s work is not damaged.<br />
<br />
Surgical Skill: Latex Allergy Anaphylaxis<br />
<br />
Real Life Experience:<br />
Every
year I have attended the blood borne pathogen inservice at school, I
know where the epi pens are in the nurse’s office and one year I got
special balloons for our paper mache project because a child had a latex
allergy.<br />
<br />
If you don’t think this would work, maybe I could take a test to be a lawyer or a governor?<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Michele Hatchell, Elementary Art Teacher/ aspiring surgeon</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
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line-height:170%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
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mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" height="193" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;">The following testimony will be presented to the Senate Committee on Education Reform and Government Operations today, Jan. 27, 2015, at the hearing on the so-called <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">School Takeover Bill, Senate Bill 1 (SB1)</a>. If you want to know why those who care about public education in Wisconsin stand united in opposition to this dangerous bill, please read and share with your friends, encouraging them to speak out NOW to defend our schools. You can <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2015/01/unpacking-wisconsins-accountability.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to find out more about the bill how you can submit your own testimony to the committee. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;">Many thanks to Pam Kobielus of the No Vouchers Coalition for sharing her powerful testimony and doing her part to make an impact in her community to protect local schools from the privatization efforts that threaten the future of our schools and our children. Her organization conducted a survey of Wisconsinites, and the results she shares in her testimony make clear that they overwhelmingly oppose legislation which weaken and punish struggling public schools while they give voucher schools a free pass to continue siphoning public funds from the schools that need it most.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:novouchers@cox.net"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;"></span></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="CourtNameChar"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%; text-transform: none;">TESTIMONY PRESENTED IN OPPOSITION
TO SENATE BILL (SB1), </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;"></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;"><b>Relating to: the school and school district
accountability report, chronically failing schools and school districts, and
educational options information</b><span class="CourtNameChar"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My name is Pamela Kobielus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am submitting this statement to the record
as written testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 1 (SB-1) and ask that this
testimony be distributed in its entirety to all members of the Legislative Committee
on Education Reform & Government Operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" height="302" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Good morning members of the
Committee on Education Reform & Government Operations. I am the founder of
“The No Vouchers Coalition”, located in the northern community of Merrill, WI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike corporate lobbyists who claim to
represent the interests of public school parents while donating large sums of
money to Republican candidates in Wisconsin to promote lobbyists’ “for-profit”
educational business interests, we are a true – and rapidly growing -- voluntary
grassroots organization representing member public school parents, business
owners and other taxpayers who support the public school system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group charges no membership fees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group accepts no donations, nor does our
group make contributions to any political party or candidate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group’s sole interest is in ensuring
that elected representatives protect educational opportunities for each and
every child in Wisconsin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have attended both public and
private schools in Wisconsin, graduating from the public high school in in
Merrill, WI in 1972.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went on to
graduate with a Bachelor in Business Administration (B.B.A.) from the
University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, and, received my Masters in Business
Administration (M.B.A.) from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst,
MA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have more than thirty (30) years management
and executive experience working in private industry, transferring the
knowledge I acquired in school to successful positions working in media, commercial
banking, mortgage banking and in the utility, healthcare and technology industries.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have first-hand knowledge of the
benefits of a public school education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is what prepared me for the future and it was instrumental in my
success working in private industry, and, also, in running my own profitable
businesses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Several years ago, I retired to
care for my widowed, retired mother who is now 83 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plans to spend my time caring for my
parent were interrupted, when I accidentally learned in the local media that
our school district was struggling with cuts to the public school education
budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After attending local Board of Education
meetings in two separate years, I undertook personal research to determine the
genesis of the budgetary problems facing our rural public school districts in
Wisconsin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I found alarmed me,
and, in the summer of 2014, I founded “The No Vouchers Coalition” with a small
group of other concerned residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the past seven (7) months, our group has grown rapidly as more and more people
learn what has happened to funding for our local public schools over the last
decade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the manner of the magicians,
Penn & Teller, it is our intention to peel away the onion of Republican
legislators’ proposed school reform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because what we found will make public school parents of any political
affiliation angry, we will continue to pull back the curtain to show voters in
Wisconsin what is fact and what is fiction in Republican legislators’ magic
act.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As those of you on the Committee
who are also in private business know, it is easy to “make” something – even
something good -- fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can make a
project, a business division, or even an entire company fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, one can withholding funding for the
entity you wish to destroy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figuratively speaking, you shut off its air
supply, slowly choking it to death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second,
you can withhold authority while still holding management accountable for performance,
which is now out of their control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
these methods are not ethical nor are they good business sense when the entity
you wish to destroy is producing a quality product that is needed and which
contributes to the economic health of the community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What Republican legislators in
the State of Wisconsin are attempting to do is to cause public school
districts to fail by defunding their operations, so that privately-run
for-profit businesses can “take over”, have “unfettered access to”, “get their
mitts on” – however you wish to describe it – large, very large amounts of
public taxpayer money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d like to
remind legislators that those tax dollars, sourced from hard-working families
in our local communities, belong to the taxpayers of Wisconsin and should
remain in Wisconsin, benefiting the children of Wisconsin, and not some
out-of-state for-profit business whose primary loyalty is to individual stockholders
or hedge fund managers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The media is catching on as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an editorial published this
week (on January 26, 2015), the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram noted: “<span class="usercontent">There’s also a segment in the private sector that would love
to get its hands on the billions of taxpayer dollars now used to support
public schools. Whether those folks would be in the long-term best interest of
most students is far from clear.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The No Vouchers Coalition
agrees:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wisconsin’s public school
children are not for sale to the highest bidder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You may ask how our group came to
learn that Republican legislators are actively working to defund Wisconsin’s
public school districts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is:
we had to do our own research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, we learned that for the school
year 2013-2014, it was mandated that public schools take $64 million off the
top of their budget in order to fund primarily privately-run, charter schools
located mostly in Southeastern Wisconsin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We found that few people understood this meant deducting the following
amounts from budgets of Northern Wisconsin public school districts:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$219,568 from Antigo; $876,928 from Eau Claire;
$1,976,652 from Green Bay; $182,169 from Medford; $262,120 from Merrill;
$54,259 from Rhinelander; $405,509 from Superior; $29,367 from Tomahawk, and,
$757, 025 from Wausau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire list
of cuts, which negatively impacted our local public schools can be found
here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://pb.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/pb/pdf/2013_14_2r_Deducations_by_District.pdf">http://pb.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/pb/pdf/2013_14_2r_Deducations_by_District.pdf</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Furthermore, we determined that Republican
legislators did not make clear to public school parents, local businesses or
other taxpayers that these cuts to local public school districts were mandated
in order to fund primarily privately-run charter schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we know this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We surveyed members of “The No Vouchers
Coalition” and other members of our local communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is how we know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We asked -- something Republican legislators
failed to do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, while the
distribution of our surveys was not meant to be a statistical sampling of the
community, 90.2% of respondents told us that legislators did not make clear
these monies were to be taken from local public school districts to give to
privately-run charter schools. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
summary, Republican legislators do not have a mandate from voters for the
types of reforms which are being proposed in Senate Bill 1 (SB1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would posit that the only mandate which
Republican legislators have is to serve the business interests of
privately-run education corporations which donate to the Republican caucus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We suggest that it is necessary and indeed appropriate
for all legislators to hold public hearings throughout Wisconsin, on days and
at times that are convenient to working families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>For clearly communicating the
intent, purpose and amount of public school budget cuts for the 2013-2014
school year, I give Republican legislators a grade of:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">F</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We also heard from Gov. Walker
that he had increased public school budgets for the 2014-2015 school
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gov. Walker’s claim included a
sin: a sin of omission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, we
determined that while public school budgets for certain school districts were
increased, 48% of school districts across that state saw significant budget
cuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, we identified the
following cuts for public school districts in my immediate area:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$88,092 for Antigo; $462,700 for Merrill;
$565,078 for Rhinelander; and $297,443 for Tomahawk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began to see a clearer picture that
pointed to an ongoing, systematic defunding of local public school districts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, we again surveyed our members
and the public to see if Gov. Walker made clear to them the fact that nearly
half of public school districts in Wisconsin received budget cuts for the
2014-2015 school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found that
95.5% of respondents said that Gov. Walker did not make these additional
budget cuts clear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>For clearly communicating to
Wisconsin residents the fact that nearly half of public school districts got significant
budget cuts for the 2014-2015 school year, I give Gov. Walker a grade of:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">F</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The negative impact of budget
cuts on our local public schools is evident from sample comments submitted by survey
respondents to The No Vouchers Coalition, including:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“There have already been cuts to programming that our public school
system used to provide.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Our school district recently successfully passed a referendum to
stabilize funding for our schools. We are up in the northwoods and there are
no adequate alternatives to public education...”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I have seen reduced staffing and larger class sizes. Our district is
having a referendum this spring.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I have no children in school now, but have talked with parents who
have said their children no longer have the same opportunities as mine did.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“There has been some staff reduction.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I have seen a reduction in staff and programs in our school district.
We recently passed a referendum for sports and technology.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“My kids are in grades 5, 2, and 4K. Their classes have gotten larger
in size in the past couple of years and their teachers are clearly being asked
to do more with less. The "teacher wish list" now includes things
like printer paper! They are being asked to provide their own paper for the
printer so that my kids can have worksheets.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We have had cuts to programs, cuts to the arts and larger class
sizes. We have a hard time retaining the quality of staff we used to. We have
not had a referendum recently but we have closed all the schools we can and it
was a huge community loss and family loss.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“There has been reduced staffing, increased fees to parents, reduced
busing, referendums to increase local property taxes, our district does not
have the technology needed for every child.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As you can see from member and
citizen comments, budget cuts are hurting our public schools and the children
they are supposed to serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain you
are inflicting on families who live in our rural communities is very, very
real.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As elected legislators, you have
an obligation to provide necessary funding “for the establishment of district
schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as possible (Wisconsin Constitution,
Article X, Section 3).”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these
repeated public school budget cuts, you have failed to meet your obligation to
the children of Wisconsin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Our members, who include small
business owners, also understand the negative impact these budget cuts have on
local communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Merrill, WI, for
example, my hometown, where taxpayers regularly pay taxes to the State of
Wisconsin, our local public school district has had state aid for public
schools cut $262,120 in 2013-2014 and $462,700 in 2014-2015, for a total of
$724,820 over a two year period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found similar cuts to public school
budgets in district after district throughout Wisconsin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The compound negative affect of
fewer tax dollars being returned to citizens can and does have a devastating
impact on jobs and the economic health of businesses in our local
communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As legislators, you are
systematically removing these monies from our local communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When fewer tax dollars are returned to our
communities to circulate locally, job growth stagnates, taxable wages decline
and local businesses suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
addition, homeownership declines shrinking the property tax base necessary to
fund community services, which in turn either increases local property taxes
or results in cuts to community programs and services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Because of all this, we encourage
all our business members to contact the recently formed Wisconsin Business Alliance
to better understand the negative impact that public school budget cuts have
on job growth, local taxes and the economic health of the communities in which
we live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While these monies no longer
circulate in our struggling local economies, they do fatten the coffers of
lobbyists and the privately-run education corporations whom these lobbyists
represent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you know, these lobbyists
were the only people testifying in support of Assembly Bill 1 (AB1) earlier
this year and were granted preferential scheduling over the testimony of
Wisconsin citizens who had traveled from all over Wisconsin to testify in
opposition to that bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As we talked with members in our
communities to gauge their understanding of public school funding, it became
apparent that Republican legislators’ desire to implement bold education
reforms are not clearly understood by Wisconsin voters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we asked our members and the general public
which “tool” they preferred to stabilize public school funding:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a) local property tax increases, (b) cuts
to school programs and services, (c) a combination of tax increases and school
cuts, or, (d) none of the above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Property
tax increases and/or school budget cuts were unacceptable to more than 96% of
our members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>With regard to giving local
communities adequate “tools” to offset reduced state aid for local public
school districts, Gov. Walker did not clearly explain how these “tools” work,
and I give him a grade of:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">F</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Senate Bill 1 (SB1) also includes
a mandate to defund public school districts that have one or more “chronically
failing” schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republican
legislators propose measuring the success or failure of public and independent
charter schools by creating a new report card by which two separate
“accountability boards” will judge performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In effect, legislators are creating an
“easier” test for independent charter schools to take in order to receive a
passing grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If legislators are so
confident in the ability of independent, charter schools to perform, we
challenge them to first require these schools to meet the same nationally
recognized standards and operating requirements that public schools must meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect, given that the State of
Wisconsin has lost more than $139 million to unaccountable, privately-run
for-profit schools over the last decade<sup>(1)</sup>, legislators do not have
this confidence and therefore are proposing an “easier” test for these
schools.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Creating an “easier” test for
independent charter schools takes budget and staff resources that are just not
available, given the $2.2 billion deficit Gov. Walker and the legislature now
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking additional money from the
Department of Public Instruction, or, from Wisconsin’s general budget to
create this separate method of grading school performance only adds to the
budget pressures of local public school districts and/or increases local
property taxes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rather, we believe that
legislators are <u>not</u> confident that independent, charter schools can
meet the current standard of accountability that has been established for
public schools.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Meaningful improvements in school
performance can only be achieved by first addressing the underlying issues of
poverty, the need for affordable housing and the availability of jobs with
family-sustaining wages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
conditions exist in all Wisconsin communities, not just in larger urban areas.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Second, improvements can only be
realized if public schools have resources necessary to implement
evidence-based best-practice strategies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Given Act 10’s $1.6 billion cut to public school budgets, the
additional budget cuts absorbed by public schools over the last two years, as
well as cuts to food share programs and the refusal to accept the return of
tax money (that Wisconsin citizens paid to the Federal government) to improve
access to healthcare insurance programs, we are not confident that Republican
legislators will fund Wisconsin’s public school system in a manner adequate to
implement performance improvement plans that may be mandated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Senate Bill 1 (SB1) differs from
Assembly Bill 1 (AB1) in that it calls for establishing two separate
“accountability boards” for any school receiving public funds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bill would establish (1) the PACB -
Public and Charter School Board, and, (2) the CAB – Choice Accountability
Board for schools receiving voucher money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each of these boards would have the authority to review annual reports
and identify “failing” schools, review and implement “improvement plans” (for
public schools only!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What is different, and, in our
view perhaps unconstitutional, is the fact that the public school
accountability board would be appointed by the Superintendent of Public
Schools, while the private school accountability board would consist of the
Governor’s political appointees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">--------</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(1)<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span dir="LTR"></span>Madison Capital Times,
October 14, 2014, website:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/state-paid-million-to-schools-terminated-from-voucher-program-since/article_d4277f72-51ca-5da3-b63d-df2a7834569b.html">http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/state-paid-million-to-schools-terminated-from-voucher-program-since/article_d4277f72-51ca-5da3-b63d-df2a7834569b.html</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">First, the Wisconsin Constitution
(article X, Section 3) calls “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">for the
establishment of school districts, which shall be as nearly uniform as
practicable</b>…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Separate
accountability boards is not uniform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The full scope of accountability standards at the federal and state
level as proposed are not uniform.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Furthermore, the establishment of
Academic Review Boards (ARBs) violates current law by usurping the authority
of the State Superintendent in the Department of Public Instruction
(DPI).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As noted earlier in this testimony,
Republican legislators appears to be purposely setting up the DPI for failure
by (1) defunding public schools, and, (2) by slowing removing constitutional
authorities vested in the DPI, while still holding DPI accountable for both
current and proposed (new) performance standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In private industry, it is the equivalent of
your boss reducing your budget significantly, then requiring you to bring a
project in on-time, with a smaller budget, using the original specifications
and quality requirements, while taking away your management authority and
giving it to your co-worker, whose budget is larger and whose performance
standards are set much lower.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Senate Bill 1 (SB1) also gives
the Public and Charter Board full discretion to “implement or modify any
requirements required to be in a school district improvement plan.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This appears to be purposely vague.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For without specific changes to this
language – reviewed and approved by local communities – this appears to allow
