The newest jobs numbers, released at the end of last week, tell the same story they’ve told for over two years: Wisconsin is lagging far behind the rest of America’s economic recovery. The 26 consecutive months of under performing the US economy coincide exactly with Scott Walker’s time in office.
Wisconsin lost 22,600 private-sector jobs in April, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The national economy moved ahead by creating about 176,000 new jobs.
State officials trumpet a gain of more than 62,000 jobs during Walker’s administration. But that’s just half what the number would be, if Wisconsin were growing only at the national average.
Each month’s new data finds administration officials with new excuses for poor performance. This time, they said the April data were poor because of rainy and chilly weather during the week the BLS conducted its monthly job survey, according to the Wisconsin Reporter. That hardly accounts for two years of bad news.
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Use revenue increase to fully fund Wisconsin’s K-12 public schools
Wisconsin now projects a healthy increase in revenue over the next two years. Those hundreds of millions of dollars in additional resources must be used to restore funding for K-12 public education.
It’s time to return to the annual per pupil increases that at least kept up with inflation. There is no doubt we need a more rational school-funding system and an even larger investment in public education, but a reasonable per-pupil increase will help Wisconsin’s 870,000 public school students now.
The alternative is the budget that’s currently on the table. It is a proposal that strips even more resources from public schools and more opportunities from our children.
It hasn’t always been that way. Back in 2010, while the state was reeling from recession, a group of Republican legislators had the good sense to co-sponsor a bill that gave a per-pupil revenue boost of $275 to public schools. Assembly Bill 919 even mapped out a route to raise state...
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Group of corporate CEOs pushing for social cuts while getting taxpayer subsidies for executive pay
"Fix the Debt" is a national group that brings together CEOs to advocate for austerity, cuts in social security and Medicare, and a “globally competitive tax system"--a common euphemism for corporate tax cuts.
As bad as that is, a new report sheds light on how these same corporate members gain millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies due to loopholes in an already pro-corporate tax code that allows some executive compensation to be deducted from corporate income taxes. The report was issued by the Institute for Policy Studies and the Campaign for America's Future.
Among the report's findings are:
• During the three-year period 2009-2011, the 90 publicly held corporate members of the austerity-focused “Fix the Debt” lobby group shoveled out $6.3 billion in pay to their CEOs and next three highest-paid executives.
• These 90 "Fix the Debt" member firms raked in at least $953 million—and as much as $1.6 billion—from the “performance pay” loophole between 2009-2011.
• Top...
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Expansion of voucher scheme topic of May 22 forum in Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac Area Retired Educators, in association with the Fond du Lac School District, will host a community forum on the impact of the expansion of vouchers on area public schools.
“Impact Fond du Lac: Vouchers and Taxes” will be held Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m., at Goodrich Little Theater, 72 West Ninth Street.
The state budget proposed by Governor Scott Walker and working its way through the Legislature expands taxpayer-funded private school funding--with public tax dollars--into nine additional school districts including Fond du Lac. The budget also increases funding for those private schools, coming from public schools, with no increase in public school resources.
Join your neighbors for a candid discussion with education experts. Learn about:
• The impact of proposed state budget on your child’s school
• The 22-year voucher experiment and what it means for Fond du Lac
• The impact of the state budget on your local property taxes
• The DPI school report card system
Panelists at the event include:
•...
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UW education dean warns of ALEC’s aim to dismantle local control of schools
In a recent commentary professor Julie Underwood writes about the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an influential national network that’s pushing an agenda to shrink government, privatize schools, and promote business interests. The article outlines ALEC’s legislative impact in Wisconsin and why pubic school supporters should be concerned.
Underwood is the dean of the School of Education at the University of Madison. The article, "School boards beware," appears in the May edition of the Wisconsin School News published by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.
According to Underwood, the stated and published goal of ALEC is to eliminate school districts and school boards. Even more shocking is the idea the group has to make every school, public and private, independent through vouchers for all students.
"Personally, I believe there is a purpose for public schools and the local public oversight necessary to support and guide them," Underwood said.
"Public education was created to serve the needs...