The Republican attack on schools is nothing but a massive right wing wish list of censorship and politically motivated curriculum changes that dwarf anything Build Back Better was criticized for doing (also described as a Democratic wish list).
1. GOP want to Trap People in Poverty and Raise Taxes: Seems like an odd place to start, but this relates to a healthy start to education. See video here. Republicans are actually trying to maintain the status quo:
Just a small amount of money can lift poor folks and their children out of poverty, results that could shape government policy on how to help the nation’s neediest. One study found that a cash infusion of $333 a month to poor mothers helped their children’s brain development, which could set them up for better educational and professional futures. The poverty trap — where people have no choice but to work in low-wage jobs, could get out of poverty if society gave them more financial opportunities.Raise Taxes: But Republican Sen. Rick Scott would keep poverty where it is or worse by doing just the opposite:
Scott said, “All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax.” ... the plan itself effectively acknowledges it’s advocating for an income tax increase on “over half of Americans” — a group of people that is overwhelmingly lower-income. And in fact, the number of Americans to whom this would apply has climbed during the pandemic.2. Block Socially Challenged Students from College: Playing off CRT, where we no longer see race or color, WI Republican don't want us to see differing social economic status or life experiences. It's a one-size-fits-all human commodity. Funny though, life is way more complicated:
The bill, which would require universities to "establish and use only objective admissions criteria," to UW schools. Across the country (colleges) pride themselves on holistic admissions processes, in which they try to take into account the whole person and their life experiences. Limiting access to enrollment to our schools will lead to declines in workforce needs of Wisconsin and allow out-of-state universities to enroll our students, at a time when we need to bolster both.
"As an example, a student whose parent was very sick, hospitalized or even in extreme cases, dies during their time in high school, may explain those hardships through qualitative admission criteria and references," Keri Duce, UW-Milwaukee's director of external and government relations, explained, "This is important context for a student whose academics (quantitative review) might have suffered during a difficult personal time."What if a student graduated high school with lower grades because they spent time living out of a car, asked Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire. Could a college accept that student? UW-Madison's admissions staff has worked to establish relationships with K-12 districts across the state to determine what the most rigorous classes are at each high school. That way, students are not punished if, for example, they did not load up on Advanced Placement classes because their high school didn't offer many.
3. Legislators Decide Curriculum base on nothing but Anecdotal Hearsay: Manufactured problems to simply serve an agenda should frighten any parent:
1. Leave it to the Courts? The bill does not define "objective," leaving very little guidance as to what would be considered subjective if it passed. A legislative lawyer present at the hearing confirmed it could be interpreted as anything a person could "give a yes (or) no" answer to. She said the courts would need to further work out the definition if the bill became law as written. The legislative counsel also said she could not find anything that indicated other states had similar laws.
2. "Some People say..." Anecdotal, Fact less, and Political: The bill's authors — Rep. Robert Wittke and Sen. Dan Feyen, said in the public hearing that they heard complaints from their colleagues' constituents. "Do I have a specific name of someone in my district? No, But I will go back to the colleagues that brought it forward to me and find out exactly, is it a student that has a name or is that just someone that just brought it up."
Rep. Dave Murphy said he often hears complaints from parents and students about UW schools' admissions process. Those who spoke in support of the bill provided no data as to how widespread the issue was or how many prospective students were affected.
4. Legislators Suggested Curriculum...: Fasten your seat belts:
- Legalize having firearms in a vehicle on school grounds.
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__________________________________________________________________________________1. Bill would require the state Department of Public Instruction to set standard lessons for kids in grades five through 12 on police interactions with "mutual cooperation and respect."
2. The other bill would direct state education officials to develop a model curriculum that teaches all high school students about guns and gun safety.
Experienced Teachers, Who Needs them? AB 975 would allow students enrolled in teacher
education programs who are at least 21 years old, juniors and have at least 15 hours of
classroom observation to earn a substitute teaching license. A proposed amendment would lower the age requirement to 20. Madison Teachers Inc. president Michael Jones wrote efforts would be better focused on increasing funding to schools and listening to those already in the profession. UW Education Dean Diana Hess said "There's no time for people to take a day off of school to go substitute teach. When people are student teaching or doing practicum in the schools, that is a role where they are there as a learner.”
Republicans created this vilify-all-teachers shortage, is this next?
With a nationwide Republican movement to reform schools into their own image, keep an eye on how Tennessee Republicans feel about the teaching "profession." Now, they just want a "warm body" in the classroom:
Democrats have a better idea knowing we now have a $3 billion projected surplus.
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The most substantial bill, which also received the most testimony during the public hearing, reserves a set of 15 rights to parents instead of schools, many of them are already enshrined in law.
State Superintendent Jill Underly: “Our schools — and our kids — need so much right now. They need real solutions to real problems. These bills are decidedly not that, and the fact that the authors of these bills seem to believe that their bills are, in fact, what our schools and students need is yet one more illustration of how out of touch they are with the reality on the ground.” Her strongly worded complete statement is here.
Loved this revealing exchange:
Democratic Rep. Sondy Pope pointed out; "So as a parent you’re telling me that you don’t believe I have the right, let’s just randomly pick number three, the right to determine medical care for my child?” Pope asked Gundrum, later adding, “How is this not a right that I as a parent already have?”And this...
After a brief pause, Gundrum said, “You got me there.”
Pope saw the legislation “as litigation-crazy. The ambiguity is mind-boggling in this bill."
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Cap Times: The education bill would allow parents to file complaints over what’s being taught in a classroom in circuit court. If a district was found in violation of the law, the state superintendent could withhold 10% of the district’s state aid until the issue was remedied. Under the bill focused on local and state governments, municipalities and state agencies could see a 10% funding cut for violating the law.Banned Words: Remember this moment of brilliance.
Democrats pointed to a list of terms and concepts assembled by Wichgers that he argues would be banned under the education legislation. Wisconsin State Journal:
Among those words: “Woke,” “whiteness,” “White supremacy,” “structural bias,” “structural racism,” “systemic bias” and “systemic racism.” “Social Emotional Learning,” “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” culturally responsive teaching, anti-racism, conscious and unconscious bias, culturally responsive practices, diversity training, microaggressions, multiculturalism, patriarchy, restorative justice, social justice, white privilege,” among others.The bill would also bar “abolitionist teaching,” in a state that sent more than 91,000 soldiers to fight with the Union Army in the Civil War.
Who knows what books have already been targeted...despite public opposition by anyone not a cultist:
This received national attention too...
Drain district recourses:‘Woke?’: Wisconsin GOP trying to ban these words from being taught in schools https://t.co/wRRyUP74TR via @msnbc
— John Peterson (@democurmudgeon) February 23, 2022
Any school district resident would be allowed to file a claim that a school district is noncompliant under the bill and if they prevailed in court, the court would award the resident reasonable attorney fees up to $15,000.Preserve Racism:
A fiscal estimate from the Department of Public Instruction stated the “bill would impose a significant administrative burden on school districts in order to be in compliance with the posting, updating and notification” requirements, noting that there is no extra funding included in the bill.
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, referred to the measures as the "white supremacy preservation act."This is next...
Rep. LaKeshia Myers, D-Milwaukee, called the bills a "three-headed red herring," likening the effort to the "Southern strategy" used by Barry Goldwater and President Richard Nixon in the 1960s and 1970s to win over white Southerners by capitalizing on racial angst.
"(These bills) are a poor attempt at reverse psychology to sow seeds of division and hate, by playing on the fears of a shrinking white majority," Myers told reporters ahead of the vote.
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