Daily Archives: April 14, 2007

by | April 14, 2007 · 1:58 am

Latest Update on MMSD Advocacy Effort on State Public School Funding from Arlene Silveira

Wednesday, April 25, 6:30pm, location TBD

Next Legislative Action Team meeting. A more detailed agenda will be available next week. Highlights: Empowering the community to lead the effort in legislative advocacy action items – next steps

Let Your Voices Be Heard

Please let your voices be heard regarding the Governor’s budget. Email, call or visit your Madison delegation and joint finance committee ASAP. We want our Madison legislators to say, “Wow, this is really important to our community. This needs to change!” Letters to the editor of both newspapers will also help.

Let’s share: if you have written letters, made calls, etc., *please share* what you have sent as well as the responses you may have received.

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April 19 Press Conference
Mark Your Calendars, April 19 Press Conference

Representative Sondy Pope-Roberts will be having a press conference on April 19 at 10:00am in the Assembly parlor (2nd floor, west wing). *All are encouraged to attend!!* This press conference is to promote a joint resolution that she introduced in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate that demands that the Legislature fix the state school-funding system by July of 2009.

The resolution says that fixing the system is the job of the legislators. It also lists some key components of a new school finance system. If you can attend the press conference to show support for this resolution and for the legislators who have signed on, please do so. We need to make a strong showing in support of this resolution. The resolution is linked here.

*Student Senate* – The student senate of our high schools have joined our cause. Representatives from the student senate will be attending the April 19 press conference at the capitol. They will also be holding their own press conference on state funding on April 19 prior to the Board’s evening public hearing on the budget at Memorial High School. Thanks for your support. Any questions or comments, please let us know.

Arlene Silveira

1 Comment

Filed under AMPS, Pope-Roberts/Breske Resolution, School Finance, Take Action

by | April 14, 2007 · 12:19 am

Saving Schools and More

A group of parents and community members has begun organizing to agitate for an operating referendum to be placed on the ballot February 19th 2008 (the Spring Primary, including presidential). The details of the referendum are still in the early planning stages. I am part of this group.

As they consider the 2007-2008 budget (including school closings), it is important to show the Board of Education that there is broad and growing support for this referendum. With the realistic possibility of a successful referendum prior to the next budget cycle the Board can be induced to take nearly irreversible cuts (such as closing schools or eliminating 5th Grade Strings) off the table for this year.

You can help with this. There is a letter that will be submitted to the Board on April 19th here. If you support this, please say so and add your name and information in the comments. There are also some talking points here. We are asking that as many people as possible attend the upcoming Board meetings (April 17th and April 19th in particular) and express support for a referendum and not cutting those things that will be difficult to restore. We are also asking that individuals and groups contact the Board and news outlets (Capital Times: tctvoice@madison.com; Wisconsin State Journal: wsjopine@madison.com) to express support.

As always, educating and agitating on the state finance system that has created these conditions is important.

Thank you

Thomas J. Mertz

26 Comments

Filed under AMPS, Budget, Elections, Local News, Referenda, School Finance, Take Action, We Are Not Alone