a politically-appointed board to punish and take control of local school district
decision-making authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whereas
local school districts with locally-elected Boards of Education providing
oversight currently have the autonomy to make changes and implement
improvement plans, SB1 would allow the PACB to usurp local authority, giving
the PACB the ability to do anything it wants from shuttering schools, selling
off property and facilities, to replacing staff with lower-paid, less
experienced teachers whose “life experiences” form the basis for the granting
of professional licenses and certifications.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Republican legislators never
asked their constituents – local families, businesses and other taxpayers –
how they felt about giving up the authority they vested in elected members of
their local Board of Education and turning that authority over to a partisan
board appointed by the Governor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, we did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We told our members and other
community members taking the survey that Republican legislators may be trying
to create a statewide board of unelected officials with the authority to
create privately-run charter schools anywhere in the state of Wisconsin – paid
for with local property taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We asked
whether they preferred locally-elected Boards of Education, or, a statewide
board of unelected officials managing local community schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer was very clear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>97.3% preferred a locally-elected Board of
Education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find it ironic, to say
the least, that the Governor and Republican legislators in Madison continually
complain about federal mandates (and the lack of state control), then
demonstrate the height of hypocrisy by proposing legislation designed to take
away local control and authority by legislating the creation of a state-level
board of appointed officials. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let’s be clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The proposed penalties for public schools
found to be “failing” are harsh and swift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“The bill authorizes the DPI to withhold state aid from a school
district that fails to comply with an improvement plan for a chronically
failing school or school district…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
penalties are intended to pull funds from schools and districts where the tax
base and budget are least able to support implementation of effective
improvement plans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By contrast, the only penalty for
privately-run voucher schools that are identified as “chronically failing” in
SB1 is to freeze enrollment at current levels for a period of three years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These “chronically failing” schools would
continue to receive public taxpayer funding (vouchers) from the state as long
as the student remained enrolled at the private school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Senate Bill 1 (SB1) contains no provision or
penalty to the “chronically failing” private school for not meeting standards,
for failing to demonstrate achievement, for shutting down in the middle of a
school year, or, for leaving the State of Wisconsin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Penalties for “chronically failing” private
schools are anything but penalties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Republican legislators should know that a substantial percentage of our members
and other taxpayers are well aware of the types of chronic failures associated
with these types of privately-run schools – most likely as a result of media
reports noted earlier in this testimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To proceed without clearly establishing in SB1 immediate and harsh
penalties for privately-run schools who misuse public taxpayer money is a dereliction
of legislators’ fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Finally, with respect to
“accountability”, SB1 proposes letting schools make an appeal after being labeled
a “chronically failing school” and letting the politically-appointed board
decide whether or not “exceptional circumstances justify (the school’s)
performance on the annual accountability reports.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because public schools must maintain current
operating and performance standards, while privately-run schools do not (and
are graded using the *easy* test), this has the appearance of being an
underhanded way of setting up public schools for failure, while giving
“chronically failing” private schools access to a “free pass”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If the Assembly and Senate
fast-track this bill knowing what we have told you today that your
constituents are saying, we will hold those legislators accountable at the
ballot box – for failing to adequately communicate the contents of this bill,
for failing to communicate how Governor Walker’s “tools” hurt public schools
and increase local property taxes; for failing to fulfill a constitutional
obligation to provide adequate funding for public schools that are open to all
Wisconsin children, for failing to consider the negative fiscal impacts on
jobs and the economic health of our communities, and, for failing to
acknowledge constituents’ strong preference for local control.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Finally, we ask Wisconsin
legislators to identify all the authors of Assembly Bill 1 (AB1) and Senate
Bill 1 (SB1), so that Wisconsin taxpayers can see the financial campaign
donations made to legislators by privately-run, for-profit educational
corporations seeking to expand their business footprint in Wisconsin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In summary, we oppose Senate Bill
1 (SB1) as written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ask legislators
to incorporate the express wishes of their constituents in the final language
of the bill, and, then, to hold hearings with constituents across the State of
Wisconsin on days and at times that are convenient to the working, taxpaying
families they represent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thank you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="AttorneyNameCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;">Pamela
Kobielus</span></span></div>
<div class="AttorneyNameCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;">Founder, The
No Vouchers Coalition</span></span></div>
<div class="AttorneyNameCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="AttorneyNameCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 85%;">Merrill,
WI </span></span></div>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-44342379662287419982015-01-23T15:30:00.000-06:002015-01-27T16:14:40.385-06:00Unpacking Wisconsin's "Accountability" Bill: The Senate Version (SB1)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Dear friends of Wisconsin public schools, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" height="302" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago we <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-school-takeover-bill-means-to.html" target="_blank">warned you about AB1</a> - the very first bill of the 2015 legislative session, which called for a 13-member board of political appointees that would set and enforce standards of 'accountability' (including punishments for "failing" schools and rewards for "successful" ones), and included a state mandate to convert "chronically failing" public schools to charter schools that would not be subject to local control. Public school advocates all over the state put out the word, and it worked: the hearing room was packed, legislators were flooded with letters of concern, and before the hearing even began, it was announced that the original bill was being scrapped and major revisions would be written (though we're still waiting on the amended bill).<br /><br />At the <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-school-takeover-bill-is-wrong-for.html" target="_blank">standing-room-only hearing</a>, an overflow room was set up to make room for all who came to testify against the bill, and <i><b>the only person in Wisconsin to officially speak in favor of the bill was its author, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt. </b></i> Testimony went on for 11.5 hours, and Rebecca Kemble at <i>The Progressive Magazine</i> has done an excellent job of pulling out some of the <a href="http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/01/187973/wisconsins-controversial-schools-bill" target="_blank">highlights </a>after the delayed release of the <a href="http://www.wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/EventDetail.aspx?evhdid=9468" target="_blank">footage </a>due to technical difficulties at Wisconsin Eye.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">SB1 text (the Senate version of AB1 - the Public School Takeover
Bill which is being promoted as a "school accountability" bill) is <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">now online</a>, and a public hearing for the bill is <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/raw/cid/1154081" target="_blank">slated </a>for Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015 in room 411 South of the Capitol. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Senate version of the bill is half as long and twice as sneaky as the Assembly bill, but equally reprehensible in failing to create any legitimate accountability for the private schools currently receiving tax dollars to exploit the system and capitalize on our children, while penalizing the public schools that serve some of our most vulnerable student populations and have the highest percentages of low-income students. The bill is a very thinly veiled attempt to both limit accountability for private schools and open the doors to more privatization AND further burden public schools with top-down mandates that revoke local control.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here are the major features of the bill that are cause for concern if you support excellent public schools that provide equal opportunity for success for all students:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ol><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwKx_qbM84Q/UyxIueWYK4I/AAAAAAAABkc/DP0KJkx-XNI/s1600/no%2Bpublic%2Bfunds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwKx_qbM84Q/UyxIueWYK4I/AAAAAAAABkc/DP0KJkx-XNI/s1600/no%2Bpublic%2Bfunds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwKx_qbM84Q/UyxIueWYK4I/AAAAAAAABkc/DP0KJkx-XNI/s1600/no%2Bpublic%2Bfunds.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">Senate bill (SB1)</a> differs from the Assembly version (AB1) in that it <b>calls
for establishing and giving unprecedented authority to two separate "accountability boards" for schools receiving tax dollars (one for public & charter
schools - the PACB, one for voucher schools - the CAB or "choice accountability board")</b>. These boards would have authority to review annual accountability reports and identify "failing" schools, then review and approve "improvement plans" (for public schools only) [see below for what happens when schools don't improve]. The ARB for public schools would be appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the ARB for the private schools would be political appointees (appointed by the Governor). The Constitutionality of this attempt to legislate two separate, unequal school systems in Wisconsin is seriously in question, and this feature of the bill is not likely to stand a court challenge since Article X, Section 3 of the Wisconsin Constitution explicitly calls for "the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of 4 and 20 years; and no sectarian instruction shall be allowed therein." Further, and equally problematic, the establishment of Academic Review Boards violates current law by usurping the authority of the Department of Public Instruction (under the leadership of a democratically elected Superintendent) and local control of local schools by local, democratically elected school boards.<br /> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The bill gives full discretion to the Public and Charter Board to "Implement or modify ANY requirements required to be <span class="text_exposed_show">in
a school district improvement plan." <b> This is basically a carte blanche
to the board to usurp local authority and take control of
district-level decision-making. It could mean anything, and that's the intention.</b>There are 5 provisions under this section of the bill, all are penal and open-ended enough to allow the PACB to supercede local authority and autonomy and do anything from fire staff to shut down schools:<b><br /></b></span></span><blockquote>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_51">
</div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_51">
<b>
</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">a. Implement or modify any requirements required to be in a school district <br />improvement plan.
</a></span></div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_52">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">
b. Implement a new instructional design, including expanded school hours and <br />additional pupil supports and services.
</a></span></div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_52">
</div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_53">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">
c. Implement professional development programs focused on improving pupil <br />academic achievement.
</a></span></div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_54">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">
d. Make personnel changes.
</a></span></div>
<div class="qs_anal_text_" data-cites="[]" data-page="(page 4)" data-path="/2015/related/proposals/sb1/_55">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank">e. Adopt accountability measures to monitor the school district's finances or to monitor other interventions directed by the state superintendent.</a></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><b></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> SB1 includes a mandate to <b>defund public
school districts that have one or more "chronically failing" schools, with much harsher provisions for traditional public schools than independent charters:</b></span></b></span></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/sb1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"The bill authorizes DPI to withhold state aid from a school district that fails to comply with an improvement plan for a chronically failing school or school district or with a directive made by the PCAB to the school board of a chronically failing school or school district. Additionally, the contract for an independent charter school that is identified as a chronically failing school in the penultimate year of a contract term, may not be renewed." </span></span></span></a></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> This means the districts already struggling most, post Act-10 and the draconian budget cuts of the past two biennial budgets, are likely to be hit hardest and most directly by this bill and find the least support for "improving" struggling schools. Let's be clear on what this really means: It means this bill intentionally targets Milwaukee Public Schools and other districts with high percentages of both low-income students and students of color, districts where the privatization interests have long been circling in their attempts to cash in on opportunities to "save" struggling schools...without providing the results (or the accountability!) to back up their claims.<br /><br /><i><b>In despicable contrast: </b></i>The penalty for "chronically failing" private voucher schools? They can't accept new voucher students for three years. Students already enrolled <i>can stay</i> (!) and the school will continue to receive tax dollars in the form of vouchers as long as those students wish to be enrolled.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let that sink in: Voucher schools that
are "failing" would not be allow to accept new
voucher students (current students could stay). In other words:
there's no "sanction" here at all for private schools that fail our
kids. They can continue to collect tax dollars and retain current
voucher students. They can continue to "counsel out" struggling
students (sending them back to public schools, but keeping the voucher
money). There's no provision or penalty for failing to meet standards,
for failing to demonstrate achievement, for shutting down in the middle
of a school year and leaving the state. In short: they remain entirely
unaccountable to the public.</span><br /><br />Oh, and both private and public schools could "appeal" if they didn't like being labeled "chronically failing schools", and the board could decided whether or not "</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">exceptional circumstances justify [the schools'] performance on the annual accountability reports." In the absence of uniformity of standards of accountability, it does not take great leaps of the imagination to see where this loophole would lead: the entire system sets up public schools to fail while giving voucher schools an easy out of accountability - and an easy "in" to collecting more public dollars.<br /> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>"Accountability" means that we are under an obligation to ensure an equal opportunity for successful learning for every child attending public school in this state. Establishing penalties and punishments based on standardized test scores and inequitable measures of "success" or "failure" is a misguided, ineffective and politically-motivated approach to improving struggling schools. </b> We already <i>have </i>a nationally applauded system of accountability for our public schools, and we already <i>know </i>how to improve the schools that most need help: fund them at levels adequate to ensure we can meet the needs of all learners, and adopt community schools models to meet the needs of all students. What's lacking (and is entirely absent from this bill) is real accountability for private voucher schools and independent charters. This was perhaps the most common thread of testimony at the AB1 hearing, as <a href="http://www.progressive.org/news/2015/01/187973/wisconsins-controversial-schools-bill" target="_blank">Rebecca Kemble summarized</a>:</span></span></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A broad range of people from all
over the state and across the political spectrum spoke in opposition to the
measure. Superintendents from the school districts of Milwaukee, Green Bay,
Pewaukee and Appleton all had similar messages: For meaningful improvements in
so-called failing schools to occur, educators need to be supported with
adequate resources to implement proven, evidence-based strategies, the most
simplest of all being small class sizes staffed with well-trained,
well-compensated and motivated teachers.</span></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They also pointed out that housing,
income and nutritional stability in the families of school kids have more of an
impact on their academic achievement than any other kind of in-school
interventions.</span></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the wake of the recent $1.6
billion cut to Wisconsin’s public schools, as well as cuts to public health
care and food share programs, those simple yet effective solutions seem to be
out of reach.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></blockquote>
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</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <b>Fiscal impacts.</b> What this bill pointedly does NOT mention (and what is yet to be established by the LRB or DPI), is the high cost of all of this on the taxpayers of this state, and the fact that we simply cannot afford two separate systems of education in Wisconsin, and local communities cannot afford the economic fall-out of labeling local schools as "failures" when we should be investing in their success. While legislators imply that there's no real "cost" to establishing these boards, it was crystal clear to all those who testified against the Assembly version of the bill, is that this restructuring will have an immediate and negative impact on ALL public schools in Wisconsin, and particularly the rural schools which may not be "failing" by the "standards" of the current accountability system, but will most certainly be en route to doing so when their meager funds are spread even thinner as more and more money is siphoned into voucher schools and independent charter schools. Whatever "requirements" are mandated by the PACB will be paid for by the taxpayers - and if one of those mandates is to convert a public school to an independent charter, then that money will be sucked out of the general public school fund and every district in the state will pay the price.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <b>Bias and politics.</b> Perhaps most frustrating of all is the way this bill (and the ones we know are yet to come in this legislative session) play politics at the expense of our kids and their future, and the health of our local communities. <br /><br />The doubl</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">e-standards and assumptions of this bill, and its mandate that districts provide free advertising to private schools for all residents, make clear that this bill has been directly influenced, if not crafted by, the privatization lobbyists who remain the only "interest" in support of these bills. The fact that the bill does not provide ANY clear measures of accountability for private schools, but provides strict sanctions and penalties for public schools, makes it extremely difficult to see the bill as anything less than the public school takeover bill that it is. <br /><br />This is not a game, and we are not so foolish as to be tricked into believing that this bill is about "accountability" at all. It's not: it's about taking control of public schools so that they can fulfill the long-stated goal of the conservative "reform" movement: "<a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-023.html" target="_blank">Public Schools: Make them Private</a>."<br /><br />Many Republican legislators in Wisconsin do not, in fact, share this goal. They recognize the value and necessity of investment in our beloved community schools and they oppose efforts to undermine local control. But they have been manipulated by the rhetoric of "reform" by many of their sponsors, and they need to hear from YOU to be reminded that we ALL want to invest in strategies and policies that ensure the success of all students, in the public schools that are the hearts of our communities. </span><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></b></span></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
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</div>
</blockquote>
</li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Like the Assembly
version of the bill, SB1 ignores the rigorous system of accountability
already in place for public schools and fails to make similar demands of
accountability for voucher and independent charter schools. </span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" height="193" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />For public schools, this bill is all-stick, no-carrot. For private voucher schools, it's all carrot, no stick. The privatization lobbyists who paid so richly to elect Wisconsin Republicans are finally seeing the end results of their payback, led in large part by the American Federation for Children, whose leader, billionaire Betsy DeVos, so famously once said she always expects a "return" on her philanthropic "investments". </span></span><br /><br />The language used in this bill is much more subtle and sneaky than the
incendiary language of AB1, but the message is the same: a board of appointees would have the power and authority to control local
schools and a big-government mandate to penalize struggling schools while rewarding those that are already doing well. This bill both exploits and ensures existing gaps between the have and have-not districts in Wisconsin, and paves a road of gold for the privateers to swoop in an capitalize on our children by setting up more for-profit education "ventures" (independent charter schools and voucher schools) that have consistently proven less successful than traditional public schools and are NOT held accountable to taxpayers. <br /><br />While public schools are required by law to serve all students and meet federal requirements for equitable resources and treatment for all, charter and voucher schools can "counsel out" kids who do not score well, suspend and discipline students as they wish, and have very lax, often illegal, provisions for services for special needs students. These shortcomings are well-documented. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What we need in Wisconsin is state-level investment and support of local control of local schools so that we can ensure that every child in the state has an equal opportunity to an excellent education. Public schools are the heart of our communities, and the heart of the social contract of any democracy. Show legislators you support public schools by taking a strong stand against this dangerous bill.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <b>The public hearing on SB1 will be Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 9am. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. </b> The hearing notice has recently been updated to include this line: </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"At the discretion of the Chair, time limits may be placed on
testimony. Written testimony will be accepted and distributed to members
of the Committee." This means they know we're coming and want to limit our time to speak.<b> Those planning to testify in person should be prepared to limit their remarks to as little as 3 minutes, and would be wise to bring written copies of the "long version" of your testimony to submit to the committee after speaking (or email that testimony in advance).</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Written testimony may be submitted to the chair of the
Committee on Education Reform and Government Operations, Sen. Paul
Farrow at: <a href="mailto:Sen.Farrow@legis.wisconsin.gov">Sen.Farrow@legis.wisconsin.gov</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> If you send written testimony, be sure to: </span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Include a statement that you wish your concerns to be submitted to the
record as written testimony and distributed to the entire committee. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Include your full name, address, and phone number. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">CC Gov. Walker (govgeneral@wisconsin.gov) and <a href="http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/" target="_blank">your own representatives</a>,
as well as Senate & Assembly leaders Sen. Scott Fitzgerald and Rep.
