Education

My Thoughts on Education:
 
Education is the key to the future for all residents of Wisconsin. Through a strong basic education with an emphasis on math, science, writing, reading, appreciation of the arts and a focus on lifelong fitness children become young adults with the skills they need to face the future. The education system should also provide children and young adults with a desire and motivation to be lifelong learners, to be able to respectfully question what they see and hear and to use critical thinking skills to understand the answers they are given.
 
Every resident of Wisconsin, whether young or old, with or without children in the home, benefits from a strong Education System, through the development of a strong intelligent workforce. Wisconsin is required in its constitution to provide the education of its young citizens through a public education system. This requires funding from the state in the form of taxation. The current funding formula for the Education System is complicated and appears to be unequal from district to district. The inequality we currently see in the system was built in when a freeze was imposed to limit the growth of education costs.
 
The freeze placed limits on future spending based on current spending thereby rewarding school systems spending at a high level and punishing school systems with lower spending. I believe we need to review the funding formula for schools and set a new formula that equally funds a quality education for all children and young adults throughout Wisconsin.
 
Many school districts are facing large budget deficits in the next several years. The school districts will be forced to do one or a combination of the following: cut programs, increase class size, or cut staff and administrative positions. These budget cuts will make it hard to maintain our strong and well respected schools.
 
The Education System needs to be adequately funded so we can provide the best learning situation for all children starting with Early Childhood Education and Four Year Old Kindergarten through High School. We need to consider that not all children will benefit from a college education. Some will benefit from a Vocational and Technical Education that will lead them into apprenticeships and trade professions. We need to provide for schools that create a supportive and inclusive environment asking for family and parental involvement as much as possible in the process of educating the future workforce of the state.
 
The University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System are integral but complicated parts of the Education System. The state of Wisconsin needs to carefully review the over site of both systems and work to develop cooperation and coordination between them. As a state looking to the future, we need to do the following: develop and implement plans that provide for appropriate financial assistance and promote educational programs that reflect the future needs of Wisconsin’s economy.
 
Wisconsin can be a leader through a strong education system from pre-school through adult education. We need to continue to improve and support our Education System. I am willing to do the hard work this requires of an elected official.
 
Penny Bernard Schaber