It’s shameful how many teachers can’t do math.
Teachers from around Wisconsin gathered at the state Capitol Saturday to ask for more education funding. They described their large class sizes, lack of mental health support for students and colleagues leaving the profession.
They called on lawmakers to support Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed $2.6 billion funding boost for public schools, as the state contends with an unprecedented budget surplus most recently projected at $6.9 billion.
In addition to general aid for schools, Evers’ plan would support free meals for all students, more special education funding and more mental health support. Lawmakers, who have already tossed some of those provisions, are now crafting their own budget proposals through the Joint Finance Committee.
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“It’s a desperate situation,” Strieker said. “The needs are higher than ever. And then from the teacher side, the cost of living goes up.”
According to the DPI, here’s the average per-student spending in the past decade.
In the past decade, spending is up a whopping 33.88%. If we are spending a full third more on schools than we did a decade ago and the teachers are still complaining about a lack of resources, where is all the money going? Yes, I do know the answer…
Oh, they can do the math.
There’s a huge pile of money available in Madison and they want as much of it as they can get. The louder they squeal the likelier they are to see increased spending on public education. They’ve never encountered a problem they didn’t think wouldn’t crumble under the weight of more money. How often does this not work for them? The pandemic has enabled blame shifting for at least another decade. A golden boogeyman. Get used to it.