Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Milwaukee students 'can't afford any more cuts,' legislative panel told

By Anne Egan-Waukau
WEAC media relations specialist

 

Kelly McMahon’s unwavering care and dedication for her kindergarten students at Lancaster Elementary School extends to all Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students, and that was obvious when she testified before the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday (March 19, 2008).

 

Less than 24 hours after her apartment had been burglarized and after a sleepless night, McMahon was on hand to urge committee members to protect the education of all students in MPS at a public hearing on the Assembly’s budget repair bill.

 

“The students in Milwaukee Public Schools can’t afford any further cuts,” McMahon said. 

 

“Please protect the education of my students and the tens of thousands of children attending MPS as you work to fix the budget shortfall.

 

“Even with the amount of money allocated to MPS under the 2007-09 budget, MPS is facing drastic cuts across the entire school district,” she said.

 

McMahon, and MTEA President Dennis Oulahan testified against the Assembly’s $425 million budget repair bill which places in jeopardy $40 million in categorial aid increases.

 

“The worst thing you can do is take away resources,” Oulahan told committee members. “We have to sustain the resources available to make sure the environment they work in is stable.”

 

There was some good news during the public hearing, which was held at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

 

MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos told the committee members that the MPS graduation rate made a substantial leap from the 1990s.

 

“The MPS graduation rate is at 71% and that’s a significant improvement from the 90s,” he said. In fact, Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona), who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, congratulated Oulahan and other Milwaukee teachers for their role in the Milwaukee students’ increased graduation rate.

 

“I extend my congratulations to teachers and their part in the achievements that were mentioned earlier by Superintendent Andrekopoulos,” Miller said.

 

During her testimony, McMahon gave firsthand examples that illustrate how the Assembly’s modified budget repair bill would jeopardize categorical aids such as special education, aid for higher poverty districts, grants for school breakfast, 4K grants, and grants to improve MPS student achievement.

 

“Childhood poverty is front and center in my classroom every day,” she said. “All 15 of my SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program) students qualify for the federal free and reduced-price school breakfast and lunch program.

 

“Thirteen of my students depend on our school’s breakfast program to get them ready for learning every day. Providing this service to our students is very costly, and the extra grants for the school breakfast program go a very long way for our schools,” she said.

 

“The reality of the difficulties MPS faces providing students with special needs services is present in my classroom every day. Twenty percent of my kindergarteners receive special education services.

 

“The resources MPS is allocated under the 2007-2009 budget are essential in order to provide the extra support my students depend on as they learn how to read, write, count and add,” McMahon said.

 

One day after the hearing, the committee voted 6-2 along party lines to approve an amended version of the budget repair bill.