Courtesy of Todd Price.
Be there for the June 16th 10th Anniversary March and Rally (details at the link).
Thomas J. Mertz
1999 Walk on the Child Side Video
Filed under "education finance", Best Practices, Budget, education, finance, Local News, School Finance, Take Action
It Is Summertime Music Video Post
The annual AMPS end of school/start of Summer music and video post returns (earlier posts here and here).
This time we start with Lulu singing “To Sir with Love” (this one goes out to the staff at Wright Middle School with big thanks for three years of doing above and beyond the call of duty).
Here is Gene Vincent giving his own take on the Gershwin classic “Summertime.”
Last but not least, the Beach Boys promising to have fun “All Summer Long.”
Enjoy the season.
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under Best Practices, Local News
School Finance Action in Los Angeles
Video from Democracy Now (via Laura Chern).
Watch this report on why Los Angles advocates for adequate education investments have begun a hunger strike.
If they can do that in Los Angles, the least you can do is take an hour or more on June 16 to participate in the Walk on the Child’s Side.
Thomas J. Mertz
The Stick — NCLB Sanctions for MMSD
It is now official, 7 Madison schools are among the 79 Wisconsin schools that have been “Identified for Improvement” under the No Child Left Behind Act and are now subject to new sanctions and requirements.
| Madison Metropolitan School District | Cherokee Heights Middle |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | East High |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | LaFollette High |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | Leopold Elementary |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | Lincoln Elementary |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | Toki Middle |
| Madison Metropolitan School District | West High |
One thing about NCLB is that it is all stick and no carrot. The requirements and restrictions pile up, but the only benefits are maintaining the woefully inadequate level of federal support for federal mandates.
The Madison schools Title I schools (Lincoln and Leopold) will now face new requirements; a more forceful stick. I can’t find a Wisconsin version of the details of what this means, but here is one from Michigan (Wisconsin page on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), here).
I know one thing will be that all students at these schools will be offered transfers with the district paying for transport and pay for supplemental services.
Some things about NCLB bear repeating.
The standardized tests that are the basis of Adequate Yearly Progress are of extremely limited value in assessing learning and school quality.
Eventually all schools will fail to make AYP.
The standards and data approach that President Obama and Secretary Duncan are so eager to continue will not lead to the kind of education we need.
As I’ve said before, performance on the WKCE should be one tool in assessing schools and students to flag successes and failures fro more attention. It should not be used to make isolated judgments and it should not be the basis for sanctions.
The Wisconsin State Journal has more.
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under Accountability, Arne Duncan, Best Practices, education, Local News, National News, nclb, Uncategorized
Kathleen Vinehout Tells the Truth
State Senator Kathleen Vinehout has an amazing post up on Uppity Wisconsin. I’ve had the honor of meeting with her and she is an inspiration. We need more leaders like her. Read the post and drop her a line to tell her to keep up the good work and then send a note to the entire Democratic Caucus telling them to heed her words.
Change the Culture in the Capitol
Sen. Kathleen Vinehout
Putting together the state budget is always a difficult process. But it is made more so by the deep budget deficit. A few weeks ago, legislative leaders and the Governor hammered out a deal. Later the deal was pushed through the legislature’s budget committee.
This week members of the Assembly are scheduled to vote on the budget. Behind the scenes members are told, “This budget is bad. We need to pass it as quick as possible and get out of town.”
In the Capitol, the culture is one of a few making the decisions and the many having their arms twisted to go along with the deal.
The culture of the Capitol has to change. Our job as elected officials is to take what’s happening in our districts to Madison. Once in Madison, we all have to be involved in making decisions. If we agree to deals we are not party to making, we not only give up our own power, we give up the power of the voters in our district.
For example, this spring 45 people from Pepin rode a school bus to Madison to tell me property taxes were killing them but losing their school means their community is dead. Adequately funding schools is just one thing not addressed in the budget deal.
I was told last week, I could ask for only one change to the budget deal. But people in Western Wisconsin need more than one thing. We need good roads, safe neighborhoods, thriving schools, a local pharmacy, local government services and lower property taxes.
When only a few are involved in making the decisions those few can’t know the implications of their decisions on all parts of the state. They can’t foresee all the unintended consequences of their “solutions”. All of us from all parts of the state have to be included in the discussion of options and the making of decisions.
When this happens, there is a lot better chance common sense will prevail.
The culture in Madison has to change and the only way this will happen is when individual senators and representatives insist they must be included; the voices of the people in their district must be heard. We must refuse to have our arms twisted by those who make the deals behind closed doors.
Video of Senator Vinehout here on AMPS.
Thomas J. Mertz
Walk on the Child’s Side Video Preview
The video is of Randy Kunsch of the Phillips School District testifying at the 2007 hearing on the Pope-Roberts/Breske Resolution. He was one of the organizers and participants in the first Walk on the Child’s Side in 1999 and will be speaking at the June 16th 10th Anniversary Rally.
Here is the full line up of speakers:
- Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, Middleton, chair of the Assembly Education Committee and a legislator who has actually sponsored legislation to change the way Wisconsin funds its public schools
- Randy Kunsch, teacher in the Phillips School District and an organizer of the 1999 Walk on the Child’s Side
- Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
- Kayla LaPlante, Pulaski High School junior, student council member and vice-president of the Wisconsin Association of School Councils and Thomas Aiken, eighth grader at Whitefish Bay Middle School and also a WASC vice-president
- Randy Braun, superintendent of the Cameron School District and veteran of the original Walk on the Child’s Side
- Jennifer Morales, former board director with Milwaukee Public Schools, and Angie Roberts, parent in the Rhinelander School District, talking about the need to form bonds and coalitions between urban and rural school districts
- Art Rainwater, former superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District, and participant in the first Walk.
