Schools are the Same or Better???

MSNBC had an Education Nation Summit and inexplicably invited Scott Walker. Wisconsin’s own Heather Dubos Bourenane from Monologues of Dissent, wrote a brilliant open letter to moderator Brian Williams.

…Scott Kevin Walker cut 1.6 BILLION dollars from the public education budget over the next two years, even as he passes out tax breaks like candy and increases public funding to private and charter schools. Most districts in the state were forced to deal with these cuts this year by forcing our top commodity, experienced teachers, into early retirement to get some short-term balance in hiring new, “less expensive” teachers. Programming cuts are rampant all over the state…

The cream rises and Heather’s letter went viral. It not only prompted appearances on the the Ed Schultz radio and television shows, but also Brian Williams turned her letter into his first question.(I wonder Chris Chocola and Jim Demint read our open letter?)

The pull quote here from Gov. Scott “tooljob” Walker is ” The key date is September 1st, when school started and people realized that it was the same or better as before.”

Scott Walker and the Republican legislature cuts $1.6 billion dollars from education and it is the “same or better”? How many schools has Governo Walker been inside to know that they are the same or better?

As Professor Thomas J Mertz says

“What the net is or will be is impossible to say, but “better” isn’t likely. I’d add that in education it is best to take the longer view, and next year looks bad and the following years look worse. Program and service cuts will increase, teaching will be less attractive, the “new improved” test-based accountability program is more of the same failed approach, the Reading initiative will likely be modeled on the corrupt and failed Reading First program. the long view is not good

.”

Yes, Our children will still go to school, they will still get a public education but things are NOT “the same or better”. Class sizes have increased, electives are dwindling, fees are constantly increasing, staff reductions,fundraising is prevalent, schools are crumbling, teachers are demoralized and demonized, many excellent teachers have retired, college students are being chased from the profession, supplies are short, valuable services that help the neediest of families are being slashed, poverty is exploding, and this extensive list goes on.

I call that a very expensive Net loss that we can not afford as a nation!