Copied from an email:
On the same day that Congressman Mark Green announced a school funding gimmick that he said would “boost” education funding without “raising taxes,” Green called the state’s commitment to funding 2/3rds of school costs “irresponsible” and opened the door to massive school cuts AND property tax increases.
Green has dodged the question of whether he would keep the state’s commitment to 2/3rds funding but yesterday both Green and his campaign manager refused to make the commitment.
The congressman has previously said that he would support cuts to our schools in order to fund transportation projects and now he is leaving open the door to larger school cuts AND a massive property tax increase by backing off the state’s 2/3rds funding commitment.
A private school voucher supporter, Green was mum on whether his gimmick would apply to taxpayer funded voucher schools in Milwaukee and how Green would apply accountability to the voucher schools to meet his mandate.
While the Green campaign is making a joke out of his extreme record and positions on the issues, Green’s plan for Wisconsin schools and property tax payers is no joke.
Utah Businessman Knows What’s Best for Wisconsin Classrooms
Green’s school funding gimmick isn’t even his own proposal. It appears that Green believes that a Utah businessman knows what’s best for Wisconsin classrooms.
One of the many problems with Green’s gimmick is fact that it
does not include spending on several items that are vital to most schools.The Green gimmick does not include spending on school transportation costs, which would hurt many rural schools that are forced to rely more heavily on getting kids to school from greater distances. It would not include school security costs, which would hurt schools in higher crime areas of the state. And Green’s gimmick would not even include school heating costs, which are already eating up classroom funding under state mandated revenue caps.
Green’s gimmick would also leave behind funding building maintenance, school lunches, nurses, counselors, libraries and librarians, computer labs, teacher professional development.
“One of the Worst Ideas in Education”
John Forester, director of government relations for the School Administrators Alliance which represents superintendents, principals and other Wisconsin school administrators, opposed Green’s idea.
“I get a little gun-shy when somebody proposes a one-size fits all, silver bullet solution,” Forester said. The
National PTA’s Opposition:“To accomplish the goal of providing every child with a well-rounded, high-quality education, adequate funding must be provided and schools must be held accountable for ensuring that all children succeed. The 65 Percent Solution does neither. The 65 Percent Solution is an input-driven initiative, without any measurable outcome, such as student achievement, student retention, or return on resources. What’s more, the 65 Percent Solution places arbitrary restrictions on states and districts that are already struggling to make ends meet with the limited resources they have.”The
American Association of School Librarians:“Many states are considering the ‘65 percent solution’ mandating that 65 percent of school funding be spent on ‘direct classroom instruction’ – as defined by categories established more than 30 years ago by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Despite the vital role school library media specialists play as teachers and collaborators with classroom teachers, the NCES classifies school librarians as support staff and not instructional staff. As a result, states that adopt the 65% solution and rely on the NCES definitions are putting their school library media centers—and the students they serve—in jeopardy.”
