School Funding!

School Superintendent Tony Evers, recently came out with his plan to fix the school funding mess we are in. Here is mine:

While there is a faction of community members anbd legislators(ie glen grothman) whose only solution is to cut wages and benefits, please allow me to be a little more forward thinking and offer up some actual solutions to help save our schools. These are not unique to me, but they all make sense. As we know strong schools are ESSENTIAL for maintaining property values, an educated workforce and giving our children a head start in their career, amongst other reasons.
The first solution is a penny for kids(http://apennyforkids.org/). A simple one cent increase in the state sales tax, designated strictly for education, would raise approximately $850 million dollars annually. A simple penny more every time you spend a dollar can help fund our schools without raising individual property tax.

The second solution is a financial transactions tax. Currently there is no tax whatsoever on financial transactions. If you go to Ho-Chunk or win the lottery you get taxed at a fairly high rate, when you gamble your money in the stock market, you pay nothing in taxes whether you win or lose. A simple .25% on the sale or purchase of a stock could add up to $100 Billion dollars a year. Make sure that money goes directly to infrastructure(ie roads, schools, bridges, etc..)and every state can benefit.

Another solution is to do what every other industrialized country in the world does and come up with a single payer health care system. It is inexcusable that we have millions of Americans uninsured. Instead of trying to cut teachers benefits, they would all go into the shared (IE community) money and we could take that expense off of each individual school districts budget.

Another solution is to set a minimum standard for school maintenance. No child should have to attend a school where the ceilings are falling down, bathrooms do not work etc… There should be a general fund that allows for the maintenance of schools that need it without causing those districts to go to referendum or lay off teachers to do general much needed maintenance.

Finally, stop bashing the teachers unions, unions are pure democracy in action. All throughout the last 20 years, when the economy was booming and record bonuses were being paid out, the teachers were capped by the anti free market QEO. Now teachers are finally able to do, what most every other profession in America can do, and that is bargain for their wages. Let’s work with the teachers and not treat them as the enemy.

These are just a few solutions to the education crisis that we are seeing not only in Wisconsin but nationally also. Use these, or come up with your own, and call your state representatives and tell them to stop talking about it and fix education now. Our future depends on it!

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6 thoughts on “School Funding!

  1. “All throughout the last 20 years, when the economy was booming and record bonuses were being paid out”

    TO WHOM were these record bonuses paid out, and are those the same people who who are funding the teachers salaries and generous benefit packages.
    NO quite strongly NO that is an unrelated situation. It simply does not apply
    I actually have to consider this all-out lying. it is such talking-point distortion of facts. It should bother Democrats, but does not, that they can spew this while simultaneously lamenting the increased gap between rich and poor. I the private sector wages have gone up ONLY for the guys at the top during the period you name, they have declined and benefits have shriveled for the non-CEOs. Those people are left by the wayside and accused of “not being for children” when it comes time for the Democratic party to pay their dues to the teacher’s unions.

    “the teachers were capped by the anti free market QEO. Now teachers are finally able to do, what most every other profession in America can do, and that is bargain for their wages.”
    Okay now this must be a John Edwards “Two Americas” situation because obviously the America you live in is not the one I live in.

    WHO IN HELL can bargain for their wages? WHO
    These days it’s only unions that have close ties to Government. All other unions have been busted. Private sector people whose taxes are raised to pay for teachers have NOT had the guaranteed cost of living increases over these last many years that the teachers have. They have NOT had any where near the types of benefits that the teachers enjoy, Any talk of unionizing is strongly frowned upon It doesn’t matter if that’s illegal or not.
    Also – “the professions” again, you’re talking about what – Doctors and layers here? first they go to school longer, and don’t tell me about “continuing education” to maintain teacher excellence blah blah. They get a 4 year degree, they do not have the incredible financial burden not the grueling efforts of Law or Medical schools THEY DO NOT COMPARE.
    But again – if you;re going to only TAX the well-paid professions then by all means – go for it. However, that’s not how it really goes. You tax the guy who drives forklift at Menard’s to pay the teacher.

    “Finally, stop bashing the teachers unions, unions are pure democracy in action. ”
    Bullshit. Teachers unions are a big sacred cow that the Democrats keep alive because they need to say “oh we
    are pro-union” when all unions in the US are screwed except those protected few who are closest to Government. It’s just a big symbol of “protecting the middle class” and protecting unions” blaaargh.
    Most Americans have NO bargaining abilities, they have to take whatever they can get. wages and benefits have spiraled downward for at least a decade, and it’s all happy and nice to mention that UNLESS you need to pimp for teachers or AFSME then all of a sudden laborers are all made of cash.

