A forum, news site and archive begun in February, 2007 about politics and the environment in Wisconsin. And elsewhere.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Suburban legislators' grab of Milwaukee schools wrong on all levels
So MPS schools could be assigned to religious school managers, staffed with teachers lacking routine certification and banned from union membership? While existing teachers would lose their jobs - - but could re-apply for them? What country is this?
I don't know why people make such a point of trying to justify Milwaukee's dysfunctional schools. I guess some consider institutional racism a right as long as it is other people's children being put down. No one can say that the outcomes of MPS over the last 3 or more decades is justifiable and it is MPS that is being used to pull down every other school district in the state.
I wish they would just disband MPS altogether so that we could have a rational dialog on how to rebuild the schools in that community instead of having this always be a false dichotomy where those on the left scream that we have to protect some of the worst schools in America from any attempt to improve them.
Guess what!?!?! If MPS had schools that worked we would not have such divided partisan government because there would be many more informed and involved voters in Milwaukee!
So there they go proposing more regulation and growing government bigger, but only where it will benefit their benefactors pocket books and wallets. I thought they were against both; don't they keep saying they want to cut regulations and shrink government. This idea won't work since there is no accountability for voucher schools. The only thing is that you won't know it isn't working because there will be no records. That is why they want to privatize all education. That way they can secretly dumb down the human race and the people won't know it.
If you want to see BIG, you need to look at the bloated buracracy that has existed at MPS for longer than many that read this blog have been alive!
To boldly assert that this will create "bigger government" is not reality based when you realize what a top-heavy GOVERNMENT organization MPS is. MPS administrators & teachers are not the victims here, though admittedly many new teachers are being ground up and spit out and the cold bureaucracy serves itself instead of children.
If this plan is implemented, none of the new schools will be part of the massive administrative mess that we call MPS.
Anonymous says, "I wish they would just disband MPS altogether so that we could have a rational dialog on how to rebuild the schools in that community ... ." So, in other words, first destroy the public schools and only afterward have a discussion on how to replace them? Well, that proposal certainly gives away the real agenda, here. How about rebuilding the public schools by not first trying to undermine them?
You can't look at the outcomes of MPS and come to any other conclusion than they destroyed those schools. Rebulding, which MPS has had decades to do, just doesn't work.
It is just sick that being "progressive" and "liberal" in some circles means supporting some of the worst schools in America!
You don't care, suburb boy. If you did, you'd demand a fix to the crippling poverty and economic segregation that is the real killer in Milwaukee, and end the "test to death" system that guarantees failure.
Spare us the crocodile tears- neither you, Koo-Koo Kooyenga, or Dingbat Darling want to improve things and increase the human capital of the Milwaukee area. You just want to do a superiority dance and let the scummy privatizers get paid
Disband a schools district??? Now there is a well thought out idea! What are you thinking? Just make a big and bold Walkerinian proclamation: Hey Milwaukee Public School District, you are now disbanded. Please lock your doors and we will find someplace for the kids to go, and it will be much better.
One thing that I have learned over the past few years since our "new" Republican, anticonservative, antichildren, antieducation politicians have taken over, is that there are a lot of really stupid ideas out there. I will help with some suggestions: How about we lock the doors and round up the kids. Then we can ship them off to some of the best schools in the nation, the Wisconsin rural schools. No wait, we can't do that because the cuts have had a devastating effect on those schools. Maybe we can put them right into the workforce. We can cut out the minimum wage and start hiring. Then we just build a fence up around the city for the kids that didn't show up that day and let them figure it out. If they want out we will give them a civics test. If they pass the civics test they can get out of the city and go right into the workforce. Now here are some real ideas for improving all schools in Wisconsin: 1. Politicians who do not have an education background need to shut their traps when campaigning about public schools. It is disgusting listening to people like George W and Obama use our kids as campaign fodder. What'd we get from them? NCLB and Race to the Top. Then here in Wis. we have a low IQ college drop-out. I guess at least the last two presidents have college degrees. 2. School board members must have an education degree. 3. Let the teachers set the curriculum. 4. Dump every single standardized test. 5. Pay teachers according to their years experience. 6. S*** can the entire useless idea of merit pay. 7. Every teacher must have an education degree. 8. Pay them as professionals. 9. Pay them the same across the state. 10. Allow the teachers more say in school operations. 11. Stop overloading classes. 12. Give teachers adequate prep time. For crying out loud, the teachers in our local school are burning themselves out and I'm sure its the same in other schools. 13. Give the teachers quality continuing education. That is right, pay for it instead of having them pay out of their own pockets. 14. Build the economy so kids and parents will see the value in an education.
