Conservatives and Liberals are in a stalemate, neither side will admit that their viewpoints have flaws and neither will even dream of working along side the other for a better solution.
For conservatives it is all anti-teacher rhetoric they have been fed from young on. Our public school teachers are evil because they chose a profession that offers great benefits and a moderate salary...ask Mark Belling, or James Wigderson, they'll tell you how terrible our public educators are.
For Doyle and the liberal crew it's all about spending more, and protecting the union.
Our local representatives Ted Kanavas, Bill Kramer, Mary Lazich, etc. refuse to make this a priority till they are screamed at enough from Waukesha's residents. They deny that there is a problem with the funding formula, then admit it, then deny that they admitted it.
And I thought Democrats were flip-floppers!
But here is the reality;
-The state aid formula is outdated. It is based on spending from 1993 which is completely irrelevant to spending in 2007-08.
-The Revenue Caps do not line up with the Qualified Economic Offer (there is a built in deficit that results in program and service reductions each year now).
- Younger teachers are the victims of yearly layoffs because the district uses a seniority system rather than a system based on performance. (Which, by the way, explains why the average teacher in Waukesha is paid higher than the average teacher in say...West Allis.)
But our taxpayer and union friends are not interested in the least in working together, but rather throw pot shots at each other from their polarized viewpoints while our situation gets worse still.
Here is another fact that you may not have read about anywhere but the Freeman;
-The Waukesha school board will have to eliminate another $2.6 million dollars worth of programs and services from our district for the Fall of 2008! (Though credit must be given to the board for saving $900,000 through contract negotiations).
We need organizations like the WTL, and WEAC to take a more proactive approach and start thinking outside their confining liberal/conservative boxes!
Rather than name calling and shooting insults back and forth how about truly working for the good of the residents of this city??
When I see Christine Lufter and Mary Bell sit down together to work for a constructive solution, with personal bias set aside, you can bet you're going to see some real progress begin!
Until then you can get used to saying goodbye...
To Athletics
-Music
-Art Programs
-Business Classes
-Technology Arts
-Physical Education
-Foreign Language Ed.
-Co-op Programs
And many many more. Sound like a great school to be at? Didn't think so.
If you don't believe me go online and find the lists of program and service eliminations in Waukesha since 1994...
I feel especially sorry for the Gifted and Talented advocates who were always attending board meetings in hopes that their programs would not be cut...
Waukesha no longer has Gifted and Talented program offerings. If we cannot afford to serve the best and brightest talents in our school district it is a sad day for Waukesha schools!
Remember being fiscal, or as I like to refer to it...cheap, does not necessarily mean you will improve efficiency or quality!
On the same note, I do not advocate throwing tons of money into the equation without fixing the problem. But there has to be a point that we realize that our current situation is not working, and is in fact getting worse! There has to be a point that we grow up and start acting our age, with the future generations of students in mind.
What sort of school system do we want them to have?
Schools that are gutted because of program and staffing reductions?
Or schools that offer the very best tools, resources, and talents to educate them in staying competitive in the global market place.
I guess it seems too simple, there must be a more complex solution...
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