Robin Vos </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> For your copy/past convenience, here are the key email addresses of the legislators you should contact (first five names are the Education Reform & Government Operations committee members):</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sen.Farrow@legis.wisconsin.gov<br />Sen. Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov<br />Sen.Nass@legis.wisconsin.gov<br />Sen.HarrisDodd@legis.wisconsin.gov<br />Sen.Vinehout@legis.wisconsin.gov</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />govgeneral@wisconsin.gov</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>+ <a href="http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/" target="_blank">your own legislators</a></i></span></blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>SPREAD THE WORD</b>. After you've prepared your testimony (either to submit in person at the hearing or in writing ahead of time), FORWARD your testimony to you friends, neighbors and others who care about protecting public schools and local control in Wisconsin. Share your testimony on social media and invite others to do the same. You can also paste your testimony in the comments to this post, or <a href="mailto:monologuesofdissent@gmail.com" target="_blank">email me</a> and I'll put them online.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We CAN stop this bill, but only if we speak up and speak out, and make sure that we do our part to make sure that the average Wisconsin citizen knows what's really at stake in these bills. Republican legislators are not being honest about what these bills mean to our schools, and the negative impacts of this legislation cannot be overstated. Our public schools - the hearts of our communities - are at stake here, and we need to send the message loud and clear: OUR KIDS ARE NOT FOR SALE.</span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-sH2rJHTp_Gs%2FVLK8Tcjpq5I%2FAAAAAAAABv0%2FhWy8-hXd20k%2Fs1600%2Fstop%252Btakeover.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABv0/hWy8-hXd20k/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-UwKx_qbM84Q%2FUyxIueWYK4I%2FAAAAAAAABkc%2FDP0KJkx-XNI%2Fs1600%2Fno%252Bpublic%252Bfunds.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UwKx_qbM84Q/UyxIueWYK4I/AAAAAAAABkc/DP0KJkx-XNI/s1600/no%2Bpublic%2Bfunds.jpg" -->Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-50813255231554026442015-01-19T15:01:00.001-06:002015-01-19T16:07:02.423-06:00Why MLK Day Matters: A Question of Character <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dWidX9q3RI8/VL1kez2nowI/AAAAAAAABxg/VhDwN-ZZT1U/s1600/question%2Bof%2Bwill%2Bmlk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dWidX9q3RI8/VL1kez2nowI/AAAAAAAABxg/VhDwN-ZZT1U/s1600/question%2Bof%2Bwill%2Bmlk.JPG" height="262" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Those who've known me longest might remember that the only time I ever really "got in trouble" in high school was when I faced detention for having skipped school to attend a Martin Luther King Day march downtown Grand Rapids, after having asked permission to attend and been denied (a detention, incidentally, which my friend and I managed to convert into community service by asking if we could "do our time" at a local soup kitchen instead of by sitting in an empty room after school). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This was a pivotal and founding moment of resistance for me, and had the bonus of drawing attention to the fact that our school didn't sufficiently acknowledge the impacts of Dr. King and the need to position his work in the present, not just the past. This was the late 80s, when the international pressure was finally starting to reveal cracks in US support for Apartheid South Africa, and this was a moment of awakening for me, as I began to realize that the institutional hypocrisy that my friends and I had long observed wasn't just a matter of "bias" or "prejudice:" it was a matter of power. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And a matter of character.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As an idealistic and budding young activist without the vocabulary to fully express or understand it yet, this incident really opened my eyes to the limits of my "activism" within the narrow parameters of my privilege. And I knew then as much as I know now that I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't live my life toward change. This moment pushed me hard down a path I'd already started following, and moved me to read wider, dream bigger, and fight harder for what was right. </span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Next to
Frantz Fanon, no one has influenced the way I think about our obligation
to work for change more than Dr. King, and no American holds a higher
place in my esteem.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qolsug9uRlg/VL1ke1Um5nI/AAAAAAAABxc/QP0iuO6HGtM/s1600/education%2B%2B%2Bcharacter%2Bmlk.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qolsug9uRlg/VL1ke1Um5nI/AAAAAAAABxc/QP0iuO6HGtM/s1600/education%2B%2B%2Bcharacter%2Bmlk.JPG" height="295" width="400" /></a><br />Those who know me more recently know that the life I live today is lived largely and very consciously in pursuit of both social justice and the fulfillment of a dream that is yet to be fulfilled: that ALL will be judged "by the content of their character" and not the color of their skin. All too often we over-simplify this serious charge. Dr. King wasn't jsut saying "Don't be racist." He was saying: <i><b>Character </b></i>is what really matters. And not just the character of others, but the character of ourselves. This is the moral imperative: to define ourselves by doing what is right. This is the fundamental charge of Dr. King, and the fundamental charge of every major religion for that matter. And if <b><i>character </i></b>is what really matters, then what option do we have but to do whatever we can live our lives to the greatest benefit of others? <br /><br />So MLK Day is my favorite holiday of the year for many, many reasons, but mostly these: (1) because it's a day in which we celebrate the legacy of a man whose radical morality made him an enemy of the state and the voice of a nation deeply in need of justice and (2) because I can't help but think of today as the anniversary of my own political awakening, and it's a reminder of the need to push on, stand strong, and continue to fight for what is right.</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uu9DMEP-BOM/VL1kBqq-CMI/AAAAAAAABxU/fpeORAXEabs/s1600/appalling%2Bsilence%2Bmlk.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uu9DMEP-BOM/VL1kBqq-CMI/AAAAAAAABxU/fpeORAXEabs/s1600/appalling%2Bsilence%2Bmlk.JPG" height="295" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And what's right today is the same thing that was right in Dr. King's time: justice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />The fight for social justice today remains largely a fight against poverty. The fight for equity and equality remains a fight against policies and practices that keep our schools segregated, our poorest kids at the bottom, and those who work the hardest and longest and struggle the most at the very bottom of the economic food chain.<br /><br />Dr. King died fighting poverty, which he recognized as ground-zero of the civil rights struggle. He died fighting for the radical belief that not only do we have the means and the moral imperative to eradicate poverty, but we have the moral imperative to ensure that every worker earns a living wage. <i>This </i>is what building character, building citizenship, means to me. It means we work together to do what's right. No matter what.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />This is why our fight is a fight for public schools, why we fight to ensure that EVERY school is excellent instead of investing in a system where some schools are set up to fail while others profit off the "failures" of students already facing enough obstacles to their success. This is why our fight is a fight against disparate and disproportionate treatment of minorities and low-income citizens by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This is why our fight is a fight against unjust laws and policies that exploit workers, trample workers' rights, and reward businesses that underpay, outsource, and profit on the misfortune of the ever-growing underclass of low-wage workers. So as we honor Dr. King's legacy today, let's not water-down this message, and let's not allow anyone to co-opt the power of this truth under an umbrella of "tolerance" or a feel-good appeal to "racial harmony." Let's remember that to stand with Dr. King is to take a stand, strongly, against poverty and against a system that ensures and guarantees the oppression of others by privileging those who already benefit from so many privileges: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> "The contemporary tendency in our society is to base our distribution on scarcity, which has vanished, and to compress our abundance into the overfed mouths of the middle and upper classes until they gag with superfluity. If democracy is to have breadth of meaning, it is necessary to adjust this inequity. It is not only moral, but it is also intelligent. We are wasting and degrading human life by clinging to archaic thinking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."<br /><br /> - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That is the charge. We know we have the resources and the wealth needed to abolish poverty. The question is how will we? When will we? And will we have the courage to do so? <br /><br />I'll close a reminder that "the time is always right to do what's right," and my favorite quote from Dr. King: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i>"Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles.<br /> Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.<br /> Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it.<br /> Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?<br /> Expediency ask the question, is it politic?<br /> Vanity asks the question, is it popular?</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i>But, conscience ask the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither
safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is
right.” </i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>
</b></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b> - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.</b></span></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis preserve their neutrality." </span>Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-86519408502860205102015-01-16T11:17:00.002-06:002015-01-16T21:52:43.891-06:00Why The School Takeover Bill is Wrong for Wisconsin: Recap of the AB1 Hearing<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwY/ORi2IYsfKnk/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" height="193" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For nearly 12 hours on Wed. Jan 14, 2015, I watched as the Assembly Education Committee hearing on <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/proposals/ab1" target="_blank">AB-1</a>, the <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-school-takeover-bill-means-to.html" target="_blank">Public School Takeover Bill</a>, went from standing room only to empty. During this time, <a href="https://storify.com/skchheda/when-you-see-through-the-looking-glass" target="_blank">many remarkable things happened</a>. Here's the shortest version I could distill of that harrowing timeline:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Around 9am, it was announced before the hearing even began that the provision of AB1 to establish a 13-member Academic Review Board would be dropped, and that a revised bill was in the works. Neither a revised bill nor proposed amendments were available for public view or consideration. It was announced that the revised bill would be produced by Friday, Jan. 16, and that there would be no additional public hearing on the revised bill (Click <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/regional-hearings-request-wi-ab1" target="_blank">HERE </a>to sign the petition calling for additional hearings).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By 10am (official start time of the hearing), the hearing room was packed to the gills with experts and citizens from all over the state who came to testify in opposition to AB1. These people were now uncertain what they were testifying against, as the "new" bill has not yet been written. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Committee chair and the bill's only named author, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, testified in favor of the bill for the first two hours of the hearing. <b>HE WAS THE **ONLY** PERSON IN WISCONSIN TO OFFICIALLY TESTIFY IN FAVOR OF THE BILL.</b> During his testimony, he refused to name the additional authors of the bill, admitted that the bill would open the doors to privatizing public schools, and suggested that the Academic Review Board which was the cornerstone of the 29-page bill was a publicity stunt. He further promised that Common Core State Standards, which were not covered by the original bill, would be "a big part" of the revised bill (which he said would not receive a public hearing). Before his testimony even ended, many who'd been first in line to speak were forced to leave because of other obligations. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Around noon, public testimony began. Jeff Pertl of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) was the first to speak. He gave a <a href="http://pb.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/pb/pdf/AB%201%201-14-15.pdf" target="_blank">compelling and excellent case for the disastrous implications of the bill</a>. Then he was subjected to interrogation by the committee which revealed in short order the contempt of Assembly Republicans for public schools and the expertise of education professionals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For the next 10 hours, citizen after citizen took the microphone and voiced fact-based, meticulously argued reasons why this ill-founded "accountability" scheme was an attempt to hijack public schools in Wisconsin without even attempting to establish accountability where it's needed most (ie for the private schools and independent charters receiving taxpayer funds without being held accountable to the public). I watched with profound disappointment as so many people I knew had to leave, one by one, before they had the chance to speak - including Tim Slekar, Dean of the Edgewood College School of Education (who shared his thoughts on the hearing & testimony <a href="http://bustedpencils.com/2015/01/wisconsin-legislators-talk-much/" target="_blank">here</a>), and many representatives of my own school district (educators, a principal, a school board member) - none of whom got to speak.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Groups representing students and schools were given priority placement on the agenda, and pretty much every education advocacy group in the state had sent a representative to speak out against this bill. (Click <a href="http://wsaa.org/saainfo/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/AB-1-Testimony-011415.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> for the excellent testimony from John Forester of the Wisconsin School Administrators' Alliance). Their collective testimony was devastating, and many common threads pointed toward:</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the bill's unconscionable and illegal seizure of control from DPI and local, democratically-elected school boards</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the inherent flaw in the bill's premise: the unfounded assumption that charter schools are a "magic bullet" to fix "failing" schools </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the inequity and unconstitutionality of creating "two systems" and "two standards" of accountability for Wisconsin schools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the problematic nature of using multiple measures (so-called "value-added" assessments and multiple standardized tests) to rank and assess schools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the many follies of the A-F grading system and its potential impact on tax revenues and local economies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the fiscal impacts of the bill, all negative, especially for rural schools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the disproportionate negative impact of the bill on public schools, which serve 875,000 Wisconsin students</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the lack of accountability for voucher schools and independent charters in the bill</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the fact that the State of Wisconsin ALREADY HAS a rigorous accountability system in place for public schools</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">IN CONTRAST: While media reports tend to give "equal time" to the bill's "support," it should be emphasized as much as possible that the ONLY people to speak in favor of the bill were paid
privatization lobbyists Scott Jensen (R, American Federation for
Children) and Jim Bender (R, School Choice Wisconsin). As Rebecca
Kemble points out,</span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">"Only
the bill's named author, Jeremy Thiesfeldt, testified in favor. Scott
Jensen and Jim Bender spoke "for information purposes only" since
neither they nor their organizations are legally registered lobbyists in
the State o</span></span><span data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".6m.1:3:1:$comment10205877227997970_10205878325665411:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">f
Wisconsin. Otherwise, it was an amazingly broad range of people from
all over the state and all over the political spectrum who soundly
rejected this not-ready-for-prime-time bill." </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
During their testimony, Jensen said he was "thrilled" with both the
bill and the "collaboration" with Thiesfeldt in its crafting. [NOTE:
Thiesfeldt claims to also have "consulted" with a school district
administrator on the bill, but this is a <a href="http://wisoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/so-how-much-did-rep-thiesfeldt-consult.html" target="_blank">highly dubious claim</a>, and to record no education professionals had a hand in its drafting].</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> A full seven hours into the testimony, and long after many present had to leave to meet other obligations, we heard from the first educator of the day, and the final hours of the testimony proved the most poignant as educators and citizens (conservatives and progressives alike) finally had opportunity to speak. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The hearing was adjourned just shy of the 12-hour mark, and now we wait anxiously for the revised version of the bill, which Thiesfeldt says he hopes will be passed next week, and the Senate version of the bill, which is tentatively slated for a public hearing on Jan. 27 (MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND!)</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKsAvng6bAw/VLm0tk-4owI/AAAAAAAABw4/BwKKgy8YZ7U/s1600/peg%2Bgardner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKsAvng6bAw/VLm0tk-4owI/AAAAAAAABw4/BwKKgy8YZ7U/s1600/peg%2Bgardner.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">"<b>I
am a parent and I don’t have a choice. My son has multiple
disabilities, <br />and the school choice program isn’t required by law to
take him. </b><br />My name is Peg Randall Gardner and I am here to register my
dissent <br />to this bill and the negative effects it will have on children
like mine. <br />This is my son Nikolai. He wanted to come and testify for
himself, <br />but the eleven hours I’ve been sitting here would <span class="text_exposed_show">have
done him in. <br />So I’ll just put his picture here. I wanted you to see his
picture <br />because this bill is about more than numbers, test scores, data and the <br />arbitrary grades that determine if schools and school districts
pass or fail. <br />It’s about people, real people, like Nikolai. <br />These
policies are not just theories for him; they’re his life."<br /> - Public school parent Peg Randall Gardner <br /> Read the rest of her powerful testimony here: <a href="http://bit.ly/1DLEvII">http://bit.ly/1DLEvII</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/197466610278275/photos/a.204289802929289.55116.197466610278275/937572762934319/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Photo and caption: Joe Brusky, MTEA</a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">I'm
terrified about what the "revised" bill will look like, and of the fact
that that bill is likely to never see a public hearing. Hopefully the sham hearing we witnessed on Wednesday will rally an even larger turnout in
opposition to the upcoming legislation promised to be even more
regressive. Stay tuned for details on <i>that</i>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">As one of the people who testified and sat through nearly the entire day's proceedings, as expert after expert after expert testified to the horrors of the impacts of this bill on both public schools and the public trust, I can say that the two stand-out pieces of testimony came from retired Wisconsin educator<b> Sheila Plotkin </b>and current MPS teacher <b>Amy Mizialko</b>. The<a href="http://www.stopspecialneedsvouchers.org/uncategorized/stop-special-needs-vouchers-testimony-on-ab1/" target="_blank"> testimony from our friends at Stop Special Needs Vouchers</a> was also excellent.<br /><br />If you do nothing else to inform yourself, take the time to listen to what they had to say (transcript of testimony follows clips - thanks to Rebecca Kemble for the video). And prepare to take action. The future of our schools depends on it: </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/65tCRhiaoUY" width="560"></iframe>
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DsQu8ebwepw" width="560"></iframe> <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">In my own testimony, I called on legislators to take seriously the considerations and concerns and expertise of all those who testified, and to let OUR voices ring louder than the paid lobbyists who would very likely be at their doors, if not their desks, as the bill is revised. Rep. Kitchens called us "cynical" but I pointed out that our cynicism is firmly rooted in the 29-pages of the original bill. And I'll add here that the <i>real</i> cynicism lies in the ultimate failure of this bill to make good on the promise of public education through an unwarranted distrust in public schools and educators. It's a betrayal of the common good, and a cynical attempt to undermine the foundation of our communities: our beloved public schools.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">We knew this fight was going to get ugly. But what would really be cynical would be to say there's nothing we can do about it.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Republicans have the majority and they've made their anti-education agenda clear. <br /><br />We know who's paying for it, and we know who will pay the price.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">But they need to know this: we're not giving up our schools without a fight. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Yesterday should've been the 86th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and I'll leave you with the reminder that guides my every action: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."<br /><br />This matters. And silence is consent.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Get ready to join this fight, Wisconsin. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".4.1:3:1:$comment774096306003473_774296629316774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">------------------- </span></span></span></span><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Transcript of the testimony of Sheila Plotkin </b>(with many thanks for permission to post it here: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Article
X SECTION 3 of the WI Constitution says: “The legislature shall provide by law
for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as
practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to
all children</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">between
the ages of 4 and 20 years; and no sectarian instruction shall be allowed
therein.” That’s education for all.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The American
Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) issued a report on American education, posted
by Americans for Prosperity. “The one-size-fits-all education system has not
worked. States should… pass choice legislation like charter school bills and
voucher systems ….” That’s education by
exclusion. And, it’s most definitely
partisan. It’s a different view of civic responsibility.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Rep.
