We are still fighing for our K-12 in Wisconsin.....

[jodymarie aimee]

Walker has cut Education to shreds...well, next year he is up for you know what, so he is trying to "pretty up" things....this is from our leader on schools...
Friends of Wisconsin public schools,

The Wisconsin budget process is underway and the Joint Finance Committee will hold six regional hearings around the state to hear public comment. Our children need you to be their voice in this conversation. Restoring public education funding to ensure thriving communities for all should be the cornerstone of this budget.

Monday, April 3 – UW-Platteville, Platteville
Wednesday, April 5 – State Fair Park, West Allis (Milwaukee)
Friday, April 7 – Berlin High School, Berlin
Tuesday, April 18 – Spooner High School, Spooner
Wednesday, April 19 – Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth
Friday, April 21 – Marinette High School, Marinette

The Governor has proposed restoring some funding to our public schools, and delivering funds for much-needed mental health services, rural sparsity aid, and high-cost transportation [more about the budget here]. But many of our partners have concerns. They worry that $200 per pupil isn't nearly enough for struggling districts - and it's well below the minimum $300/pupil minimum our partners have called for. They worry about equity -- the Governor is proposing "per pupil aid" that does not increase revenue limits, and is not subject to the equalization formula. They are worried that the budget as it stands doesn't include a single dollar in new aid for special education - which will have been frozen for a full decade if we don't see a much-needed change here. They also worry that we are perpetuating a system of haves and have nots and that this budget doesn't do nearly enough to address the funding inequities currently facing our students and schools. The stakes are very high for our children and our communities.

But the bottom line is that none of this is a "done deal" and there's no guarantee that even the proposed $200/pupil increase will see its way into classrooms. In previous years, the Joint Finance Committee has made major budget and policy changes impacting our schools by putting them into a hastily-passed, late-night "omnibus package" not subject to public hearing. And now we are hearing reports that prominent lawmakers may wish to reject the Governor's budget, throwing the increases to education out the window, starting from zero with a "base budget" once the bill moves to Executive Committee. Maybe they will increase funding, maybe they won't -- but anything below $200 would be a cut.

Whatever budget surprises are to come, the public will have no formal opportunity beyond the Joint Finance Committee hearings to provide input into these changes. We must speak out now to make sure our concerns are heard and the needs of our students are made clear.

The Governor's budget shows us that there is more than enough money to prioritize K-12 funding, and members of the legislature themselves have cited $2 billion available in additional revenue. There is no excuse to deny children the resources that they need.

The time to stand together is now.

And we have been working tirelessly to make standing strong together easier and more effective than ever. We have created an action plan that centers on one key question: how can we organize around the 2017-2019 budget in a way that resonates across politics and parties and helps us grow our local-level teams by making public our concerns about the funding crisis facing our schools?

Our answer: To GO PUBLIC with our own stories, and paint a local picture for decision-makers that reveals the urgency and moral imperative of investing in strong, thriving communities and public schools.

Please join us.

We invite you to RSVP today to be part of this effort - whether you intend to testify in person, support others who are testifying at the hearings, or submit written and video testimony outside of the hearings. YOUR story matters, and it needs to be heard by decision-makers.

We have four regional teams working on coordinating turnout and testimony for the JFC hearings, and each team is led by Wisconsin Public Education Network partners. 282 people attended our Budget Action Workshops and more are joining us every day. Our goal is to make sure that the local-level stories that need to be heard are heard, and that our testimony covers all the issues of major concern to public education partners around the state, while powerfully delivering the message that restoring funding to our public schools should be the top priority of law-makers. We plan to stand united - wearing "Go Public!" shirts (available at the event or in advance if you contact us) to show that we speak in one voice for our children, communities, and our public schools.

We can't do that without you.

Sign up here to join this effort, and you'll be connected to the following resources:

Help crafting and practicing your testimony if you need it.
Access to expert-vetted information to make sure you are on message and on point.
Templates and action plans for amplifying your message by sharing your testimony as a letter to the editor, social media post, or in other ways to maximize the impact where you live.
Connection to others in your region who share your concerns and are ready to stand united for our public schools.
Helping us coordinate testimony to make sure that the issues that matter the most are covered at each of the six hearings.

Here's the direct link to the registration form: https://goo.gl/forms/vftBBRW4E8D2h28N2

If you'd like to get more involved in helping with the regional planning, please contact the regional coordinator for your area listed below, and feel free to contact me at any time with questions or ideas:

NORTHEAST (Berlin and Marinette hearings): Carol Lenz ([e-mail]) and Ann Muenster ([e-mail])
NORTHWEST (Spooner and Ellsworth hearings): Jeff Smith ([e-mail]) and Bob Wright ([e-mail])
SOUTHWEST (Platteville hearing): Ellen Lindgren ([e-mail]) and Carlene Bechen ([e-mail])
SOUTHEAST (Milwaukee hearing): Jenni Hofschulte ([e-mail]) and Stacy Lynch ([e-mail])

Finally, we have created a one-stop-shopping page for our budget action efforts, and invite you to bookmark this page, and help us make sure that it's up-to-date and accurate by sharing information you feel should be included: http://www.wisconsinnetwork.org/blog/budget. We will continue to update this page regularly, and use it to share out stories and testimony templates as they start to roll in.

Thank you for all you do for our public schools. Our children and their future depend on it!

Heather

[world wide wally]

1. I feel sorry for you guys up there, but you keep letting this weasel steal your elections

[milestogo]

2. Oh, puh-lease

The democrats at DU do not deserve blame or scolding from you for things that our outside of our control.

The GOP in Wisconsin is morally bankrupt, just as it is all over the country.