Friday, November 7, 2014

Children and public schools take a left and a right to the gut in Wisconsin.

In the aftermath of the disaster that was Tuesday's midterm election a lot has been written about why things turned out so crappy for democrats.  Therefore I am not going to waste my time explaining that when any politician turns their back on our most vulnerable and fails to take the moral high ground they always lose.  No. I don't have time for that right now.

Instead, after reading about the coming Tsunami of Wisconsin-based republican education "accountability"

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told reporters he wants to start with a school accountability bill.

and the proposed "holy crap we better hide" fight back strategy of some school boards,

We will probably hunker down over next couple years in terms of educational initiatives the legislature decides to put us through

 I offer the following advice.

"Hunkering down" has to be one of the most damaging strategies for anybody or any organization that has the democratic and constitutional responsibility to do what is best for children.   Just the idea that the new found power elite are proposing educational "accountability" after 30 years of failed accountability should motivate all that care about children and public schools to regroup, organize, strategize, and then counter attack.

Winning an election does not give permission to anti-intellectual, political hacks to prescribe abusive accountability schemes that only hurt children, teachers, and communities and funnel tax dollars to political donors.

Hunker down?  No!  My daughter and son don't need spineless adults unwilling to protect the only chance they have at a critical and powerful democratic education.  My children deserve (and so do all Wisconsin children) advocacy and action!  Vos and all the other accountability hawks hellbent on killing childhood are the ones that need to be held accountable.  For 30 years they have defunded and redirected precious resources to an accountability scam designed to enrich test and data companies and dismantle OUR public schools.  NO MORE!  Test and punish accountability has been a disaster!

It's time for an accountability system that holds legislators accountable for making sure all children come to school well fed, well clothed, warm, healthy, and protected from the trauma of living in a state of perpetual uncertainty—poverty.  If this new set of power pawns fail to pry our most vulnerable from the trappings of generational racism and destroy the economic system that only rewards their campaign funders then they must be the ones held accountable, judged "legislatively inadequate" and stripped of all legislative power.  We must get rid of "failing" legislators.

And for those that choose to "hunker down" while the rest of us fight for children, please truly "hunker down" and stay out of the way.  We have children and a public school system to save! And WE GIVE IT ALL!


9 comments:

  1. Tell you why I am a little short on patience for the good people of Wisco. You all had the chance to recall Walker and send him packing but for some unfathomable reason you took a dump instead. Surely there are more forces in play than Scooter Walker but he's the head of the hydra you had a chance to lop off and took a knee PETA style instead. I feel your pain as Cuomo has promised all out war on NY teachers now that he's been re-elected. I am also aware we share a common majority of voters who are either too dumb, out to lunch or genetically disinclined to vote for their own best interests. Best of luck in your coming battles and know you are not alone in spite of my somewhat mixed message believe me I'd love to be there with you if I didn't have my own EdReformageddon bearing down here.

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  2. I absolutely agree with the sentiments of this article but is it ironic that you work for a non-public school system? Does Edgewood take vouchers for its' students?

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  3. "It's time for an accountability system that holds legislators accountable for making sure all children come to school well fed, well clothed, warm, healthy, and protected from the trauma of living in a state of perpetual uncertainty—poverty." Perfect

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  4. Anonymous: Vouchers for college students?

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  5. Nice. Real nice. The ink isn't even dry on the election results and this mope is issuing his battle cry. Who do you think you are, Sonny Corleone? ("If not, it's all-out war, we go to the mattresses.")

    If you decide to turn public education into your personal ideological battleground, it will be a MASTERFUL defeat for students.

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    1. Powerful stuff Mr. Anonymous. I've never been compared to a mobster.

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  6. http://wsaa.org/saainfo/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SSA_Draft31.pdf

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  7. Children and Public schools are now playing their role in the politics and they have changed the political policies and environment but they are also providing their children with the best assignment writing services.Now politicians give first priority to education and spend maximum budget on education.

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