Thiesfeldt introduced AB1. He is a member of Americans for Prosperity, even
using that sneering phrase “one size fits all” on his own website. He’s a religious school teacher, and received
$1800 in campaign contributions from private and religious schools. Those who share his views have spent more
than $30 million in the past decade to promote the privatization of education.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I retired from the Milwaukee Public Schools Deaf and Hard
of Hearing Program after 28 years. From the inside, I saw daunting challenges
overwhelm shrinking resources. I hold you accountable for that. I am a passionate advocate of public
education. It is not one-size-fits-all. It is open to all. “All” are the
children that Amy spoke so movingly about, they are the “input” that Scott
Jensen dismissed so contemptuously. They are children, not input. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Last
night, Gov. Walker said he trusts parents to choose their children’s schools. We’ve
heard a lot about that today. Nearly all parents (96%) choose their public
schools. You have already slashed their funding. Those chosen schools are dying
by slow strangulation. You’ll now label them as failures. You’ll use the
failures you engineered to justify an education-by-exclusion system at taxpayer
expense. That is as transparent as it is dishonest.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I was going to talk about the Academic Review Board. None of us knows what will replace it. I’m
worried about that. [AB1 usurps the constitutional
authority of the Supt. of Public Instruction with an unelected Academic Review
Board. 70% of its members will be either
political appointees or employees of education-by-exclusion. The Board is
empowered to establish or contract for independent schools.] But, I’ll quote Republican Sen. Dale Schultz:
“I don’t think that the average citizen of Wisconsin realizes what we’re
talking about is really eliminating completely the authority of local school
boards and making them subject to a political board in Madison.” I want to say a word about DPI and the power
that Rep. Knudson and others are chafing at. The Superintendent is an elected
office, and that power comes from our Constitution and from the voters.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">You want to give taxpayers’ money to schools where the
many hundreds of deaf students I knew, now tax-payers themselves, would have
been denied entry.
Education-by-exclusion will either reject children with special needs or
even worse, accept them without competent staff to teach them. That borders on
the criminal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As we have seen in Milwaukee, you intend to invest public
funds in fly-by-night education-by-exclusion or private religious schools. The
former is immoral, the latter is un-democratic.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />You talk about helping public schools to improve, but you
vote to gut their funding, demoralize and demean their teachers, and threaten
to shut them down. Your definition of helping needs a lot of work.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />You promise freedom and choice, but you eviscerate school
funding, restricting both freedom and choice for the vast majority of our children
and their parents. Your promise is a lie.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />Public schools include everyone. They have nurtured the
American Dream and taught us how to exercise both our choices and our freedoms. They are the heart of our communities and the
foundation of our middle class. They symbolize our moral commitment to one
another and to future generations.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />AB1 is immoral. It shows contempt for local control. It
betrays the parents who love their public schools and sent you here to
represent them.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />It is immoral to turn our children into cash cows for
your campaign donors. Morality lies in the
full funding our public schools. On
behalf of the Constitution you swore to support, the parents who trusted you,
and our vulnerable children who need your protection, I ask you to reject this
bill and with it, reject public funding of education-by-exclusion. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />Thank you</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-84010067678145419352015-01-11T18:22:00.001-06:002015-01-12T16:15:50.430-06:00What the School Takeover Bill Means to Wisconsin & What You Can Do About It<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Say goodbye to local control, Wisconsin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABvw/xwBdGGKy_Go/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sH2rJHTp_Gs/VLK8Tcjpq5I/AAAAAAAABvw/xwBdGGKy_Go/s1600/stop%2Btakeover.JPG" height="301" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As promised, Wisconsin Republicans put "school accountability" at the tip-top of their agenda for the 2015 session, and on the very first day in session, they introduced the <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/proposaltext/2015/REG/AB1" target="_blank">very first Assembly bill of the year</a> (the Assembly version of Senate Bill 22): <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0107lrb0898.pdf" target="_blank">2015 Assembly Bill 1</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Public schools are the heart of our communities. This bill is nothing less than a heart transplant: it takes control of local schools away from local communities and puts it in the hands of politicians and their appointees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is big-government over-reach at its most blatant and hypocritical and it's really shocking that such a bill could come from the same Republicans who claim to oppose big government control of local decision-making. And we know that this is just <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/after-inauguration-get-ready-for-real-education-fireworks-b99417735z1-287410621.html" target="_blank">the first of many bills</a> this session that plan to chip away at local control and equity in school funding, even with <a href="http://www.wisconsinbudgetproject.org/wisconsins-school-funding-cuts-among-the-nations-deepest-3" target="_blank">Wisconsin in the top five states cutting public school funding</a> since the recession. Sen. Alberta Darling has plans in the works to proposes a New-Orleans style "recovery zone" that would allow <a href="http://wisoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/it-starts-hitting-fan-sen-alberta.html" target="_blank">takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools</a>. Despite <a href="http://educationvotes.nea.org/2015/01/04/another-wi-voucher-school-closes-calls-for-accountability-increase/" target="_blank">continued failures</a> and <a href="http://wasb.org/websites/advoc_gov_relations/File/vouchers/vouchers_faq.pdf" target="_blank">evidence </a>that private<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/voucher-students-post-gain-in-math-reading-still-lag-public-schools-b99243092z1-254382141.html" target="_blank"> voucher schools under-perform public schools</a>, Republicans have also pledged to go forward with even more <a href="http://www.wpr.org/gop-outlines-priorities-education-legislation-2015" target="_blank">voucher expansion</a>, major changes to state funding for public schools based on "performance," writing new <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDoQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.postcrescent.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2014%2F11%2F11%2Fwalker-sets-sights-common-core-vouchers%2F18883423%2F&ei=ZtuyVPz8LcKYyAT8lIGgCQ&usg=AFQjCNGYb46lQNhbrHRxaVTMHzk4sEO-Xw&sig2=xptZmycz6UBUsb6TeAu7RQ" target="_blank">"Wisconsin standards"</a> to replace the Common Core State Standards, and perhaps most nefariously of all,<a href="http://www.rightwisconsin.com/perspectives/Major-Education-Reforms-Expected-in-2015-287786091.html" target="_blank"> reviving the highly contentious "Special Needs Voucher" plan</a> that has been <a href="http://www.stopspecialneedsvouchers.org/" target="_blank">opposed </a>by every advocacy group in the state representing our most vulnerable students.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Calling this an "accountability" bill is a very sneaky move. Accountability is great. Any schools receiving public funds SHOULD be held accountable to taxpayers. But this bill does not provide a coherent, effective plan to hold schools accountable. It provides a way for politicians to put forward their agenda through an entirely un-accountable "advisory" board. Let's call it what it is: a public school take-over bill.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This bill <a href="http://wuwm.com/post/school-accountability-bill-would-impact-all-wisconsin-schools-receive-public-money" target="_blank">mandates cookie-cutter punishments</a>
for public schools statewide and takes away the power and authority of education experts at DPI and local, democratically-elected school boards. Worse, instead of providing tools and support that allow local communities to address
the unique needs of public school students in their local communities, it usurps control from local taxpayers and demands "failing schools" be converted to charters; a specious move that has no substantive basis in fact or performance, but is sure to line the pockets of the for-profit charter and "school choice" industry clamoring to support the bill through its many well-paid lobbyists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's no surprise, then, that the bill is taking heat from all sides, with a long and growing list of opposition. It's worth cataloging some of the loudest among these:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Former Republican Senator Dale Schultz calls the bill "<a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/todd-milewski/school-accountability-bill-a-disaster-former-sen-dale-schultz-says/article_a4f2b001-8011-5bd0-ad64-e7a517ff6796.html" target="_blank">a disaster</a>." "I think they're playing with fire," Schultz said. "I don't think that
the average citizen of Wisconsin realizes what we're talking about is
really eliminating completely the authority of local school boards and
making them subject to a political board in Madison."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.wasbmemberservices.org/websites/advoc_gov_relations/index.php?p=1540" target="_blank">Wisconsin Association of School Boards </a>warns that "Not only would this be a state takeover of local schools, but
it would reduce the amount of state aid to every public school district
in the state." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/school-officials-react-to-bill/article_96057202-9817-11e4-90cf-f74c79dc5930.html" target="_blank">School officials</a> all over the state oppose the bill. And t</span>he <a href="http://wsaa.org/saainfo/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SAA_RELEASE_01-08-2015_v4.pdf" target="_blank">Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance</a> blasts the bill for relying on the disproven myth that punishment will "improve" schools, and for putting standards for "accountability" in the hands of a board which would not itself be held accountable.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which has already implemented an elaborate <a href="http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/accountability" target="_blank">"report card" accountability</a> structure, exposes the <a href="http://wsaa.org/saainfo/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Requested-data-regarding-2015-AB-1.xlsx" target="_blank">list of struggling schools </a>that face takeover (largely those underfunded and facing high percentages of low-income students). “It is vital that any proposal to hold schools accountable results in
improved outcomes for all children and is constitutionally viable in
relation to the state superintendent’s authority to supervise schools,” DPI spokesperson Tom McCarthy <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/bill-would-force-persistently-low-performing-public-schools-to-be/article_43d793db-1695-5860-8e51-ff13842dee6e.html" target="_blank">said</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Betsy Kippers, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council says that the bill "<a href="http://weac.org/2015/01/07/gop-school-acccountability-bill/" target="_blank">sets public schools up for failure</a>" by providing penalties without strategies or tools to improve performance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Alan Borsuk cautions <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/who-gets-on-the-bad-school-list-and-what-should-come-of-it-b99422940z1-288148101.html" target="_blank">against labeling schools as "bad" </a>and advises legislators to "Proceed with great attention to the human sides of all this — the kids, the teachers, the school leaders, the programs." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tim Slekar, Dean of Edgewood College's School of Education, writes that <a href="http://bustedpencils.com/2015/01/wisconsin-republicans-stab-heart-communities-public-schools/" target="_blank">the bill "stabs at the heart of our communities: our public schools" </a> and proposes that any "accountability" efforts begin by<a href="http://bustedpencils.com/2014/12/letter-speakervos-legislator-accountability-system/" target="_blank"> holding legislators themselves accountable</a> to answering to the people of Wisconsin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/287938901.html" target="_blank">Conservative backlash</a> has been abundant, and the conservative-leaning "Stop Common Core Wisconsin" group is <a href="http://stopcommoncoreinwisconsin.com/why-accountability-bill-ab-1-must-be-stopped/" target="_blank">vehemently opposed to the bill</a>, calling the grading system it relies on a "sham" and pointing out the many ways the bill revokes local control of local schools.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Even the far-right Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty bristles at the idea that voucher schools be held "equally" accountable and <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0108will.pdf" target="_blank">calls out the folly and danger</a> of establishing a board of political appointees to oversee public and private schools alike.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The only
"interests" NOT taking aim at the bill, in fact, are those with direct
links to the organizations lobbying for "reform" (read: privatization)
of public schools.</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76xOvojL_Wg/VLL621dJLfI/AAAAAAAABwE/gZDw_oYHeuk/s1600/voucher%2Bcloses.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76xOvojL_Wg/VLL621dJLfI/AAAAAAAABwE/gZDw_oYHeuk/s1600/voucher%2Bcloses.png" height="267" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">More to come: <a href="http://educationvotes.nea.org/2015/01/04/another-wi-voucher-school-closes-calls-for-accountability-increase/" target="_blank">voucher schools profit while students fail</a>.<br />Photo: <a href="http://www.mtea.org/home.nws" target="_blank">MTEA</a>. <a href="http://educationvotes.nea.org/" target="_blank"></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The School Takeover bill is a 29-page document that rewrites the law to revoke local control of local schools by taking decision-making authority away from democratically elected school boards consisting of people from the community, and putting decision-making about local schools (including whether or not "failing" schools should remain open, and what measures should be taken to improve them) in the hands of a 13-member Advisory Panel that would consist mainly of hand-picked political appointees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Since the bill is in the wordy, confusing legal/political jargon of legislation and they're counting on the average parent/taxpayer/educator/whatever not to read it, I went through the bill carefully line by line and will highlight in this post what it means to local public schools. I've divided the material into 3 sections:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>What's in this bill?</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Why is this bad for local control and my local schools?</b></i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>What can I do about it?</b></i></span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>What's in this <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0107lrb0898.pdf" target="_blank">bill</a>, anyway? </b></i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0107lrb0898.pdf" target="_blank">AB-1 </a>repeals the superintendent's authority</b> to intervene to help "low-performing" schools, as well as the current statute that determines how those schools are funded, and it repeals and revises many of the provisions of the statutes related to "parental school choice" or "voucher" program that allows students to get a taxpayer-funded voucher (<span class="st">currently of $7,210 for grades K-8 and $7,856 for grades</span> 9-12) to pay for tuition at a private school.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0107lrb0898.pdf" target="_blank">bill </a>replaces DPI's current accountability system with an ill-defined new "academic review system" that will be determined and authorized by a new <b>Academic Review Board</b>, which would start evaluating schools in the 2017-2018 school year. Unlike the current system, which is headed by the democratically-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, the board will consist of 13 members with staggered four-year terms:</span><br /><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">State schools superintendent Tony Evers and six
members nominated by him—a public school principal, a charter school
staffer, a private voucher administrator and schoolteacher, and one
representative each from the state's technical colleges and University
of Wisconsin-System. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One at-large member and one technical college representative nominated by Gov. Scott Walker. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One nominee from Assembly Speaker <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/assembly/1296" target="_blank">Robin Vos</a> (R-Rochester), Senate Majority Leader <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/senate/1213" target="_blank">Scott Fitzgerald</a> (R-Juneau), Assembly Minority Leader <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/assembly/1297" target="_blank">Peter Barca</a> (D-Kenosha) and Senate Minority Leader <a href="http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/legislators/senate/1232" target="_blank">Jennifer Shilling</a> (D-La Crosse). </span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Source: <a href="http://www.wasbmemberservices.org/websites/advoc_gov_relations/index.php?p=1540" target="_blank">WASB</a></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Read that list again, closely. </i> It's entirely possible under this structure that only ONE member of the board (the Superintendent) is a democratically elected official. It's further possible that only ONE member of the board (a principal) actually works in traditional public school. [The Assembly Minority Leader is directed to appoint a school teacher employed by a district (which could be a charter school teacher); all the other politicians can just appoint "an individual"]. This means it's entirely possible that voucher and charter schools have a louder voice (and vote) on the board than public schools, even though public schools serve the vast majority of Wisconsin children. And it's possible that with six political appointees, special interest votes or even lobbyists could outnumber them all</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.</span> <br />
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0107lrb0898.pdf" target="_blank">bill </a>also establishes a few <b>key responsibilities of the Academic Review Board</b>: establish rules for awarding "incentives" to high-performing schools and "consequences" for low-performing schools; collect and evaluate data and determine a system for assigning "scores" to each school; develop "improvement plans" (subject to sanctions); and approve three "alternate" tests to measure performance.<br /><br /><b><span style="background-color: yellow;">A public school that fails to improve after being subjected to "Step I" sanctions will be automatically converted to an "independent charter school" by the board. <span style="background-color: yellow;"><i>Independent charter school</i> means operating independently from the school district, i.e. <u>not subject to local control</u> or under the authority of the taxpayers of the district.</span></span></b><span style="background-color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Annual review of schools based on 4 criteria</b>: test scores and growth in reading and math using controversial<a href="http://edglossary.org/value-added-measures/" target="_blank"> value-added measures</a>, gap closure in these areas, and attendance & graduation rates.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>"Educational Options" mandate.</b> The bill requires local school boards to inform all parents and guardians of children 3-18 in the district of the public, private, and charter schools operating in the district. This is basically a mandate for taxpayer-funded free advertising for private and for-profit charter schools. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Why this is bad for local control and my local schools?</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />Currently, we can personally hold our schools accountable through local school boards.<br /><br />If your local school board no longer makes the most important decisions about your local schools, YOU no longer have a say in those decisions either. You cannot attend a board meeting and share your concerns. You cannot influence the decisions that affect your kids. Political appointees in Madison would be making the decisions about what's best for your kids. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Public schools are the greatest and most successful example in America of how democracy works best: when local people have local control of their own schools. This bill calls for allowing political appointees to do the job that's usually done by democratically elected local leaders - who know our schools and our communities best. This bill takes democracy out of the equation. It takes YOU out of the equation. But not your kids. Your kids will still be held "accountable."<br /><br />It puts partisans and those with conflicting "interests" disproportionate power and authority over public schools.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And it puts the future of our schools in the hands of standardized testing structures which we know don't accurately reflect the "performance" or "potential" of students or schools. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Public schools are the schools of choice for the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites. We love our public schools and we love that local control means we can make sure our community schools meet the needs of OUR communities. Why should a voucher school principal have as much say in what happens to public schools than a public school teacher or principal? How can one teacher from, say, Wausau, represent ALL teachers at all public schools in Wisconsin? And why should anyone on the Academic Review Board have more say about what happens to OUR local schools than our local communities? Cookie-cutter solutions cannot fit the unique character and concerns of our communities. <br /><br />Local decision should be made at the local level, by people invested in the results, not at the statehouse by people invested in making a profit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Finally, there are a number of major concerns "under the surface" of this bill that general public is not likely to be aware of. My friend Donna Pahuski has provided a great summary of these risks, and points us toward one thing we can do to avoid them:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know that not everyone has the time or interest to follow what is
happening with regard to education reform at the WI statehouse, so here
is the latest heads up. The majority party is fast-tracking a bill to
reduce public opposition to school vouchers -- SB 22-- otherwise known
as "The School Accountability Bill."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For the first time in our
state's over 20 year history of vouchers (tax-payer money following kids
into private/charter schools, mostly in MILW), voucher proponent
lawmakers think they finally have the thing that will help them overcome
the tremendous resistance that our WI citizens have put up against
expansion of the voucher program -- this bill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What this new
proposed bill misses is that accountability is only real accountability
when controls are in place and variables are isolated. Here are some
real factors and variables that this bill does not address and these
lawmakers have "ants in their pants" to pass it before you notice all of
these shortcomings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">1. Private/Voucher/Charter schools doors are
NOT open to everyone. Conversely, public schools are REQUIRED to take
all comers and cannot refuse anyone. This right of each child to a free
and appropriate public education was established in our WI State
Constitution, Article 10, Section 3, established 160 years ago. So if
vouchers schools continue to be allowed (as they are now) to refuse
anyone they want and cherry-pick students much like Ivy League colleges
are free to do, would you expect that school's test scores to be above
or below the state average?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">2. Public schools are required by
federal and state law to serve the needs of children with disabilities.