    That’s not how it is. Teachers have had their situation hold while everyone else made huge wage concessions or lost jobs. Now the teachers can in this TERRIBLE economy PLAY VICTIM!?!
    This is the most obscene thing I can imagine. The TEACHERS have been protected from this last crash, yet they cry in their beer.
    If any Democrats try to raise taxes on those working persons who still have jobs in this economy I swear I’m going to become a Republican and put Sarah Palin posters ALL over every wall.

    Democrats are like a terrible parent who singles one kid out for special treatment and lets the others fend for themselves. Then they congratulate themselves on what good parents they are
    But for these people “Sophie’s Choice os no problem’ :Let that other kid fry, who cares. Or better yet have one ‘un-favored kid sacrifice to the pampered kid.

    This is NO TIME for teachers to be asking for more. THEY are the people who need to learn to recognize reality (i.e. the class warfare in America today) and to NOT pretend they have it roughest. They do NOT.
    There is nothing more horrifying that sitting around the family hearing the teachers among us acting like victims, when their working conditions, and pay are so much better than the people whom they are taxing. But let’s be “for the kids”, you don’t hate CHILDREN do you? Cuz if you don’t increase my pay, YOU Must NOT LIKE KIDS. Wow you’re evil

    The Democrats singling out teachers for protection actually helps the class warfare. This helps the Republicans. But let the Democrats scratch their heads about why the working class doesn’t go all out for them. Democrats don’t go out for the working class.AT ALL
    Guys like rojo come along promising jobs and the working class is grateful like a fat girl who is being asked out by the quarterback. Everyone knows how it’s gonna end out. but the poor girl has hopes, ya know?
    Bottom Line, if teachers call for increases in their situations in this economy THEY are declaring everyone else as “enemies”. They are refusing to pull together with other “regular Americans” in hard times.
    This is why I have to just give up all the time. Progressive are only progressive some of the time and with some of the people, a lot of reality gets left out of the picture.

  2. PP, Are you setting us up? Taxes are the solution of last resort and money of itself does not fix anything except the lack of it.

    The PB Theory of Compensation and corresponding Theory of Infrastructure explains it all. The Theory of Compensation says that the more that you are personally responsible for earned revenue, the more you should be paid. Teachers do not earn revenue for the school so the market price should be low. Unions distort that ‘natural’ law.

    The Theory of Infrastructure says that the more fancy the building, the more likley that you, the buyer, are paying too much for the product you bought, however, if the condition of infrastructure is unacceptable to you, the buyer, it is a sign that the seller is putting too much money someplace else.

    The seller is the government in this instance.

  3. Is this the progressives answer to everyting MORE taxes? More taxes for schools, more taxes to pay for socalized medicene. more taxes to support a railway that is being designed to link Chicago to Minneapolis, more taxes to subsidized entitlement porgrams. People are TIRED of being taxed everytime a progressive needs to feel good. I do not work to pay to give my money to governement and unions I work to orpovide for my family and to proivde for the betterment of my family. STAY OUT OF MY PAYCHECK!

  4. Ok Annie I need to agree with you some and disagree with you other places. I will start with the agreement.

    1. You are correct, and I need to change my wording, real wages have been going down since the “host of General Electric Theater” got a promotion. I need to clarify that. My point being that the Repubs cant wait to extend tax breaks to wall st, despite the fact that this year they will be paying out record bonuses again. They only take time out of their busy let me give as much as i can to wall st, to bash teachers.

    2. again you are correct, no one these days that are NOT unionized can really negotiate their contracts.

    Ok now I have to disagree with you.

    1. Teachers have to take continuing education and many teachers I know have Masters. They also have to pay for ALL of their schooling. Many corporations offer continuing college work as an incentive to work there.

    2. lte me add a couple. * Unions anywhere are pure democracy in action, people get together, elect representatives and speak as one voice, AND * The economy sucks right now!
    I hear this argument all the time, everyone else is taking cuts why not teachers? My answer to that is when we are in a race to the bottom, we have to make sure we dont win! Instead of seeing who can make the least, lets make sure we start paying fair and living wages in America again!!!!!

    3. I dont think teachers have ever been protected from a crash, every year, many teachers have to worry about their jobs, many others get laid off and let go, etc…

    4. We single Schools out because they are one of the most important aspects of our society. A strong school system effects all aspects of your life.

    5. I would also disagree that their working conditions are better than most, I would guess they are worse than most.

    6. you aint seen nothing yet. The repubs will get rid of combined reporting so the waltons can save a few million a year then bash the teachers for wanting health care!

  5. PB, not kidding at all about education, we are at our last resort!

    Teachers may not bring in revenue for a school, but they sure do for a community! So by your “theory of compensation” they are vastly underpaid(thats another post).

    As for your “theory of infrastructure” with the “seller being the government” you are spot on! The seller is putting too much money somewhere else. Of course that somewhere else is Iraq, Afghanistan,defense, weapons systems, Earmarks, tax cuts for multi national corporations, etc…

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