What is truly disgusting is watching someone like Walker set policies for schools and destroy their budgets. How many times since this scumbag has been in office has he visited a public school? Yet people want to listen to his ignorant ideas like he is some kind of guru.
And beyond the suburban crocodile tears, MPS does, in fact, have some excellent schools- the recent rankings put Rufus King, Riverside, and Reagan in the top ten of Wisconsin schools.
Anonymous at May 11, 2015 at 4:28 PM -- By growing the government bigger, they are adding yet another level of oversight. I know how BIG MPS is and perhaps it should be broken up into smaller districts rather than suddenly shipping kids off to a religious school that's not their choice. Because they teach religion in those schools, where is the choice of the parents who don't attend that religious institution? Isn't that then forced indoctrination of children into a religion they do not believe in? I never said the MPS administrators and teachers were victims of anything. Never even mentioned it. That is your opinion, not mine.
If this plan is implemented the so-called "new schools" will become part of a new massive administrative mess. Just switching kids to a different school is not going to correct the problems the children are having getting an education. It starts in the home, not the school.
But they could peel away layers and layers of bureaucracy at MPS. Sorry, no one can credibly state that taking failing schools away from one of the worst school systems in America is adding more bureaucracy. Prying these children from MPS means there is an option to deflate that top-heavy mess.
But you refuse to address my main point: No where in America is there a more important need to improve education than in the communities that are, generation-after-generation, under-served in Milwaukee. Somehow you think keeping children growing up in economically disadvantaged communities dumbed-down is a "progressive" and "liberal" thing to do.
No wonder they don't turn out to vote in off-year elections. Look at what the Dems and "lefties" have to offer them.
I don't know why people make such a point of trying to justify Milwaukee's dysfunctional schools. I guess some consider institutional racism a right as long as it is other people's children being put down. No one can say that the outcomes of MPS over the last 3 or more decades is justifiable and it is MPS that is being used to pull down every other school district in the state.
ReplyDeleteI wish they would just disband MPS altogether so that we could have a rational dialog on how to rebuild the schools in that community instead of having this always be a false dichotomy where those on the left scream that we have to protect some of the worst schools in America from any attempt to improve them.
Guess what!?!?! If MPS had schools that worked we would not have such divided partisan government because there would be many more informed and involved voters in Milwaukee!
So there they go proposing more regulation and growing government bigger, but only where it will benefit their benefactors pocket books and wallets. I thought they were against both; don't they keep saying they want to cut regulations and shrink government. This idea won't work since there is no accountability for voucher schools. The only thing is that you won't know it isn't working because there will be no records. That is why they want to privatize all education. That way they can secretly dumb down the human race and the people won't know it.
ReplyDeletemy5cents:
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see BIG, you need to look at the bloated buracracy that has existed at MPS for longer than many that read this blog have been alive!
To boldly assert that this will create "bigger government" is not reality based when you realize what a top-heavy GOVERNMENT organization MPS is. MPS administrators & teachers are not the victims here, though admittedly many new teachers are being ground up and spit out and the cold bureaucracy serves itself instead of children.
If this plan is implemented, none of the new schools will be part of the massive administrative mess that we call MPS.
Anonymous says, "I wish they would just disband MPS altogether so that we could have a rational dialog on how to rebuild the schools in that community ... ." So, in other words, first destroy the public schools and only afterward have a discussion on how to replace them? Well, that proposal certainly gives away the real agenda, here. How about rebuilding the public schools by not first trying to undermine them?