Do you think there will be a differences in the test scores (part of the
accountability bill package) of schools that educate a school
population with 20% with special needs and one with 2% special needs?
Further, those voucher schools that may have accepted 2% with lighter
disabilities are not required to keep these students after collecting
the tax-payer money, as we have seen with many choice schools. Hence,
these students could be entered or exited to circumvent test windows.
And when that happens, vulnerable children can lose skills and suffer
social-emotional stress, which the public schools will once again have
to address.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">3. Private/Voucher/Charter staff are not required to
pass the same background checks as their public school counterparts. The
WI Department of Public Instruction maintains and audits a large
clearinghouse of background check data on public school staff, whereas,
private schools are allowed to simply comply with their faith
organization or corporate requirements to prevent liability and get
insurance. If lawmakers really do want true accountability for the
people's money, all schools taking tax-payer money (including private
schools that accept tax-payer dollars as vouchers) should submit their
staff names to the DPI background check data base. True accountability
not only means that children are learning, it also means using due
diligence and keeping track of people who are teaching children to
ensure their safety. Why have two separate systems when one is not only
more efficient and accountable but cost-effective?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There is a
hearing on this "Accountability Bill" on Weds, Jan 14th at 10AM in Room
417 North (Gar Hall). If you are able to attend, please do so. If you
care to stand in the path of this ALEC- driven march toward a "dual
school system" -- one for the poor and the disabled and one for every
one else-- please contact your WI lawmakers and tell them we have to
find more equitable ways to improve struggling schools. Oh yeah, and WI
is #2 in ACT test scores in the country (we were #1 for 10 years) so how
"failing" are our WI schools anyway?</span></div>
</blockquote>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwU/sx9b9qo8xuU/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NO9JbDcjoXc/VLMRu9bMoFI/AAAAAAAABwU/sx9b9qo8xuU/s1600/SaveOurPublicSchools.png" height="193" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>What can I do about it?</b></i><br />While many are predicting that this bill will be passed despite the outrage from all corners (and <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/lawmaker-school-accountability-measure-may-stall-in-legislature-this-year-b99194542z1-242614831.html" target="_blank">Walker wants to sign it</a>), the moral imperative to speak up has never been greater. Fatalistic acceptance of the bill sends a message of consent - and the entire ethos of Monologues of Dissent is built on the necessity of voicing the will of the people, even when that will is openly disregarded, disparaged and dismissed by those in power. Silence assures passage; dissent demands consideration of our concerns. MTEA has some excellent <a href="http://mteaunion.tumblr.com/post/107759105403/how-do-i-fight-back-against-the-wisconsin-public" target="_blank">suggestions for what you can do</a> to fight this bill:</span><br />
<ul><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvE/z2JbbSoVBPc/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvE/z2JbbSoVBPc/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Attend the <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/milwaukee-kids-are-not-for-sale-stop-the-takeover-of-mps" target="_blank">public hearing</a> on Wed. Jan. 14 at 10 am. Testify or register against the bill at the hearing and let your presence send the message that Wisconsin demands fair funding and local control of public schools.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/milwaukee-kids-are-not-for-sale-stop-the-takeover-of-mps" target="_blank">Sign this petition</a> to Stop the Takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Submit written testimony and write <a href="http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/" target="_blank">your legislators </a>and the committee members [addresses below] to make your position known.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Write letters to the editor of your local papers sharing your concerns.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=CTKctnVsxNDLDtwa4qu%2fU9l3yspmcQ3kpTAhJhvKPJU%3d%20Important%20survey%20on%20school%20funding%20-%20please%20take%20a%20minute%20to%20let%20legislators%20know%20where%20you%20stand%20on%20this%20issue." target="_blank">Take this survey</a> from <a href="http://www.reformwi.org/" target="_blank">School Funding Reform for Wisconsin</a> to share your thoughts on how best to fund our public schools.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">SPREAD THE WORD. Share this post. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/160265944036802/photos/a.164015720328491.42516.160265944036802/856016831128373/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Steal this image</a> to use as your profile picture. Tell your friends. Stay informed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://myvote.wi.gov/" target="_blank">VOTE </a>in the April 7 elections and make sure your local school board consists of people who will strongly defend the right to quality public education in Wisconsin!<br /><br /><br />The Public School Takeover Bill means less local control and more politics in our schools.<br /><b><br /></b>Public schools are the heart of our communities! We're not giving them up without a fight. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /><br />Let's hold our legislators accountable for defending and protecting public schools!<br /><br />For your copy/paste conveience....here are the members of the Assembly Education Committee (be sure to cc your own representatives): </span></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="mailto:Rep.Thiesfeldt@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Thiesfeldt@legis.<wbr></wbr>wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Kitchens@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Kitchens@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Jagler@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Jagler@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Knudson@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Knudson@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Rodriguez@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Rodriguez@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Christopher.Schaefer@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Christopher.Schaefer@legis.<wbr></wbr>wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Horlacher@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Horlacher@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Murphy@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Murphy@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Quinn@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Quinn@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Rodriguez@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Rodriguez@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Christopher.Schaefer@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Christopher.Schaefer@legis.<wbr></wbr>wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Hutton@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Hutton@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Pope@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Pope@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:Rep.Sinicki@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">Rep.Sinicki@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:rep.genrich@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">rep.genrich@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:rep.barnes@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">rep.barnes@legis.wisconsin.gov</a><br />
<a href="mailto:rep.considine@legis.wisconsin.gov" target="_blank">rep.considine@legis.wisconsin.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><b> </b></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvE/z2JbbSoVBPc/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvE/z2JbbSoVBPc/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" height="364" width="640" /></a>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-41226129913307986642015-01-06T22:32:00.002-06:002015-01-07T09:58:00.041-06:00The fight for Wisconsin public schools is about to get even uglier: here's what you can do to help in 5 minutes.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear Wisconsin,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've been keeping a low-blogger-profile of late because I've been steeling myself for the legislative session ahead of us. And also because who DIDN'T need an emotional hiatus after that trainwreck of an election and the incessant <a href="http://www.wpr.org/assembly-speaker-vos-discusses-republican-agenda-next-session" target="_blank">threats </a>of the impending wage-theft bill, continued education-gutting, environment-pillaging <a href="http://legis.wisconsin.gov/eupdates/asm63/Vos_ForwardAgenda2014_Final.pdf" target="_blank">agenda </a>that will no doubt sail through the legislature as the gleeful supermajority pats itself on the back about their ability to git 'er done.</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O0pfsqT6au4/VKzAZcav8gI/AAAAAAAABvc/Co15efuFaQw/s1600/watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O0pfsqT6au4/VKzAZcav8gI/AAAAAAAABvc/Co15efuFaQw/s1600/watching.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rebecca Kemble captured this shot of former Assembly <br />Speakers & current <a href="http://www.publicschoolshakedown.org/wisconsin-voucher-vultures" target="_blank">school privatization lobbyists</a> <br /><a href="http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2014/12/03/the-long-arms-of-scott-jensen/" target="_blank">Jensen</a>, <a href="http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2013/05/09/murphys-law-the-voucher-lobby/" target="_blank">Gard </a>& <a href="http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/Former-Assembly-Speaker-Jeff-Fitzgerald-lobbying-187876921.html" target="_blank">Fitzgerald </a>at the Wisconsin Assembly <br />swearing-in on Jan. 5, 2015 that says everything you <br />need to know about Monday's inauguration of a <br />Republican majority in Wisconsin: <span class="userContent"><br />The anti-education lobbyists stand guard over their charges. <br />
"WE ARE WATCHING," they say with their menacing glares. <br />"SO ARE WE," say
the rest of us. </span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that Walker has held his <strike><a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/scott-walker-inauguration-wisconsin-113975.html" target="_blank">presidential campaign </a>kickoff <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/fundraising-already-underway-for-walkers-jan-5-inauguration-b99403592z1-284891361.html" target="_blank">fundraiser </a></strike>Inauguration Ball, and members of the next session have been sworn in under the watchful eye of the lobbyists to whom they've sold their souls (and our children), I guess it's time to get my bloggy act back together. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because my job in this blog is TO KEEP YOU INFORMED of what's at stake for public schools and local communities as we learn the details of what will be passed by the tea-party led Republican majority as the Governor launches his <strike>non-stop Presidential fundraising campaign</strike> second term. So if you've missed me, I've been <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monologues-of-Dissent/160265944036802?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">here </a>the whole time. Shaking my head and taking notes, and <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/pat_schneider/dane-county-public-education-advocates-gearing-up-to-fight-republican/article_351223d8-6927-11e4-bd23-f7290a6de15a.html" target="_blank">getting ready</a> to leap once the curtain comes down and we see what they REALLY have planned.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="userContent">And get ready, folks. <br />The fight for public schools is about
to get a lot <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/287300511.html" target="_blank">uglier</a> here in Wisconsin.</span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But my job is also to KEEP THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR US INFORMED of what we want and what we think of the job they're doing representing us and our collective interests (because that is their job after all). And to that aim, I have a special request for all supporters of public education in Wisconsin:<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OurSchools" target="_blank"> please take this survey</a>.</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EO2vNGonbw8/VKyzI03pM4I/AAAAAAAABvM/k3W0AptG0J8/s1600/kickoff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EO2vNGonbw8/VKyzI03pM4I/AAAAAAAABvM/k3W0AptG0J8/s1600/kickoff.JPG" height="351" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">both photos: <a href="https://twitter.com/rebeccakemble" target="_blank">Rebecca Kemble</a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The survey, from <a href="http://www.reformwi.org/" target="_blank">School Funding Reform for Wisconsin</a>, takes about five minutes to complete and will help the group make a sound, well-supported case before the legislature of the need for fair and equitable funding for our public schools based on community input from around the state. From the organizers:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The link to the survey is:<br /><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OurSchools" target="_blank">https://www.surveymonkey.com/<wbr></wbr>s/OurSchools</a></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />We
hope that you will take the survey and share it with others. Please
note that the purpose of this survey is NOT to provide a
statistically-significant sampling of respondents. Instead, <b><u>this survey's purpose is to reach out to public school supporters</u></b> in order to:</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. engage - get community members' attention with some thought-provoking facts.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.
