Education

Education is the most important investment we can make in the future.  Quality education is critical for the very well-being of every citizen in the State.  Wisconsin should have the best education system in the nation.

Whether you’re four years old and entering kindergarten or sixteen and thinking about college or forty-four and going for that master’s degree you never got, every citizen in the state should have access to the best public education system in the nation.  And we can and we should do it.  Yes, it takes money, but what better investment?  Even if you don’t have children, you benefit! 

A report issued in 2006 by the ultra-conservative RAND Corporation says that “high-quality early childhood programs can … reduce the number of students who fail and must repeat a grade in school; increase high school graduation rates; reduce juvenile crime; reduce the number of youngsters who wind up on welfare as adults; increase the number of students who go to college; and help adults who participated in the programs as children get better jobs and earn higher incomes.”  An investment early-on will pay off later! 

In addressing the mounting federal deficit, the (also conservative) Brookings Institution recommends that, while other budgetary considerations should be reduced, early childhood and elementary education programs merit expanded funding.  Sadly, “No Child Left Behind” went unfunded and proved ineffective and we should encourage our representatives in the US Congress to repeal it. 

We need a plan that works for Wisconsin.  We need to have adequate numbers of high quality teachers and they should be paid accordingly for the extraordinary work they perform.  We need to repeal the Qualified Economic Offer law passed in 1993 and reform the teacher compensation system to offer merit pay to quality, high-performing teachers and additionally should consider non-monetary incentives.  Curricula should be adjusted to include computer literacy and strengthen math, science, and writing skills.  In addition, music and art and similar programs must be expanded in our public schools.  With the alarming rates of obesity among children, it is also vitally important to increase physical fitness and nutrition programs.  We need “Whole Schools for Whole Children”. 

The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), in a report issued in March 2007, states:  “The Wisconsin Technical College System plays a key role in preparing thousands of Wisconsin workers for the skilled jobs in our economy.…  The colleges produce over 20,000 graduates a year, 85 to 90 percent of whom remain in the state to work….  [T]he technical colleges have the most positive effect on the state’s economy of all its institutions.”  [Emphasis added.]  COWS recommends improving access to training for working adults, making the technical colleges more responsive to the local economy, and making bigger investments in adult basic education. 

The University of Wisconsin system can, and should, be the jewel in the crown of a state-wide education program that is the best in the nation — pre-school to post-graduate.  The UW system can, and should, be a beacon for the best education and research in the world.  The University of Wisconsin-Madison is highly rated, yet there is substantial room for improvement.  Yes, it takes money, but what a great investment for the State. 

College is expensive and a source of concern for many students and their families.  We need to lower tuition for Wisconsin residents while remaining competitive in nonresident tuitions to draw the best students from around the world.  A college degree has become a prerequisite for a good-paying job and we should guarantee every qualified Wisconsin student access to a college education — whether through lower tuition, grants and scholarships, or affordable student loans. 

We all understand the importance of education.  Why then did the Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly recently offer a budget that would force the layoff of more than 1,700 teachers statewide?  In a letter to legislators dated July 18, 2007, UW Board of Regents President Mark Bradley and UW System President Kevin Reilly say the budget forwarded by the (Republican-controlled) Assembly will "seriously diminish the quality of state universities”.  This is not acceptable. 

Early childhood programs, K-12, technical colleges, and the UW System – all are critical elements of an integrated education system — and all must be adequately funded!!!  It is simply the right thing to do. 

Paid for by Duman for Assembly                                   Copyright 2007-2008 Duman for Assembly