Notes from the WREA Convention--WREA and the Legislature

One of the primary reasons we all joined WREA is to be part of the organization that is keeping watch over our pensions and over public education in Wisconsin.  Our Executive Director, Diane Wilcenski, not only leads WREA, but she also coordinates lobbying efforts with the Chair of the WREA Legislative Committee and the WREA lobbyist.  As WREA maintains, the group is political, but not partisan, which means that it works with the legislature and other political bodies to promote our concerns but does not contribute to or support a particular political party.

John Forester is our lobbyist in Madison.  He represents five associations--all of which have educators and students as their focus:  School Administrators Alliance (SAA), which includes superintendents, principals, business administrators, and special education.  For the past three years, Forster has served as WREA's lobbyist as well.  SAA and WREA combined represents more than 16,000 people concerned about education and educators--active and retired--in Wisconsin.  His contact information:  john.forester@wsaa.org or 608-242-1370.

Forster gave WREA members an update on recent legislation and legislative activity relevant to us as retirees in the WRS system and as former educators supportive of public education.

Political Backdrop, 2010-Present

The election of 2010 was the perfect storm for the GOP.  Since then, it has been the only time in 60 years in Wisconsin that one party has held both houses and the governorship.  What was also crucial was that the 2010 legislature was in charge of redistricting, which even outside sources observe led to a lopsided partisan plan.  The last 12 governorships, whether Democratic or Republican, had all governed from the middle.  But this has not been the case with Scott Walker.   One of his first major accomplishments was Act 10, which severely weakens WEAC (Wisconsin Education Association Council) and Democrats in the state.

Impact on K-12 Public Education

Voucher advocates the new 800-pound gorilla of Wisconsin education politics.  There is a shrinking level of investment in Wisconsin public school children.  We are now below the national average of per pupil spending.  The dramatic expansion of private school vouchers has fragmented investment in education in our state, resulting in tax dollars supporting two separate school systems.  Every year we see an increase in the number of voucher schools and students.  The state has now shifted the funding from state tax dollars to property taxes.  The cost of voucher students and schools is deducted from local school districts.  As a consequence, local property taxes are rising to maintain the services to the remaining kids in the districts.  It is, in a sense, "laundering" voucher expansion through public school finance.

Another consequence of Act 10 is the enormous challenge districts are facing in educator retirement and retention.  Schools are now allowed to compete with one another for talented faculty, perhaps offering someone in a high-demand area $10,000 to change districts while other teachers get no raises at all, leading to shortages, resentments, and problems.

Preview:  November Elections and Next Legislative Session

John Forester believes that November's election may be the most unpredictable cycle he has ever seen.  There may be a few shifts in legislative seats, perhaps one or two state senate seats, but no real change.  After November 8, he expects a fierce battle for limited state budget resources.  Bad legislation that was defeated last year will, no doubt, be resurrected this year.

Tentative Budget Priorities

• Increase revenue cap per pupil by $200 each year from general aid
• Increase the low revenue ceiling from the current $9100 (set in 1993)
• School mental health to include a 5-year grant program to facilitate local collaborative models between counties and local providers; medicaid funding to include consultation as well as increasing medicaid rates for therapy
• Expanded summer school to boost achievement, reduce summer slide, close gaps.  Advocate for administrative flexibility, simpler aid calculation, and increased summer school transportation aid.
• Special Education funding to be increased to reach 33% reimbursement rate.  It has been frozen for years at about 20 cents on the dollar of aid, requiring general funding to make up the difference.
• Recruitment/retention of teachers for both long and short term.  Advocate a rollback or significant flexibility in the "double-dipping" law and maximize district flexibility with pool of licensed teachers.
• Early Childhood funding needed to attack the achievement gap before it gets established through an increase in funding of Wisconsin Shares, Youngstar and to double the number of families served in evidence-based home visiting programs.

SAA Advocacy Approach 

Two years ago, SAA changes its approach in advocacy.  Because public education issues historically had been supported on a bipartisan basis, lobbying was defensive.  But Forester and others has seen the environment in the capitol deteriorating so that policy is more and more developed on the basis of ideology, often bankrolled by out-of-state billionaires.  The plan for the past two years, with the combination of organization and forces, is to bring more people to the table, having more people build influence at the local level at the legislator's base.  SAA is advocating an evidence-based policy agenda with a local advocacy model.

Initial Results

• More SAA members active in advocacy than ever before
• Use of evidence-based frame in the capitol is powerful
• Budget resolutions, letters to legislators and community, news media events
• More editorial support from major news media
• Growing support from business leaders, chambers of commerce
• Parents groups rising up around the state
• Marquette poll showed 78% oppose cuts to public schools; 57% want more state funding

WREA-SAA Partnership

• We crushed punitive School Accountability bills, referendum restrictions
• We crushed the attempt to change JSCRS (Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems)
• We were able to improve portions of a very bad education budget
• We killed AB 397 (which would have raised the minimum retirement age) and AB 398 (which would have changed from 3 to 5 years the basis of retirement pension)
• We are accumulating voices advocating on behalf of kids
• Public education needs WREA's grassroots activism

When questioned, Forester acknowledged that he, WREA, and others need to begin to work with the Board of Regents, chancellors, and others to include Wisconsin higher education in their advocacy work as well.

Forester stated that he and the groups he represents sees a roll for all of us:  to commit to influence the key constituencies in our communities; to encourage parent groups to engage in advocacy; to build strong relationships with our business community, news media, and legislature.