educate - provide facts - and links to additional facts - for community
members to become better informed about vouchers and other efforts to
privatize our public schools.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. empower - provide a means for those who are concerned to stay informed and take action against proposed legislation.<br /><br />We
will share the survey results with legislators and the public during
the coming months. </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a very important pre-step to fighting the regressive legislation we know is in store for the 2015 session and the next biennial budget, so - again - <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OurSchools" target="_blank"> <b>please take this survey</b></a><b>. </b> It's an easy way to start speaking out and let your voice be heard. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We're going to have to speak up a lot over the next months. I'm ready. Hope you are, too.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Forward!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MoD </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvA/k3dZePpvLp8/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcNoQsH-61o/VKyv3s-AMiI/AAAAAAAABvA/k3dZePpvLp8/s1600/public%2Bfunds.JPG" height="367" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<div class="_wk mbm">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent">The
Constitution speaks for itself: LOCALLY CONTROLLED district schools. As
uniform as practicable. Free and without charge for tuition. No
sectarian instruction allowed <b>therein.</b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_wk _5rny attachmentUnit">
<div>
<div class="userContentWrapper">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Every Wisconsin students deserves an equally excellent public school.</b> <br /> <br /><b>THEIR <a href="http://legis.wisconsin.gov/eupdates/asm63/Vos_ForwardAgenda2014_Final.pdf" target="_blank">agenda </a>for 2015:</b> More anti-local control "reform" and phony "<a href="http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/school-accountability-bill-coming-wednesday/30563352" target="_blank">accountability</a>" that bankrupts public schools while siphoning public funds into private ones.<br /><br /><b>
OUR agenda for 2015:</b> Hold legislators accountable to fix our broken funding formula and stop penalizing teachers
and schools for being underfunded while we throw money at dangerous
for-profit charter ventures and private school "voucher" programs which
consistently underperform traditional public schools and underserve our
most vulnerable students.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">PS: Don't forget to <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OurSchools" target="_blank"><b>take this survey</b></a></span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">. </span></span></b>
<br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-63656079282327633752014-11-09T13:37:00.000-06:002014-11-09T14:24:22.994-06:00Walker to Wisconsinites: There's a new cap on your dignityWhile their <a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-023.html" target="_blank">goals </a>have been <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/jack_craver/assembly-speaker-robin-vos-promises-further-voucher-school-expansion/article_5ba21e44-d3af-11e3-809f-0019bb2963f4.html" target="_blank">public knowledge</a> all <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/15/scott-walker-welfare-drug_n_5822552.html" target="_blank">along</a>, it took no time at all after Tuesday's <a href="http://www.wisdc.org/pr080714.php" target="_blank">record-breaking</a> election was <a href="http://wisdc.org/pr102214.php" target="_blank">sold </a>to the highest bidders for Governor Re-Elect Scott Walker and his right-hand men, Senator Re-Elect <a href="http://chippewa.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/re-elected-senate-majority-leader-foresees-tax-cuts-voucher-expansion/article_d0454663-e1f6-5a6d-a6d9-8686fe9ec550.html" target="_blank">Scott Fitzgerald</a> and Assembly Leader Robin Vos to <a href="http://www.wpr.org/assembly-speaker-vos-discusses-republican-agenda-next-session" target="_blank">announce </a>their priority <a href="http://legis.wisconsin.gov/eupdates/asm63/Vos_ForwardAgenda2014_Final.pdf" target="_blank">agenda </a>items for 2015: getting "<a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/jessie-opoien/scott-walker-we-re-going-to-be-even-more-aggressive/article_74bfb391-4809-53ec-98f3-83027fa4ac59.html" target="_blank">even more aggressive</a>" about demoralizing the working poor and doubling down on their assault on Wisconsin schools. As expected, the most pernicious and gleefully anticipated "reform" is expanding the state voucher program to lift caps and income limits,
draining money and resources from public schools and allowing even kids
of wealthy parents to attend private schools on the taxpayer dime. The Republican-led legislature also plans to push for dropping Common Core standards by allowing partisans and legislators a say in writing new "Wisconsin Standards" (and we've seen how well <i>that </i>idea has gone in <a href="http://www.therevisionariesmovie.com/about.html" target="_blank">Texas </a>and <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/ap-history-class-standards-spark-fight-patriotism-censorship/" target="_blank">Colorado</a>). But the crown jewel of this plan is to implement an absurdly <a href="http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/235888681.html" target="_blank">cost-ineffective</a>, <a href="http://time.com/3117361/welfare-recipients-drug-testing/" target="_blank">denigrating</a>, and <a href="https://www.aclu.org/drug-testing-benefits" target="_blank">unconstitutional </a>strategy that has failed and/or is being challenged <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/drug-testing-and-public-assistance.aspx" target="_blank">everywhere </a>it's been tried: <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/scott-walker-wants-jobless-food-stamp-recipients-to-face-drug/article_d8f8fcb4-c6ec-5deb-af86-668209d69aff.html" target="_blank">drug-testing</a> recipients of government programs.<br />
<br />
Given, however, this administration's craven obsession with "<a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/local/vos-outlines-priorities-for-gop-laden-legislature/article_3db2964e-9536-5043-a5d9-323f570a24a1.html" target="_blank">accountability</a>," MoD assumes that the mandate to demonstrate drug-free eligibility will be equally extended to ALL recipients of government handouts, a figure that has risen dramatically under Walker's watch as he continues to "compensate" those who contributed to his campaign with crony contracts and tax breaks. Because surely the son of a preacher man has no intention of singling out the least among us as the only recipients of government funds who should be held accountable to his high standards. We therefore present this handy guide to determining whether or not you need to report to the specimen-collection oupost, in anticipation of the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am speed with which this legislation will be shoved through the legislature by the Republican majority. <br />
<br />
Are <i>you </i>on the dole? Get ready.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">!!! ATTENTION ENTITLEMENT RECIPIENTS !!!</span><br />
</span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Are you an able-bodied adult who enjoys<br />
government handouts?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problem!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Wisconsin, we love nothing more than helping
people who need out help. But there’s nothing we hate more than wasting the
money of hard-working taxpayers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our new
policy provides the perfect solution: We’re implementing an unconstitutional policy
that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and save virtually
nothing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
</span></i><b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Simply submit to a routine drug test <br />
to ensure that your <s>dignity</s> eligibility is preserved!</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--pou1YCtLXE/VF-zYp5H2WI/AAAAAAAABuQ/s0-cP9H9lsg/s1600/drug%2Btests.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--pou1YCtLXE/VF-zYp5H2WI/AAAAAAAABuQ/s0-cP9H9lsg/s1600/drug%2Btests.JPG" /></a></div>
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None of this is law yet. The time to speak up is now. <br />
<br />
As <a href="http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=43925" target="_blank">Ruth Conniff made clear</a> after the harrowing results of the midterm election, "Progressives need their own strategy. Not a one-election strategy. Not
another well-funded, good-looking, poll-tested candidate. But a massive
grassroots organizing drive that speaks to voters' deepest concerns."<br />
<br />
One of my deepest concerns is that in constantly degrading and demoralizing the very people who make this state great - hard-working people struggling to make ends meet and looking for ways to improve their lives and the lives of their communities, the message we're sending through regressive policies like this only further disenfranchise them from the political process. At a time when we need to come together, Walker's first act of reelection is to get "even more aggressive" about driving us apart. His blame-the-worker, blame-the-poor attitude distracts us from the wasteful cut-and-borrow policies of his administration and the cronies and campaign contributors who will benefit from each and every item on their 2015 legislative agenda.<br />
<br />
The time to <i>organize </i>is now. <br />
<br />
We working stiffs might not have the money or political clout that Walker & Vos' billionaire policy-pushers have, but we have something even better on our side: democracy.</div>
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They work for us. <br />
<br />
If anyone's going to suffer the humiliation of peeing in cup to benefit on our dime, let's start at the top.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gaf_oy9nEM/VF-zYYXhM3I/AAAAAAAABuM/8EVG54LoAqU/s1600/accountability.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8gaf_oy9nEM/VF-zYYXhM3I/AAAAAAAABuM/8EVG54LoAqU/s1600/accountability.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td height="13" width="306">PS: Special note of thanks to the MoD followers who helped put this list together!</td></tr>
<tr><td><br /></td><td height="140" style="vertical-align: top;" width="441"><br /></td></tr>
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<div class="fb-like" data-action="like" data-href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2014/11/walker-to-wisconsinites-theres-new-cap.html" data-layout="standard" data-share="true" data-show-faces="true">
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-26529904611626086912014-10-30T07:54:00.001-05:002014-10-30T14:40:50.643-05:00Ryan Wherley: Wisconsin cannot afford apathy, excuses, or more Walker. Vote Burke Nov. 4<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My friend and frequent MoD contibutor Ryan Wherley has an important message for Wisconsinites: <i><b>VOTE</b></i>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With
the final Marquette poll prior to Tuesday's upcoming election having
been released and Walker showing his largest lead of the past several
months, things aren't looking so hot for Mary Burke. But we can win if
we just turn out and vote. And for those of you who despise Walker but
say you'd rather sit out this election because you're just too apathetic
and think it won't make a difference, or dislike both Walker and Burke,
or refuse to cave on your idealistic litmus test of what makes a
candidate worthy of your vote because you say that you're done voting
for the "lesser of two evils," please spare me the whiny bullshit. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
Try spending a day in my job talking with the people in Wisconsin who
are struggling and receiving public assistance, most of them working,
many of them toiling at or near the $7.25/hour.minimum wage that the
GovernEr refuses to raise, because in his words the minimum wage
"doesn't really serve a purpose." Many of them are young adults, or
children, or elderly, or disabled. Some have had their unemployment
insurance benefits cut, or have seen their FoodShare allotments slashed
and burned because of callous, political decisions by our ideologue
GovernEr. My *favorite* of his recent unconscionable decisions was his
move to turn down a $54 to $1 return on investment from the feds by
declining to increase energy assistance payments to needy families this
winter, ending Wisconsin's participation in the "Heat and Eat" program
and costing some individuals more than $100/month in reduced FoodShare,
solely for Walker to score political points with his extremist-right
wing base.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boLhrK1zhPI/VFIucG2uFeI/AAAAAAAABt0/4SC8g59JBls/s1600/badgercare%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-boLhrK1zhPI/VFIucG2uFeI/AAAAAAAABt0/4SC8g59JBls/s1600/badgercare%2B2.jpg" height="190" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image courtesy <a href="http://www.citizenactionwi.org/" target="_blank">Citizen Action of Wisconsin</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />Better yet, I'd like you to have to break the news to
someone that they're losing their BadgerCare or ineligible upon
application because we verified that they make 100.2% of the Federal
Poverty Level. I've done it. In person. Over-the-phone. While processing
documents with only myself and my computer around. It's terrible, it's
heartbreaking, and I feel sick to my stomach every time. I'd like you to
explain it to them without politicizing it, when you can literally feel
their disappointment, fear, panic and desperation upon learning they no
longer have health insurance. We know that virtually every person
kicked off of or kept off of BadgerCare because their income is between
100 and 138%, has Scotty to thank for being without health insurance as a
result of his cold, heartless decision to reject billions of dollars in
federal taxpayer money for the Medicaid expansion. Mary Burke would
take that money, covering tens of thousands more adults with affordable
health insurance, saving our state hundreds of millions of dollars a
year, creating thousands of jobs, and undoubtedly saving lives. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />I
go to work every single day and deal with the reality that there is a
MAJOR difference between a fascist sociopath like Walker who drops off
truckloads of flaming brown bags of bullshit on every doorstep, park
bench, couch and street corner every morning for the poor in our
state...and Mary Burke, who has actually worked to help those in need in
her lifetime and would make decisions that would save lives, prevent
hunger, and protect the health of individuals and families across our
state.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />So the next time you think to yourself that it doesn't
matter who wins next Tuesday because there's no difference between
Scott Walker and Mary Burke, think again. Try to view the world through
an empathetic lens, and put yourself in the shoes of the
poverty-stricken, working poor, unemployed, disabled, elderly and
children in our state. It's clear that the two major candidates couldn't
be further apart. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /><b>VOTE for Mary Burke.</b> No excuses.
VOTE. It's only Wisconsin's future on the line. VOTE. Because I can't
fathom how we'll get through four more years of Fitzwalkerstan if
Democrats, socialists, liberals, progressives, and independent
anti-Walker moderates stay home. <b>VOTE</b>. NOVEMBER 4th. Forever <b>FORWARD</b>.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Editor's note: </i>Polls are open from 7am to 8pm on Election Day, Nov. 4. In-person absentee voting continues through Oct. 31 at your local clerk's office. Click here to register, see a sample ballot, and find your polling place: <a href="https://myvote.wi.gov/">https://myvote.wi.gov/</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/110261183" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/110261183">Watch Walker's BadgerCare Meltdown</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user33784126">Citizen Action of Wisconsin</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7vvmMsE40M/VFItZy5qfdI/AAAAAAAABts/fZAVy5B83-8/s1600/badgercare.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7vvmMsE40M/VFItZy5qfdI/AAAAAAAABts/fZAVy5B83-8/s1600/badgercare.png" height="376" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Voting for Mary Burke isn't the only way to support Wisconsin families. <br /><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Do you think
Wisconsin should accept available federal funds for BadgerCare? If you live in
the City of Kenosha or the following counties: Dane, Milwaukee, Eau
Claire, La Crosse, Outagamie, Jefferson, Rock, Wood, Portage, Oneida,
Dunn, Chippewa, St Croix, Lincoln, Bayfield, Douglas, Clark, Iron, &
Florence you can vote directly on Nov 4th!<br /> <a href="http://www.citizenactionwi.org/support_the_referenda?splash=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>www.citizenactionwi.org/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>support_the_referenda?splas<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>h=1</a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-61150554145873996292014-10-28T09:06:00.001-05:002014-10-28T15:39:45.551-05:00Mary Burke sold home to help struggling families: the difference is clear<div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following letter appeared in the Sun Prairie <i>Star </i>last week. Every single person in Wisconsin needs to read it. <br /><br /><b>If you're looking to put your finger on the difference between Mary Burke and Scott Walker, you can find it right here:</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-16xpYqthyZM/VE7My5SFLzI/AAAAAAAABtU/0Em-XBrLrXs/s1600/Scan2.TIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-16xpYqthyZM/VE7My5SFLzI/AAAAAAAABtU/0Em-XBrLrXs/s1600/Scan2.TIF" height="400" width="308" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have worked with or known Mary Burke for 28 years. I am also a 25 year resident of Sun
Prairie. Friends and family often ask me
questions about Mary. They wonder if I
think she would make a good Governor.<br /><br />They wonder
why she is running. They simply want to
better understand exactly who she is.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />In early
2011, I read a brief article that said Mary Burke donated $450,000 to build
apartment homes for struggling families.
I happened to see Mary a short time later and asked her about this. She said that someone told her about this
project to build housing for families that needed help getting back on their
feet. She heard that the funding ran dry
and that the project was being cut.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />She said
her current home was much bigger than she needed and decided to downsize her
house and give the excess equity to this organization.<br /><br />I recall
her saying, “What’s better, me with a house much bigger than I need, or eight
families with homes and an opportunity to get ahead?” She said this like it was
a decision anyone would make.<br /><br />There are
many other similar stories that I could share.
I think this story says a lot about how Mary Burke lives her life.<br /><br />Mary has a
history of identifying a problem that she is passionate about and then doing
something about it. She simply has never
sat back and said, oh here is a problem, I really hope someone does something
about it.<br /><br />So when
peop<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="14942a77f0ed3bb4__GoBack"></a>le ask me if I think she will make a good Governor, I
say no…I think she will be an exceptional Governor.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> - </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mike
Hietpas, Town
of Bristol</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mary Burke is a <a href="http://www.wisconsingazette.com/wisconsin-gaze/uncommon-candidate-burke-defies-easy-categorization.html" target="_blank">unique candidate</a>. Unlike Walker, she's not a career politician, but she is a career change-maker. She has a long resume of innovative projects she's started that make huge impacts on local communities and create jobs. She has an advanced degree from Harvard Business School AND real-world business experience. Walker, who didn't even graduate from college, has no "real world" business experience beyond his youthful employment at McDonald's - his entire career has been motivated by political ambition.<br /><br />Mary Burke cares about Wisconsin. She cares about people. </span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7S6Fnteych4/VE7M6T-mBsI/AAAAAAAABtc/zX2moRMPBGY/s1600/vote%2Bearly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7S6Fnteych4/VE7M6T-mBsI/AAAAAAAABtc/zX2moRMPBGY/s1600/vote%2Bearly.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott Walker cares about his political <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/us/before-bigger-stage-walker-must-win-wisconsin.html?emc=edit_th_20141020&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=65471234&_r=1" target="_blank">future</a>.</span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Mary Burke <i>sold her home</i> to help people less fortunate than she is.</span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Scott Walker<a href="http://www.citizenactionwi.org/video_walker_stumbles_badly_on_badgercare" target="_blank"> sold out</a> the hard working taxpayers of this state to promote a narrow political agenda. </span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Mary Burke worked in the real world, made real money, and put that money to great use helping others.<br /><br />Scott Walker has worked in the public sector his whole career and jokes about making "real money" while Wisconsinites continue to struggle under his massive cuts, crony tax breaks, and refusals to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/121493924.html" target="_blank">accept </a>- or even <a href="http://www.fox47.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wisconsin-not-among-35-states-apply-federal-preschool-grant-money-2594.shtml" target="_blank">apply </a>for - federal <a href="http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/08/23/federal-funds-badgercare-left-table/14506459/" target="_blank">funds </a>paid for by the hardworking taxpayers of this state.</span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Who do <i>you </i>want leading this state? <br /><br />The choice is clear. <br /><br />And the polls are open 7am-8pm on November 4. In-person absentee voting continues until Oct. 31 at your local clerk's office.</span></span></div>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-34275104939122049372014-10-23T09:08:00.000-05:002014-10-23T09:08:55.320-05:00From Capitol Square to Grassroots Circles: Democracy in a Box<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2xgECXakY4/VEkIbb9E-SI/AAAAAAAABtA/7e9rSNgZ7s0/s1600/be%2Bthere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2xgECXakY4/VEkIbb9E-SI/AAAAAAAABtA/7e9rSNgZ7s0/s1600/be%2Bthere.jpg" height="400" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/turnoutforwhat">#turnoutforwhat</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wiready">#WIready</a> Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wisaflcio/photos/a.301699270668.144618.139173095668/10152434211315669/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">WI AFL-CIO</a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dear friends,<br />
<br />
I keep hearing the same concern from people I talk to: that people who were so outraged in 2011 over Scott Walker's bait-and-switch won't show up to vote. <br />
<br />
I'm more optimistic. I have great faith in the power of grassroots movements that have been building momentum since 2011 and directing their efforts into all sorts of productive and progressive projects.<br />
<br />
I'm optimistic because I <i>know </i>these people.<br />
<br />
And they haven't gone anywhere. They've been working hard this whole time. And they'll be there to vote on Nov. 4. They're <a href="http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/10/20/17617275/" target="_blank">already proving it</a>.<br />
<br />
Our struggle to protect our rights, our schools, our environment, our communities might have moved from the spotlight surrounding the Capitol square to the kitchen tables around the state, but the struggle did not end with the recall. It was channeled into lasting connections and organizations that have been working locally to enact real change. It was channeled into running for local offices, attending school board and city council meetings, starting local watchdog groups and civic organizations to put a local focus on issues that impact all of us. It was channeled into being vigilant and forming networks that make it more and more difficult to blindside people who trust those in power to look out for the interests of the common good.<br />
<br />
So if you need to get reinspired or remind yourself why this election matters so much, I encourage you to revisit these stories, from real, regular people all over the state who shared their stories of why they worked so hard to protect the communities they love so much:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2012/02/democracy-in-box-stories-from-wisconsin.html" target="_blank">Democracy In A Box: Stories from Wisconsin</a></b></span></div>
