Scott Walker’s “tools” aren’t working for Wisconsin’s school districts

According to Republican Gov. Scott Walker, the “tools” (really nothing more than a sledgehammer) that he dropped on Wisconsin in the form of Act 10 were supposed to make it easier for local governments and school districts to cut costs (another term for salary and benefits) to provide better services.

Apparently school districts across Wisconsin didn’t get the memo, as a State-wide staffing report issued by the Department of Public Instruction based on the effects of the massive school budget cuts instituted by Scott Walker paints a grim picture for the state of Wisconsin’s education system.

  • Statewide, 311 of 424 school districts, or 73 percent of districts, reported cutting teachers this year.
  • Overall, public schools in Wisconsin are employing 1,446 fewer teachers this year than they did in the 2010-11 school year. This represents a 2.4 percent loss in full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff at a time when student enrollment is stable.
  • The largest cuts statewide were to school librarians and career and technical education, special education, and reading teachers. For the current school year, there are 414 fewer elementary teachers in public schools, which is a staffing cut of about 2 percent statewide.

What I’m wondering is how fewer teachers per student means that Scott Walker’s “tools” are working.

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3 thoughts on “Scott Walker’s “tools” aren’t working for Wisconsin’s school districts

    1. Except that one of the stated goals was to improve the quality of education, so in that regard, not so much.

  1. The answer is clear if you look at some of the other comments trashing Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. The GOP aim is to sustain a vicious cycle that raises malnourished and uneducated children to be ill-prepared adults with no prospects for legitimate success in society, and a big chip on their shoulder because of that.

    This permanent underclass makes endless fodder for a police-prison growth industry. The cycle continues until all that remains is a police state with the oligarchy (ruling class) at the top with all the wealth, and an enslaved proletariat.

    Aspiring despots have been doing it this way since the dawn of time.

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