ReplyDeleteYou can't look at the outcomes of MPS and come to any other conclusion than they destroyed those schools. Rebulding, which MPS has had decades to do, just doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteIt is just sick that being "progressive" and "liberal" in some circles means supporting some of the worst schools in America!
You don't care, suburb boy. If you did, you'd demand a fix to the crippling poverty and economic segregation that is the real killer in Milwaukee, and end the "test to death" system that guarantees failure.
DeleteSpare us the crocodile tears- neither you, Koo-Koo Kooyenga, or Dingbat Darling want to improve things and increase the human capital of the Milwaukee area. You just want to do a superiority dance and let the scummy privatizers get paid
Disband a schools district??? Now there is a well thought out idea! What are you thinking? Just make a big and bold Walkerinian proclamation: Hey Milwaukee Public School District, you are now disbanded. Please lock your doors and we will find someplace for the kids to go, and it will be much better.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have learned over the past few years since our "new" Republican, anticonservative, antichildren, antieducation politicians have taken over, is that there are a lot of really stupid ideas out there.
I will help with some suggestions: How about we lock the doors and round up the kids. Then we can ship them off to some of the best schools in the nation, the Wisconsin rural schools. No wait, we can't do that because the cuts have had a devastating effect on those schools. Maybe we can put them right into the workforce. We can cut out the minimum wage and start hiring. Then we just build a fence up around the city for the kids that didn't show up that day and let them figure it out. If they want out we will give them a civics test. If they pass the civics test they can get out of the city and go right into the workforce.
Now here are some real ideas for improving all schools in Wisconsin:
1. Politicians who do not have an education background need to shut their traps when campaigning about public schools. It is disgusting listening to people like George W and Obama use our kids as campaign fodder. What'd we get from them? NCLB and Race to the Top. Then here in Wis. we have a low IQ college drop-out. I guess at least the last two presidents have college degrees.
2. School board members must have an education degree.
3. Let the teachers set the curriculum.
4. Dump every single standardized test.
5. Pay teachers according to their years experience.
6. S*** can the entire useless idea of merit pay.
7. Every teacher must have an education degree.
8. Pay them as professionals.
9. Pay them the same across the state.
10. Allow the teachers more say in school operations.
11. Stop overloading classes.
12. Give teachers adequate prep time. For crying out loud, the teachers in our local school are burning themselves out and I'm sure its the same in other schools.
13. Give the teachers quality continuing education. That is right, pay for it instead of having them pay out of their own pockets.
14. Build the economy so kids and parents will see the value in an education.
What is truly disgusting is watching someone like Walker set policies for schools and destroy their budgets. How many times since this scumbag has been in office has he visited a public school? Yet people want to listen to his ignorant ideas like he is some kind of guru.
And beyond the suburban crocodile tears, MPS does, in fact, have some excellent schools- the recent rankings put Rufus King, Riverside, and Reagan in the top ten of Wisconsin schools.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at May 11, 2015 at 4:28 PM -- By growing the government bigger, they are adding yet another level of oversight. I know how BIG MPS is and perhaps it should be broken up into smaller districts rather than suddenly shipping kids off to a religious school that's not their choice. Because they teach religion in those schools, where is the choice of the parents who don't attend that religious institution? Isn't that then forced indoctrination of children into a religion they do not believe in? I never said the MPS administrators and teachers were victims of anything. Never even mentioned it. That is your opinion, not mine.
ReplyDeleteIf this plan is implemented the so-called "new schools" will become part of a new massive administrative mess. Just switching kids to a different school is not going to correct the problems the children are having getting an education. It starts in the home, not the school.
5cents
ReplyDeleteBut they could peel away layers and layers of bureaucracy at MPS. Sorry, no one can credibly state that taking failing schools away from one of the worst school systems in America is adding more bureaucracy. Prying these children from MPS means there is an option to deflate that top-heavy mess.
But you refuse to address my main point: No where in America is there a more important need to improve education than in the communities that are, generation-after-generation, under-served in Milwaukee. Somehow you think keeping children growing up in economically disadvantaged communities dumbed-down is a "progressive" and "liberal" thing to do.
No wonder they don't turn out to vote in off-year elections. Look at what the Dems and "lefties" have to offer them.