Of all my blog posts, this is hands-down my favorite and the most meaningful (even moreso than the letter to Brian Williams). I am so thankful to all who opened up their worlds for us to see, and share these deeply touching stories of where their concerns and motivation came from. May your stories continue to inspire, and may your work continue to impact the lives of your communities.<br />
<br />
I'll see you at the ballot box. And I'll see you where you live: rooted firmly to the grassroots actions that move things forward.<br />
<br />
In solidarity,<br />
Heather<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Everything I did to be
able to carry that box, I did for the future of my children."<br />
- Sarah Hammer<br />
<br />
"The box was justice. It was not the final chapter of justice, but the
beginning of the end of a long battle that while some have become weary,
some have given up, <br />
has continued to become stronger as each day went
on."<br />
- Mike Tapia<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="line-height: 115%;">The
whole process for me was a journey of love. Love for my State, love for
my neighbors, love for the poor and love for volunteers all over the
State that I have come to know as family. The journey took me to
communities all over my County where I met people I never knew existed. I
found I had courage to stand up to huge men who put my volunteers down,
I found I had strength when my involvement was put down in our local
papers, I found I had unceasing support from my family.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <br />I
discovered many amazing things about myself on this journey. I
discovered that I am Wisconsin and as long as each one of us comes
together to fight for what we believe in, apathy has no life. I found
that one person can educate many and many people can educate the world.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">"</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Robin Transo</span></span></span></div>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-29409884561117483872014-10-18T11:57:00.003-05:002014-10-18T17:46:54.276-05:00The Governor's Baldspot: Has the Blame Game finally gone too far?Scott Walker has been playing the blame game forever - most notably in blaming former governor Jim Doyle and/or President Obama for everything that happened, ever, either before, during, or after he took office.<br />
<br />
But his latest, most bizarre claim, might be the tipping point for Wisconsinites who've had enough of his failure to take responsibility for his administration's many failures.<br />
<br />
And it's all about The Baldspot<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">™</span></span></span>.<br />
<br />
Apparently, the governor is so insecure about this that he felt strangely compelled to compensate for it by drawing attention to its dominant appearance in the cartoons of Phil Hands. However, rather than laugh it off in a self-depreciating way, as he apparently intended, Walker instinctively launched into an <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_5e11c1d1-38fd-5b8f-9879-07c78e365baf.html" target="_blank">elaborate story </a>about how the bald spot isn't his fault:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="">
The bald spot, he said, was the result of a repair incident
in the kitchen when he banged his head on an open kitchen cabinet door
while making repairs requested by his wife, Tonette.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
She
kept telling him to go to the doctor to get the scar on his head looked
at, he said. When he finally did, the doctor said his hair would never
grow back in that spot, the governor explained. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="">
Tonette still points to the bald spot as a reminder that he should always listen to his wife, he said.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Now, first of all, WHO CARES IF HE IS BALDING?! Why are even talking about this totally inconsequential matter when half a million Wisconsinites are uninsured, our state is dead last in jobs growth, our public education system is under direct attack, and hundreds of thousands of families are barely making ends meet?<br />
<br />
And yet...I can't help but fixate on this moment - not because I care about The Baldspot<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">™</span></span></span>, but because I can't help but wonder:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">
<i>How pathological a liar do you have to be to blame a cabinet,<br />and, in a passive-aggressive way, your wife - for your bald spot? </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-k-6qxEBdk/VEKZFQGjNwI/AAAAAAAABss/lTa-h9-buTw/s1600/walker%27s%2Bcombover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
If she hadn't made him fix that cabinet, he could be Fabio right now. Or at least Paul Ryan<i>.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And in case you're giving the Governor the benefit of the doubt here, I present Exhibit A:<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-k-6qxEBdk/VEKZFQGjNwI/AAAAAAAABss/lTa-h9-buTw/s1600/walker%27s%2Bcombover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-k-6qxEBdk/VEKZFQGjNwI/AAAAAAAABss/lTa-h9-buTw/s1600/walker's%2Bcombover.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Baldspot<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".162.1:3:1:$comment806292729434117_806512302745493:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">™</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i>Blaming a cabinet - and by extension his wife for making him fix it - for this um, "scar," is outrageous.<br />
<br />
But it's par for the course in Walker's blame game.<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Governor Walker blames a cabinet for his bald spot like he blames workers for not being "skilled enough" to have jobs. When the myth of the "skills gap" has been disproven time and time again.</div>
<br />
Like he <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2011/09/scott-walker-vs-state-of-education-open.html" target="_blank">blames teachers</a> for the failings of underfunded schools. When his cuts to public education are the <a href="http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2014/sep/07/greater-wisconsin-political-fund/scott-walker-cut-school-funding-more-any-governor-/" target="_blank">largest </a>in history.<br />
<br />
Like he blames students in poverty for not "performing" and says the only solution is to privatize public schools. When his demands for "accountability" prevent educators from focusing on the students who need the most help, and his voucher expansion is destroying the very fabric of the social contract that provides an equal playing ground for all Wisconsinites.<br />
<br />
Like he blames the uninsured and underemployed for not being enterprising enough to get "good jobs" that pay a living wage. When he laughs about the $144K salary he earns as governor not being "real money" and insists that the minimum wage "doesn't serve a purpose." And the insurance companies who contributed to his campaign are seeing <a href="http://www.citizenactionwi.org/largest_national_health_insurer_getting_over_12_million_from_walker_badgercare_decision" target="_blank">massive paybacks</a> from his decision to reject OUR federal taxdollars in Medicaid funds to keep people off BadgerCare.<br />
<br />
Scott Walker is not new to the blame game. It comes very naturally to him.<br />
<br />
But when you blame a <i>cabinet </i>for your bald spot, people have to stop to wonder.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8VkAIK9JWY/VEKTH8tj1NI/AAAAAAAABsc/x_rtVpL1W0A/s1600/WALKER%2BMIN%2BWAGE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>If we can't trust him to be honest about such a trivial matter, how can we trust him on anything?</div>
The short answer is: we don't.<br />
<br />
At
least half of us, who've been paying close attention for the past 4
years, have been calling out the governor's fabrications all along. Even on the right-leaning Politifact, 68% of his statements that have been put to the test have not passed the lie-detector. And yet: the governor's success in "dividing and conquering" this state during an already divisive national political climate has been enormous: people on Team Walker are now assumed to be so firmly entrenched in their belief in him that they won't question any of his prevarications.<br />
<br />
But
maybe, just maybe, a little white lie will be big enough to wake up
"the believers" and plant some seeds of doubt. And maybe, just maybe, people who haven't been paying much attention - or who've been dismissing the he said/she said as more partisan bickering will start to see the light. <br />
<br />
It's a matter of principle.<br />
<br />
And Wisconsin deserves better.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8VkAIK9JWY/VEKTH8tj1NI/AAAAAAAABsc/x_rtVpL1W0A/s1600/WALKER%2BMIN%2BWAGE.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8VkAIK9JWY/VEKTH8tj1NI/AAAAAAAABsc/x_rtVpL1W0A/s1600/WALKER%2BMIN%2BWAGE.JPG" height="568" width="640" /></a>
<br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-71157404388785791922014-10-10T11:59:00.001-05:002014-10-10T14:30:00.278-05:00What Democracy Looks Like: An Open Letter to JB Van Hollen<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When the US Supreme Court <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/us/politics/supreme-court-blocks-wisconsin-voter-id-law.html" target="_blank">ruled </a>last night to block Wisconsin's <a href="http://m.jsonline.com/news/appeals-court-dissenters-blister-states-voter-id-law-b99368734z1-278806271.html" target="_blank">Voter ID law </a>from being <a href="http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/us-supreme-court-blocks-wis-voter-id-law/29041276#.VDc5ORJ2fRU.facebook" target="_blank">implemented </a>for the Nov. 4 election, I was thrilled. My initial response was to thank the <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=218685164816337" href="https://www.facebook.com/ACLUofWi">ACLU of Wisconsin</a>
for the work they do to advocate for voter rights and civil liberties
for all. As an election official, I had thought this battle was lost and was so dreading the chaos
and confusion of the November 4 election - and especially dreading
knowing we'd be turning eligible voters away from the polls and
effectively disenfranchising them from the right to vote. I was also excited that this decision has the power to restore some faith in the system and encourage people to really wake up to how important it is to exercise their right to vote.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then I read <a href="http://www.wkow.com/story/26752053/2014/10/09/van-hollen-will-still-fight-for-voter-id-before-election" target="_blank">this</a> from Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"I believe the voter ID law is constitutional, and nothing in the
Court's order suggests otherwise. Instead, the Court may have been
concerned that even with the extraordinary efforts of the clerks,
absentee ballots that were distributed before the 7th Circuit declared
the law valid might not be counted.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will be exploring alternatives to address the Court's concern and have voter ID on election day."</span></blockquote>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GfrSpJf0DUg/VDgNggA_8lI/AAAAAAAABsI/bJOql_NqYLw/s1600/vote_button190x230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GfrSpJf0DUg/VDgNggA_8lI/AAAAAAAABsI/bJOql_NqYLw/s1600/vote_button190x230.jpg" height="400" width="330" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I called Mr. Van Hollen's office (608 266-1221) first thing this morning, to ask a few questions about what he meant by "alternatives" (and how much that would cost us) and to beg him to respect the SCOTUS ruling. And guess what?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">J.B. Van Hollen - and the office of the Department of Justice - is not exactly "open" to the public. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Despite the fact that I was civil and very polite, I <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">was treated with extreme rudeness and hostility by the person who answered the phone. Worse, she never recorded my name or concerns and I was informed
that the ONLY way I could get any of my questions answered would be to
send a fax or snail mail request, in writing. They "don't have a public email" and
won't answer any questions over the phone. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So I wrote a letter. And I call on you to do the same. Feel free to copy/paste what you want, and let the Attorney General know that tampering with an election that is already in process (and has been in process since before the initial ruling - ballots had already been printed and mailed), is undemocratic and unacceptable. You'll find his contact info below.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Office "policies" like this are intended to limit or stifle public input - a wholly undemocratic move - just like practices like Voter ID are intended to <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/domesticpolicy/voter-id-laws-can-decrease-minority-and-youth-turnout-20141008" target="_blank">limit </a>or <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/09/1335443/-GAO-report-confirms-that-strict-photo-ID-laws-reduce-voter-turnout-of-minorities-and-young-people" target="_blank">stifle </a>voting by specific groups of people. That's not what democracy looks like.<br /><br />Don't let them silence your voice.<br />Don't let them stop you from voting.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Let Mr. Van Hollen know what you think today. And let the whole world know what you think on November 4. Show them what democracy looks like.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1y.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801908356539221:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Wisconsin Attorney
General<br />
PO Box 7857<br />
Madison, WI 53707-7857<br />
FAX: (608) 267-2779</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">10 October
2014</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Dear Mr. Van
Hollen:<br />
<br />
As an election inspector and taxpayer, I was greatly relieved by the Supreme
Court’s intervention into the Wisconsin Voter ID implementation and applauded
their decision last night to block the law prior to the pending Nov. 4, 2014
election. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Given the
impossibly unrealistic timeline and prohibitive costs of notifying voters of
the change to the law, it is obvious that implementation at this late stage
(with no allocation of resources or a solid media campaign to educate voters) would
effectively disenfranchise untold thousands of eligible voters on Election Day. I have already seen for myself the impacts this
law has had on our most vulnerable voting population – homebound seniors – and with
20% of the public unaware of the change, it was inevitable that we’d be turning
voters away on Election Day.<br />
<br />
Whether or not the law is overturned in the long-run, this decision means that these
voters will have the opportunity to exercise their legal right to vote, and we
will have ample time to educate the public for the next election if the law is
ultimately upheld. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />Needless to
say, I was shocked and appalled when I read this morning that you intend to “explore
alternatives” that would allow you to implement this law on November 4, and I
ask you to please provide, immediately, and in writing, an explanation of what
exactly you intend to do and what the cost and impact will be on Wisconsin voters
and election officials and how you think it reasonable to tamper yet again with
an election already in process.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />I call on
you to respect the decision of the highest court in the land and desist your
efforts to find a way to implement this unrealistic requirement whose constitutionality
is still in question nationwide and whose implementation on November 4<sup>th</sup>
would be catastrophic for both those of us who work the polls and those
eligible voters who will be turned away on election day because the politics of
the few stood in the way of their right to vote.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />I would also
like to add that when I called your office today to get clarification on your
statement and your plans, I was treated so rudely that I wondered for a moment
if I’d actually called the Department of Justice – certainly no one on the
public payroll should be allowed to treat constituents with such a tone of scorn
and disdain. Your office’s policy of
refusing to record calls, collect contact information from callers, or answer
any questions not submitted in writing by FAX or snail mail is not only
out-of-date but yet another effort to disenfranchise people from participating
in the democratic process by discouraging them from communicating with elected
officials and forcing them to wait who-knows-how-long for a response. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />The fall
election is 25 days away. Your antics in
prolonging the “debate” over voter ID only sow confusion and chaos and serve to
suppress voter turnout on Election Day.
If this is <i>not</i> your intent, you will respect the ruling of the
Supreme Court of the United States and resume your battle against democracy
after the fall election. And if this <i>is</i>
your intent, the people of this state are being willfully disserved by their
Attorney General.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br />Sincerely,</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">/s/ Heather
DuBois Bourenane</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">PS. <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".18x.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801924966537560:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".18x.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801924966537560:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".18x.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801924966537560:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$0:0">For
those who live in the faxless modern age, you can send the e-fax equivalent
of an email by saving your comments as a pdf and faxing them for free
online. I use </span><a class="" data-reactid=".18x.1:3:1:$comment801904226539634_801924966537560:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="http://faxzero.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://faxzero.com/</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-43545809973049945912014-10-01T12:55:00.000-05:002014-10-02T07:39:31.271-05:00"Taking Advantage:" How High-Stakes Testing Guarantees Gaps<i><b>Why I Don't Care How My High-Scoring Kids Do on Standardized Tests, and Why I Do Care about How they Score with their Teachers</b></i><br />
<br />
A couple of friends and I were talking about standardized testing when I shared a new Huff Post article by <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/15/dr-yohuru-williams-everything-i-need-to-know-about-corporate-reform-i-learned-in-kindergarten/" target="_blank">Dr. Yohuru Williams</a>, "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yohuru-williams/common-core-kills-curiosi_b_5908570.html?utm_hp_ref=tw" target="_blank">Common Core Kills Curiosity</a>," which I thought contained the zingiest of zings in its conclusion:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7rofOARvwmE/VCw-L3jpoKI/AAAAAAAABrM/W-2UpPgHvIc/s1600/love.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7rofOARvwmE/VCw-L3jpoKI/AAAAAAAABrM/W-2UpPgHvIc/s1600/love.jpe" /></a>"[T]his is the real crime of the education reformers hell bent on
quantifying success in the very limited confines of standardized test
scores while tearing down schools, slashing budgets, and working
feverishly to eviscerate the teaching profession. They are not only
killing curiosity but slaughtering the dreams and prospects of millions
of students nationwide -- whose very lives may soon be reduced to a test
bubble."</blockquote>
A friend of mine followed up with a great question - one that I think bothers most parents when they think about this issue:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1j.1:3:1:$comment10152630006257891_10152630028732891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1j.1:3:1:$comment10152630006257891_10152630028732891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1j.1:3:1:$comment10152630006257891_10152630028732891:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">This
is being asked in sincerity--do you have suggestions that would allow
teachers the flexibility to teach in ways that nurture critical
thinking, meet student needs AND provide accountability to show student
progress? Other than having to make subjective grading of portfolios?</span></span></span></blockquote>
This was my response, with links to evidence supporting my position on <a href="http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/" target="_blank">high-stakes testing</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2vxuvNPs0c8/VCw-UE6-J8I/AAAAAAAABrU/lJz1uwKJUYY/s1600/whopays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2vxuvNPs0c8/VCw-UE6-J8I/AAAAAAAABrU/lJz1uwKJUYY/s1600/whopays.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a>There are so many ways to do this [provide <a href="http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm" target="_blank">authentic assessments</a>],
and many of them are ALREADY being done by our teachers! The tests and
inflexibility of one-size-fits-all standards just get in the way of
those more accurate, more honest formative assessments. It's a <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/arn/caseagainst.html" target="_blank">total </a>and
<a href="http://www.gse.upenn.edu/review/feature/supovitz" target="_blank"> disproven </a>myth that standardized testing provides "<a href="http://www.livingindialogue.com/schools-need-new-accountability-system/" target="_blank">accountability</a>" with
any accuracy - just as it's <a href="http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IEJ/article/view/7453/7812" target="_blank">a total myth that standardized tests are a truly OBJECTIVE measure of progress or achievement</a>. ALL grading is
subjective. <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/pencilsdown/pencilsdown_intro.shtml" target="_blank">The tests have implicit biases</a> and measure little more than
relative affluence and/or the ability to test well. The time restraints,
the external stressors, the lack of preparedness and the gap between
what is being taught and how that is being tested are all variables that
ensure the test cannot provide an objective measure of learning. But
even worse, the tests don't measure knowledge. They don't measure
critical thinking. They don't measure potential. But our teachers can
and do measure those things every day - if we trusted their
professionalism and objectivity as much as we trust the tests, our
schools would be a much different place. <br />
<br />
If we want to follow a
model that works, we should look to Finland, where they ONLY do
formative assessments and not high stakes testing, and as a result they
have time to TEACH and their students are the top scorers on the PISA
test they take every 4 years. Here's a great article I read recently on
how they grade, and why it works: <a href="http://www.mwera.org/.../v25n1-2-Hendrickson-GRADUATE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.mwera.org/.../v25n1-2-Hendrickson-GRADUATE</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g31uecpjgM8/VCw-WpiBxRI/AAAAAAAABrc/N_GcBlkcpk4/s1600/MISC_high-stakes-testing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g31uecpjgM8/VCw-WpiBxRI/AAAAAAAABrc/N_GcBlkcpk4/s1600/MISC_high-stakes-testing.jpg" /></a>One of the main things teachers have told me in the years since my kids
have been in school is that the tests NEVER tell them anything they
don't already know about their students, and that the students'
performance is predictable: they know what smart students will score low
(or high) and what mediocre students will score high (or low). The tests just get in the
way of the formative assessments they WANT to do to help them meet each
kids' needs. And then they have to watch as the scores are then used to
"track" the kids into programs, and that tracking is done largely along
lines that just make the gaps wider and wider. The TESTS are the problem
- these false assessments are what are actually cause the very gaps the
reformers claim they can help us erase. I'm not buying any of it. All I
want is the teacher's assessment: the teacher is the person trained to
evaluate my child's learning and that is the only assessment I am
interested in receiving as a parent. Period. I don't give two shits how
my kids do on tests that will be used to sort, judge, penalize, and
promote inequity in our schools. And it makes me furious that my kids'
teachers pay & professionalism is being compromised by my kids'
performance on those tests. <br />
<br />
Also as a college English teacher, I
am 100% in favor of portfolio grading for classes where it's
appropriate and am curious as to why you dismiss it from your choices.
