LARSON Weekly Report - March 29, 2012, PART 2

State Senator Chris Larson, 7th District
Part 2 - March 29th Report

EDUCATION
Support for our children's education was put on the back burner during this legislative session as funding from our neighborhood schools was slashed in order to give away these taxpayer dollars to special interests and corporations. Under the Republican budget approximately $1.6 billion was stripped from education statewide. These decimating cuts hit some communities harder than others and have been especially detrimental to children in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. To see how much our children's education and the funding for neighborhood schools were cut in the budget, according to the Department of Public Instruction and the legislative Fiscal Bureau, please see the chart below:

Municipality| Cuts Per Pupil| Cuts Per District

Cudahy $1,086 (per pupil); $4,949,481 - district
Milwaukee $1,012 (per pupil); $161,659,072 - district
Oak Creek $978 (per pupil); $10,854,467 - district
Saint Francis $1,022 (per pupil); $1,754,714 - district

Click here to view the Fiscal Bureau Paper that examines revenue changes for school districts based on the governor and Legislature's 2011-2013 budgets.

Click here to see how much was cut per pupil in the 2011-2013 budget according to the Department of Public Instruction.

The effect of Governor Walker's cuts to education and his continued favoritism of private and religious schools over our neighborhood schools can already be seen across the state. Below are results from the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrator's annual survey:

-- Wisconsin lost 4,000 educational jobs, leaving our schools understaffed and our children underserved 2/3 of responding school districts expect to make the same or greater cuts next year as a result of no longer receiving one-time federal dollars
4 in 10 students attend a district with larger class sizes in grades K-6

-- 40% of students are in districts that eliminated sections or increased class size for the core subjects of English, Math, Science and Social Studies Districts are offering fewer art, music, physical education, Advanced Placement and foreign language classes

-- Roughly 3 in 4 students attend school at a district that reduced at least one essential support program

-- The biggest cuts were to special education programs, which are followed by library and media center staff, reading coordinators, programs for at-risk youth, and drug and alcohol abuse programs

-- Cuts to education far out weighed the savings from increased pension and insurance contributions

Similar results can also be seen right here in our own community. Here is how Milwaukee County's 18 school districts have been negatively impacted by Governor Walker's sweeping education cuts:

-- Milwaukee County is struggling with 1,719 fewer teachers, aides and administrators this year compared to 2010

-- Most Milwaukee County school districts expect to make the same or deeper cuts to balance their budgets for the next school year, with only one of the 18 reporting that they expect to make fewer cuts next year compared to this year

-- 1/2 of Milwaukee County school districts reported increased class sizes and higher student-to-teacher ratios

-- Cuts to support services, such as special education, were made in five of our 18 Milwaukee County School districts

Click here to view this annual Wisconsin Association of School District Administrator's survey and analysis by the Department of Public Instruction.

Legislation passed this session also expanded the voucher program in Milwaukee to allow private schools outside Milwaukee to participate, while removing all enrollment caps on the program and raising the income limits on participants. Under these changes, Milwaukee Public Schools will be forced to funnel 22.6% of its tax levy into the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, leaving City of Milwaukee taxpayers on the hook for $55.4 million. In truth, Milwaukee taxpayers are now being billed for both the largest school district in the state, Milwaukee Public Schools, AND the fourth largest, which is what the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program has grown to be with 22,400 students.

There were additional giveaways to the voucher lobbyists this session, as they convinced Republican legislators to create greater accountability and transparency measures in our public schools, while excluding voucher schools from those very same requirements. One example of this was the passage of Senate Bill 461. This legislation was supposed to increase our children's reading test scores, forge more effective educators, and enhance school accountability. However, when everything was said and done, voucher schools were exempted from following the provisions recommended by the School Accountability Task Force.

Governor Walker’s misplaced priorities have left our children and educators struggling to get out of an impossible situation. His actions have also jeopardized the future economic success of our state and limited opportunities for our children. Educating our children is not like riding a bike. If you fall off you cannot just get back up again and ride. Our children only have one shot at early education and developing the skills they need to succeed.

HEALTH CARE
Currently, about one out of five Wisconsin residents rely on Medicaid programs, for their health care needs. The number of individuals enrolled in the state's Medicaid programs has been steadily increasing in recent years due to the ongoing recession and increased health care costs, making it one of the worst times to consider chopping away at our health safety net.

Unfortunately, Governor Walker did just that this year, beginning with his budget proposal. Nearly $500 million was cut from Medicaid programs, which is hurting families in every community throughout Wisconsin. Notable health care cuts are listed below:

-- Only extends SeniorCare through 2012, bringing uncertainty to the long-term availability of the program, which is a cheaper option to Medicare Part D for our seniors and taxpayers.

-- Places a cap on the FamilyCare program, which provides access to vital health services for frail seniors and individuals with disabilities. There are currently 2,000 people on the FamilyCare waiting list in Milwaukee County alone.

-- Substantially restricts women's access to preventative health care, including: cancer screenings, pap tests, birth control and medical exams.

-- Reduces the eligibility and services for BadgerCare, which provides services to working families and had a wait-list of 50,000 Wisconsinites in June 2010.

The Governor continued his extreme agenda announcing an additional $554 million in cuts this past October. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has estimated that almost 23,000 Wisconsinites will lose their current BadgerCare health care coverage. A group that will be disproportionately affected by these additional Medicaid cuts are people suffering from chronic illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. Chronic and life-threatening illnesses often leave individuals unable to work, causing them to exhaust their lifesavings and unable to cover their medical expenses without the use of Medicaid.

Wisconsin's vital health care programs ensure that our families and neighbors are able to receive quality, affordable health care to prevent costly emergency room visits. These programs also help keep loved ones out of nursing homes and in-patient facilities, saving taxpayers money.

Walker's Republican legislators also launched an ideological attack this session on the health of Wisconsin's women and children. One related bill was Senate Bill 237, legislation to repeal current comprehensive sex education standards. According to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, approximately 87% of Wisconsin voters support requiring comprehensive sex education instruction that includes information about both abstinence and contraception.

The positive impact of comprehensive sex education on Wisconsin's young adults can also be seen right here in our neighborhood. According to the Milwaukee Health Department, Milwaukee's teen birthrate has dropped dramatically for the second year in a row, from 46.73 births per 1,000 teens in 2008 to 35.68 births per 1,000 teens in 2010.

This legislative session also sent our state backwards on the issue of gender equality by curtailing the rights of women, particularly regarding their reproductive health. Such initiatives included interfering with doctor-patient relationships, obstructing access to contraception created under the Affordable Care Act, and eliminating funding for comprehensive women's health centers that provide vital services, including pap smears and mammograms.
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Office Phone: (608) 266-7505
Toll-free Phone: (800) 361-5487

Email: Sen.Larson@legis.wi.gov

Web Site:
SenatorChrisLarson.com