Today is the day that we have been discussing for weeks. Today is the day that the legislature starts discussing public school funding.
Unfortunately for the children and the future of the state it doesn’t look good:
As we know the privatize our schools lobby is well funded and staffed with incredibly unethical people. The education of our children, and the future of our state, take a back seat to filling their bank accounts.
It looks like the future of our state depends on the courage of a couple of republican Senators as 2 votes can stop it.
While amongst the public, the people are split on Vouchers but support public education. The reason being that the pro privatization crew has a serious aversion to the truth, in other words they like to lie about the effectiveness of private schools. Recently Wisconsin Senator Alberta Darling was on the Chuck Sykes show and flat out lied about the Beloit School District. It was such a disgusting lie that Beloit Memorial Principle Tom Johnson could not keep quiet:
Beloit Memorial High School Principal Tom Johnson shared with us this letter he addressed to Wisconsin State Sen. Alberta Darling and Milwaukee conservative radio host Charlie Sykes, pertaining to an on-air discussion about Beloit’s public schools. — WRB
By Tom Johnson
Good morning Senator Darling and Mr. Sykes,
I am writing to express my absolute displeasure with a segment that was run on WTMJ Radio yesterday during the Charlie Sykes show.
Senator Darling, you clearly stated that Beloit has a graduation rate of 40%. Further, you made reference to Beloit and Green Bay being not far behind Milwaukee schools with regard to achievement.
That is a flat out lie and a gross misrepresentation of the School District of Beloit and Beloit Memorial High School.
FIRST, OUR 4 year graduation rate is 83.6%. Our legacy graduation rate is 94.3%.
I am flabbergasted that such misinformation and misrepresentation of Beloit would be put out there so casually.
Beloit Memorial High School and our district as a whole are doing amazing things.
Do you know that we have had nearly 30 school districts from around Wisconsin and the country visit our site in the past couple years?
Do you know we have hosted Wisconsin districts like Whitefish Bay, Waukesha and Wisconsin Rapids? Also districts from Texas, New Mexico, Utah and Illinois have made the trek. We have also had visits from Representative Pridemore and Ringhand and Senator Cullen with an upcoming visit by Representative Loudenbeck.
PEOPLE ARE flocking to Beloit, the district and this high school for many reasons. Here are just a few:
• Innovative scheduling
• Expansive course offerings
• Advanced Placement Programming/Success Rates
• Literacy Instruction/Intervention Programming
• Career & Technical Education
We are leading in so many ways and achieving results. I extend an open invitation to both of you to come visit Beloit and spend some time here to get an accurate picture.
I AM A resident of Beloit. I am also a graduate of this high school. The comments made on the radio yesterday further feed into pseudo-facts and the denigration of Beloit. I take it personal.
There are way too many people in the State of Wisconsin that have a poor view of the City of Beloit — largely based upon old and incorrect assumptions. I shudder to think how many people put another notch in the stigma they attach to Beloit as a result of sharing an abhorrent statistic such as a 40% graduation rate. Senator, where does that figure even come from?
When I give tours, show people classrooms and open the doors to this high school I admit I get a lot of these types of comments:
“This is amazing….I had no idea.”
“I never expected it to be like this.”
“Wow, people really don’t know what great things are happening in Beloit.”
“This school is so calm and the students so engaged.”
“I wish I could go back to high school.”
And the list goes on and on. My response, “What did you expect?”
THE BRAVEST of brave visitors will come clean. They will admit to believing things they have heard about Beloit and/or the Beloit schools. They will admit to just following the crowd when it comes to blatantly racist, classist and elitist attitudes.
What occured yesterday on the airwaves was a huge slap in the face to our families, our students, our faculty and my hometown.
I certainly hope that the record be corrected although I know that irreversible damage has already occurred.
I certainly hope that people, including those making critical decisions each day in our government and media enterprises, take the time to step back and get their facts straight before espousing untruths.
I certainly would never publicly state ratings of a radio program or the voting record of a senator if I did not have my facts from reliable sources. I only ask for that type of mutual respect for our students and their completion rates.
I’ve got way too much sweat equity, Purple Knight pride and hometown devotion to have let this gone unsaid.
Why must people like Alberta Darling lie about school vouchers? Because they do not work! They are especially bad for special education students!
So give your Senator and Assembly person a call and tell them to support PUBLIC EDUCATION! Call Scott Walker and tell him to support Public Education also – wisgov@mail.state.wi.us @govwalker @scottkwalker (608)266-1212.
Here are the members of the Joint Finance Committee:
Assembly Majority Leader Robin Vos Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov
Members of Wisconsin’s Joint Finance CommitteeAlberta Darling: sen.darling@legis.wisconsin.gov
Luther Olsen: sen.olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sheila Harsdorf: sen.harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov
Joe Leibham: sen.leibham@legis.wisconsin.gov
Mary Lazich: sen.lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov
Glenn Grothman: sen.grothman@legis.wisconsin.gov
Jennifer Shilling: sen.shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov
Robert Wirch: sen.wirch@legis.wisconsin.gov
John Nygren: rep.nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov
Pat Strachota: rep.strachota@legis.wisconsin.gov
Dale Kooyenga: rep.kooyenga@legis.wisconsin.gov
Dean Knudson: rep.knudson@legis.wisconsin.gov
Dan LeMahieu: rep.lemahieu@legis.wisconsin.gov
John Klenke: rep.klenke@legis.wisconsin.gov
Cory Mason: rep.mason@legis.wisconsin.gov
John Richards: rep.richards@legis.wisconsin.govAlso include Mike Ellis who is not on JFC but is on record of supporting public schools
District Number 19
Senator Michael Ellis
sen.ellis@legis.wisconsin.gov
(608) 266-0718 Capitol 220 South
Email them all, and include your own Representative and Senator. Even if you know that they support public education, give them even more reason to go on the floor and fight for Wisconsin’s future!
Find your Representative here!
Also fill the twitter feeds of Robin Vos @speakervos and Scott Fitzgerald @senfitzgerald
Tell them we have their back if they support it and if they support privatization of our public schools, that is a burden that will be too big to carry during their next re-election campaign!
CALL and EMAIL TODAY!