It's the only way I grade and I have a very formal set of criteria for
assessing student work from a holistic perspective that seeks to measure
progress and critical thinking as well as the "finished product". I'm
not how sure HS/MS teachers do portfolio grading, but in my own experience
it's the only assessment that's fair or productive for students.</blockquote>
[end rant]<br />
<br />
I'd like to provide some context for where my "rant" was coming from.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MrhNRhI9RaE/VCw4F5onLZI/AAAAAAAABqs/v-huvkZLo9M/s1600/silent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MrhNRhI9RaE/VCw4F5onLZI/AAAAAAAABqs/v-huvkZLo9M/s1600/silent.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fact.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is a question that has been bothering me for many years, as I've
seen first hand how kids break down under the pressures of high-stakes
tests and I've heard so many stories from parents and teachers as been involved with so many groups and organization committed to supporting public schools. But mostly, it's my experience as a parent, seeing my own kids go through this testing (and their teachers twist their educational lives around it), and <a href="http://monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com/2013/02/report-cards-reveal-we-fail-at-grading.html" target="_blank">my concerns </a>about how teachers are forced to assess their work that troubles me the most.<br />
<br />
Let me illustrate with one, terribly telling, example. As a parent of a "high scoring" kid who's been placed in
the so-called "Talented and Gifted" (TAG) program, these scores have
been presented to me as if they are The One True Indicator of my child's
success or potential. <br />
<br />
Which is a total joke. Because
here's how my kid measures "success" on his tests [actual conversation
from 4th grade, 2013-14 school year]: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Me</i>: How'd the test go?<br />
<i>Kid</i>: Great! I finished fast enough to read for 45 minutes!<br />
<i>Me</i>: Do you think you got all the questions right?<br />
<i>Kid</i>: [Shrugs, gives look that says "how is that relevant to your first question?"] I don't know. Maybe? Probably. <br />
<i>Me</i>: Well, I'm glad you got some extra reading time. What were you reading?<br />
<i>Kid</i>: <a href="http://www.rootsthebook.com/" target="_blank"><i>Roots</i></a>.</blockquote>
I
don't even know how he scored because when they sent me the scores in
the mail I didn't open the envelope. It's probably around here
somewhere. But I do know that he did really well [<i>Success is doubled! Bonus reading time AND a decent score!</i>] because a couple of months later we got a letter in the mail from something called <a href="http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/numats/" target="_blank">NUMATS </a>(Northwestern University's Academic Talent Search).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WXhumAZLz4/VCw62ecnTPI/AAAAAAAABrA/kNwCiHJqRxE/s1600/community%2Bschools.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Turns
out the kids who score in top 5% all get this letter, which our
district sends out to let high scoring kids know about the additional
opportunities available to them. So at first we were like "Yay! More
challenge! More rigor! A fun extracurricular that's actually academic,
which we love, instead of sporty, which we hate!" But it turns out
that the "opportunities" being offered were just <b>THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE TESTING, </b>which
would "prepare him" to take more tests later and provide a "more
accurate" assessment of how "advanced" he is. I kid you not. The
entire program is set up so that high-scoring kids go through this
series of additional tests that they otherwise wouldn't take for years -
EXPLORE, ACT and SAT - that will allow them to practice and prepare to
be better and better at test-taking (and presumably, though this was not
stated, to confirm and validate what everybody already knows about
these kids: that they're <strike>smart </strike>good test takers). According to NUMATS, "After students test, parents receive <a href="http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/numats/program/benefits/">comprehensive information</a> about how their student measures up to other gifted students. This valuable feedback helps families plan for the future." <br />
<br />
I cannot even begin to express to you how revolting this idea is to me. Let's break down the "offer" my child was presented:<br />
<ul>
<li>You are a great test-taker, kid! Congratulations! You are one of the <strike>smartest kids</strike> best test-takers in our district!</li>
<li>As a reward for being a good test-taker, we would like to offer you
the opportunity to PAY to take more tests! (If you're poor, we might be
able to help with fees).</li>
<li>If you do well on those tests, you can take even MORE tests (that
are above your level and will test things you haven't been taught yet).</li>
<li>Taking these tests will give you an additional advantage so that
when it's *really* time for you to take the test, you will do way better
than all the kids who did not get this special offer because (1) you're
probably so smart! and (2) you will have had a lot practice taking the
test and other kids will be taking it for the first time.</li>
</ul>
In a nutshell:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The kid who is already pretty likely to do well on future tests is being solicited to participate (for pay) to receive a<i> [totally unfair] </i>advantage that will better prepare him to take those future tests than any of the other children in the school.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>This advantage will put him in a position that will (much to the pleasure of his parents, I'm sure) guarantee or at least improve his "success" on future tests. </b><br />
<br />
<b>Success
means he scores as high as possible. Success means he "outperforms"
his peers. Success means he was good at taking the test.</b> <b>Success means his advantage paid off.</b></blockquote>
<i><b>Why</b></i>, I ask? <i><b>Why </b></i>would we give this advantage to the kids who need it <i>least </i>instead of the kids who need it <i>most</i>? <i><b> </b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b>Why </b></i>would
we not send letters home to the lowest scoring kids inviting them to
join a learn-how-to-test camp or something to help raise their scores?<br />
<br />
<i><b>Why </b></i>would we not invite kids who are doing really well on tests to get involved in a program of actual <i>substance </i>that actually involves <i>teaching </i>and <i>learning</i>? I know our district does <a href="http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/district/tag_summer_programming_options.cfm" target="_blank">list </a>such opportunities, but they're prohibitively expensive, and we've never been "invited" to participate in them.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Why </b></i>are
we investing in perpetuating the very system that ensures that we will
never, ever overcome the gaps that confront our district, our state, our
nation?<br />
<br />
<b><i>Why </i></b>are we not taking seriously the professionalism of our teachers and their ability and expertise to assess and evaluate the performance of our children? <br />
<br />
<b><i>Why </i></b>are any of us ok with this?<br />
<br />
Needless
to say we did not "reply now" to "take advantage" of that "opportunity"
to further increase the achievement gaps in our district.<br />
<br />
And
here I was, so naive, thinking it was going to be an opportunity to
learn or be challenged beyond the curriculum offered at school. Not so
much. I'd also like to add that I never heard one word all year about
how freaking amazing it was that my kid finished <i>Roots </i>in one
week, at 9 years old, devouring it, and followed it up by reading all
the slave narratives and historical fiction he could get his hands on.
That's the sort of stuff I <i>wanted </i>to hear about. But his teacher
didn't have time to discuss that with me, because his teacher wasn't
assessing that. And from what I could tell, it was all he could do to
keep up with the stuff he "had to" assess.<br />
<br />
My younger child is in 2nd grade this year, which is when the testing <i>really </i>begins, now now my worrying begins anew: will the tests be as "low-stakes" for her as they are for her brother, or will she be one of the kids throwing up in the bathroom on test day? And my fingers are crossed that she won't give a crap, like we don't give a crap, if only to spare her the anxiety, and to remind her that she's worth so much more than a score on a test, no matter how low or how high that score might be.<br />
<br />
That's where my perspective is coming from.<br />
<br />
So
when the question of assessments came up again today, I couldn't help
but rant a little on my many reasons for opposing a system where "taking
advantage" of opportunities means "taking advantage" of our most
vulnerable students and perpetuating our already shameful (and <a href="http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/277693821.html" target="_blank">growing</a>) <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/national-report-card-wisconsin-s-achievement-gap-worst-in-nation/article_82406e47-5738-5e95-9cb0-78aee1e14254.html" target="_blank">gaps</a>.<br />
<br />
The Superintendent of Public Instruction in Wisconsin, Dr. Tony Evers, has been talking a lot about these gaps lately. He gave his <a href="http://statesupt.dpi.wi.gov/files/statesupt/pdf/dpinr2014_104.pdf" target="_blank">State of Education address</a> last week, calling for more attention to our gaps. He <a href="http://dpi.wi.gov/files/eis/pdf/dpinr2014_102.pdf" target="_blank">praised </a>schools that take seriously the impacts of poverty and talk frankly about racial inequities. He says he has a plan for addressing the gaps - "<a href="http://statesupt.dpi.wi.gov/excforall" target="_blank">Promoting Excellence for All</a>." But the plan depends on the same old "accountability measures" that just measure how well kids take tests. And nothing about how schools need to get creative about addressing the classroom impacts of the opportunity gaps facing our students. Our district calls constantly for the need for <a href="http://edglossary.org/equity/" target="_blank">equity </a>in our policies and practices - our new slogan is "Futures depend on us...every child, every day." <i>Every </i>child. <i>Every </i>day. And yet: we continue to place our faith, our hopes and our decision-making on a system of high-stakes testing that <i>we know</i> only guarantees that the gaps between "high-performing" and "low-performing" students will widen.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Why?</i></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rnkTdjaU3Mw/VCw4cchhU3I/AAAAAAAABq0/UPCMF7GwRxA/s1600/change%2Beverything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rnkTdjaU3Mw/VCw4cchhU3I/AAAAAAAABq0/UPCMF7GwRxA/s1600/change%2Beverything.jpg" height="320" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">300,000+ people united to fight for <a href="http://ecowatch.com/2014/09/22/peoples-climate-march-carl-pope/" target="_blank">climate justice</a> last week. <br />
This was their slogan.<br />
I love it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And when do parents, students, and educators stand together and say: <i><b><a href="http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out" target="_blank">Enough</a>!</b></i>?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
All over the country, people are starting to stand:<br />
<br />
Parents are <a href="http://unitedoptout.com/" target="_blank">opting their kids out of standardized tests</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/23/colorado-teacher-i-refuse-to-administer-the-parcc-common-core-test-to-my-students/" target="_blank">Teachers are refusing to administer tests on ethical grounds</a>.<br />
Students are walking out on a system that values how they score more than who they are, what they know, where they can go with their lives. In <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/20/seattle_teachers_students_win_historic_victory" target="_blank">Seattle</a>. In <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/thousands-of-li-students-refuse-to-take-state-tests-1.7577393" target="_blank">Long Island. </a><br />
School boards are fighting back against political pressures and federal mandates that force our schools to fight for funding and status based on student performance on high stakes tests.<br />
<br />
I have been on the "opt out" fence now for several years. Because one person opting out two kids doesn't send much of a message, even if they are "high scoring" kids and even if I make a big noisy fuss about it. Because I'm afraid of potential backlash on my kids, their teachers, our schools. Because I love our public schools and don't want to send mixed signals by being the only person waving the banner.<br />
<br />
<b><i>But it's a message we have to send.</i></b><br />
<br />
<i><b>It's a message that we have to send together: </b></i>Parents. Teachers. Students. Community members. School Board members. Politicians. And every administrator who is brave enough to say: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Enough.</b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Teaching matters more than testing. </span></b></i><br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Students matter more than scores.</span></b></i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">The value of an education cannot be measured in points.<br />The value of a child cannot be measured.</span></b></i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></i><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">And </span></b></i><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>every child deserves an excellent education.</b></i></span> </blockquote>
<br />
It's a simple message.<br />
<br />
And it's a message that needs to be sent.<br />
Are we ready to send it?<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WXhumAZLz4/VCw62ecnTPI/AAAAAAAABrA/kNwCiHJqRxE/s1600/community%2Bschools.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7WXhumAZLz4/VCw62ecnTPI/AAAAAAAABrA/kNwCiHJqRxE/s1600/community%2Bschools.JPG" height="270" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent">I love this, too. It's the most coherent, simple,
perfect summary I've seen of why we ALL need to join the fight to save
public schools. It will only happen through the collaboration of
parents, students, educators & co<span class="text_exposed_show">mmunity members. <br /> <br /> Watch the video and get inspired to get involved. If we don't fight this now, we lose: <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/107078671" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://vimeo.com/107078671">The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You!</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mmptv">Media Mobilizing Project TV</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Public schools are under attack!<br /> What do we do?<br /> Stand up!<br /> Fight back!</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211739888727662396.post-51225214178747026102014-08-26T21:01:00.000-05:002014-08-27T22:23:38.753-05:00Back to School checklist: notebooks, pencils, megaphone<br />
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<br />
It's that time of year again, and as we're making the most of our last few days of freedom, I've been thinking about what it's going to take to make this year a good one, and I wanted to share the best advice anyone ever gave me about being a parent of school-age kids:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Follow your instincts and stand up for your kids. <br />If you do not advocate for them, no one else will. </b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CsXxluVFjJM/U_07OeTV7hI/AAAAAAAABpo/8hKoWbc82Z8/s1600/support%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CsXxluVFjJM/U_07OeTV7hI/AAAAAAAABpo/8hKoWbc82Z8/s1600/support%2B2.JPG" height="387" width="400" /></a>If you see your child struggling, if you sense something is "off", say something. I you are concerned about academic progress or socialization, talk to her teacher. If your kid is stressed about <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/" target="_blank">testing</a>, or how much homework is coming home, send a note to the principal, or call your district's instructional coordinator and share your concerns. If your child has special needs, <a href="http://www.ncld.org/parents-child-disabilities/ld-rights/advocating-for-your-school-aged-child" target="_blank">know your rights</a> and know what you need to do to make sure school is all it can be for your child. Talk to other parents. Talk to educators. Talk to the principal. <br />
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<b>Just say something.</b><br />
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That's your job, and you need to do it - but <a href="http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/rti-parent-school-relationship/conversation-starters-talking-to-teachers?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ldorg" target="_blank">do it respectfully</a>, and value the fact that your child's teachers are professionals who have knowledge of your child that you do not see yourself, just as you have knowledge of your child that they will never know unless you share it with them. Your kids' teachers <i>want </i>you to take on this role - they need you to share concerns that might otherwise get lost in the shuffle of the <a href="http://www.pegwithpen.com/2014/08/parents-i-cannot-protect-your-children.html" target="_blank">increasingly outrageous demands </a>of their profession, that make it difficult for them to do everything they might want to help each student. In Wisconsin, as elsewhere, <a href="http://m.jsonline.com/more/news/education/west-allis-west-milwaukee-district-at-center-of-rapid-changes-in-education-b99326116z1-271538761.html" target="_blank">teachers are struggling</a>, and many are even<a href="http://m.jsonline.com/more/news/education/west-allis-west-milwaukee-district-at-center-of-rapid-changes-in-education-b99326116z1-271538761.html" target="_blank"> leaving the profession</a><a href="http://www.wgsdmeetings.com/2014/08/resignation-letter-west-allis-school-district/" target="_blank"> they love</a>, often because they aren't sufficiently supported by their districts. A strong showing of parent support can be a huge help in addressing this issue. <br />
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<b>Say something</b>.<br />
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I was reminded again today that even though I hate "complaining" about things, I never regret it and I've always seen amazing results when I try to approach situations that concern me with respect for all parties and an open mind. Being honest, open and fair creates a climate of respect and collaboration - this helps teachers, and it helps students.<br />
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<b>And don't feel like you have to stop talking once you walk out the classroom door. </b><br />
<br />
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Now, more than ever, we need parents to pay attention to legislation that threatens the funding for our public schools and dictates the curriculum used by our teachers. We need parents who are watching school board agenda, following policy changes, making sure that the only "interests" that elected officials and administrators are putting first are the interests of our students. We need parents to unite and say ENOUGH to the standardized testing that is being used to pigeon-hole not just our kids, but their teachers and even their schools by "ranking" them according to "report cards" based on arbitrary scores that often reflect little more than the relative poverty of a given community.<br />
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<b>So say something.</b><br />
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Go to PTO meetings. Go to school board meetings. Join a committee or a
parent group or volunteer in the school, if you can, to become better
aware and better oriented with the needs of your district, and to take
your commitment to your child's education to the next level. Go to legislative hearings to share the much-needed perspective of someone who actually knows what's going on in our schools, and what impacts policy has on our kids. Look closely at candidate records on supporting public education when it comes time to vote (and it's time to vote very soon!). Connect with <a href="http://parents4publicschools.org/" target="_blank">groups </a>and <a href="http://www.boldapproach.org/" target="_blank">organizations </a>that connect parents to information that helps us help our teachers & schools. <a href="http://publicschoolshakedown.org/" target="_blank">Get informed</a> and<a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/index.shtml" target="_blank"> know what you need to know</a> to feel confident speaking up and standing strong in support of your students.<br />
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Here's to a great year for our kids, our schools, and the teachers who make possible everything they'll learn and do! Let's do our part, as parents, to support our kids and the public schools that fulfill the promise we make to each other: that we all deserve a fair shot at being the best we can be.<br />
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<b>All you have to do is speak up. For your kids, for your teachers, for your schools.<br /><br />Because if you don't, who will?</b><br />
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Heather DuBois Bourenanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246539896761826597noreply@blogger.com0