Here is the basic information:
What: 10th anniversary Walk on the Child’s Side
Who: All Wisconsinites who care about their public schools
Where: Walk from the UW-Madison Library Mall to the steps of the State Capitol
When: 11 a.m. on Tuesday , June 16; Rally at Noon , State Capitol
What: 10th anniversary Walk on the Child’s Side
See you there.
Thomas J. Mertz
Read it and Weep (updated)
Pablo Picasso. A Woman in Tears. 1937. Oil on canvas.
Bobby “Blue” Bland, “Cry, Cry, Cry” (click to listen or download)
Busy days, but I wanted to post the Legislative Fiscal Bureau long-awaited analysis of the Joint Finance Committee’s budget (education section here) It is as bad you might have anticipated.
The Assembly will take up the budget on Wednesday, June 10. [Update: The vote has been moved to Thursday, the Democrats are meeting in yet another closed Caucus today.]
Local Rep, Kelda Roys has offered an amendment providing for four-year-old kindergarten start up costs. This would be a huge help for MMSD. Let your elected officials know you support this amendment and funding investments in education in general.
The link in the previous paragraph has information to contact elected officials and newspapers; another fine way to send a message is to participate in the June 16 Walk on the Child’s Side (the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools has a great updated web page on the event).
On a related matter, the Wisconsin State Journal recently reported “Study: Stimulus infusions won’t cover loss in state aid for most school districts.” AMPS has been saying that for a long time (here and here…)
More later.
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under "education finance", Budget, education, finance, Local News, School Finance, Take Action, Uncategorized
Behind Closed Doors — Democratic Caucus Budget Work
Gary Hume, Door Painting (for more information, click the image)
The WisPolitics Budget Blog reports that after an initial open session, the Assembly Democratic caucus shut the door on the public ” to discuss strategy and process for the budget bill.”
Reps. Cory Mason, D-Racine, and Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah have a bill pending to open caucus sessions to the public. It has been referred to committee. Meanwhile the closed door decisions on our state’s future are being made.
Some developments are public. Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer issued a memo raising objections to some items from the Joint Finance Committee budget, including the QEO repeal and the arbitration changes for teachers. Also on the Education front, Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber raised concerns about education funding in the open caucus session.
Some links to related things.
Assembly Democrats ID concerns with Wisconsin budget, Green Bay Press Gazette.
Editorial: Budget dealings are insult to public, Appleton Post Crescent.
Budget process, contract talks not ‘transparent,’ Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
Assembly Democrats’ Fundraiser Appears Out Of Bounds, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Thomas J. Mertz
Madison Common Council Supports “Walk on the Child’s Side” Rally
The Madison Common Council voted this evening to support the “Walk on the Child’s Side” rally slated for June 16th. The resolution read as follows:
WHEREAS, investment in education is essential to the quality of life and future prosperity of Madison and the State of Wisconsin; and
WHEREAS, for 15 years the school funding system of the State of Wisconsin has produced annual shortfalls between costs and allowed revenues, resulting in annual program cuts of between 1% and 2% for most school districts; and WHEREAS, the school funding system of the State of Wisconsin produces inequities in taxation and educational opportunities and does not adequately provide for the distribution of resources based on the diverse circumstances of students and districts; and WHEREAS, the school funding system of the State of Wisconsin’s over reliance on property taxes places school districts in harmful competition with Counties and Municipalities; and WHEREAS, achieving adequate, equitable and sustainable investment in education requires action by state government; andWHEREAS, on June 7, 1999 the Price County Citizens Who CARE and their allies began a 240 mile “Walk on the Child’s Side” to carry the message of the need for education finance reform to the Wisconsin State Capitol, arriving in Madison on June 17, 1999; and have repeated this walk in subsequent years and have continued working for education finance reform; and WHEREAS, these efforts have been instrumental in bringing public attention to the need for education finance reform; and WHEREAS, On June 16, 2009 at 11:00 the Price County Citizens Who Care will host a 10th Anniversary “Walk on the Child’s Side” Rally and March in Madison, Wisconsin; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison Wisconsin recognizes the need to support our local school districts and that fundamental changes in Wisconsin’s school funding system are necessary;
and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Common Council of the City Madison supports efforts to call public attention to this need and seeks to build coalitions to bring about education finance reform. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison Wisconsin extends support to the “Walk on the Child’s Side” 10th Anniversary Rally and March and encourages the citizens of Madison to support and participate in the “Walk on the Child’s Side” 10th Anniversary Rally and March.
Robert Godfrey
2,497,139 More Reasons to Join the Walk on the Child’s Side
At this evening’s MMSD Board of Education meeting a sheet was distributed estimating that based on the budget passed by the Committee on Joint Finance, Madison Schools will have cut (or reallocate) an additional $2,497,139 from the 2009-10 budget. $1,857,450 is estimated to come from the revenue limit cut and $639,689 due to cuts in categorical aid. These are very preliminary figures.
Many, many more reasons to join the June 16, 2009 Madison Walk on the Child’s Side 10th Anniversary March and Rally for comprehensive school finance reform (details at the link). The action begins at 11:00 AM at Library Mall and ends on the steps at the Capitol with a Noon rally.
Of course the best 873,586 reasons are the students enrolled in Wisconsin’s Schools who are depending on us to make the state live up to the promise of “A Quality Education for Every Child.”
Spread the word. Be there.
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under "education finance", Budget, education, finance, Local News, School Finance, Take Action, Uncategorized
AMPS 