Public Education Vital to Wisconsin Economy

No economist, no business leader and no family would advocate making education the lowest priority or diverting resources from proven successes to unaccountable, underperforming ventures.    

Yet Gov. Walker made the steepest cuts to public education in state history – and the second largest per-pupil cut in the nation – the centerpiece of his economic recovery plan.  And week after week, month after month, data continues to track the impact of this Governor’s economic plan on our state.

In the first year alone of Gov. Walker’s budget, Wisconsin dropped from 17th to 39th in private sector job creation (By Gov. Walker’s preferred statistics).  More recent quarterly figures show Wisconsin dropping to 44th through September of 2012, and new figures indicate that our state continues to lag behind the nation.   

Monthly Current Employment Statistics released last week show a remarkably similar trend.  Tellingly, through March of this year these separate monthly statistics show Wisconsin 39th nationally in job creation since December of 2010 – the last month before this administration took over. 

In fact, a Democratic budget was in effect after June of 2009 through June of 2011. Gov. Walker’s budget took effect after June of 2011. Wisconsin job performance figures over that time, measured by the Governor’s preferred Quarterly Census on Employment and Wages:

After Wisconsin plummeted to 44th in job creation, the logical conclusion would be to stop digging deeper.  However, Republicans have decided to double-down on their starkly partisan agenda.

After a $1.6 billion revenue cut to public schools in the last budget, Gov. Walker’s new plan is to offer $0 more per student for public schools and up to $1,400 more per student for unaccountable, underperforming voucher schools.  This move cloaked as “reform” is offered despite Wisconsin’s public schools regularly leading in graduation rates and test scores nationally.

In addition to handing out more money to voucher schools, Governor Walker also dramatically expands the voucher school program.  Taxpayers in Milwaukee and Racine will not be the only ones paying for two school systems.  Now communities such as Beloit, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Sheboygan, Superior, Waukesha, West Allis-West Milwaukee, Appleton, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Chippewa Falls, Watertown, and Wausau should all plan to start paying for a second unaccountable and underperforming voucher school system if the Governor’s budget passes.

Much of the rest of the nation learned from the mistakes of last decade’s misplaced economic priorities.  And many states understand the importance of ONE strong education system.  We can do better in Wisconsin by giving up this foolhardy idea to create a new, expensive voucher system.