MTEA Members Urge Support for School Funding Reform

On November 15, 8 Milwaukee educators, led by MTEA President Dennis Oulahan, testified before the Senate Education Committee in favor of major changes in the way the state finances our schools.

The State Capitol hearing room was packed with supporters of a resolution to reform the state’s school finance law before the next state budget cycle begins on July 1, 2009. This measure is known as Senate Joint Resolution 27 (SJR-27)

The 8 MTEA members were released by the school district to go to Madison for the hearing, and were joined by Milwaukee School Board members Charlene Hardin and Jennifer Morales.

This 10-member delegation conveyed the urgency of changing the funding formula to meet the needs of our students.

All 8 Educators Testified

MTEA President Dennis Oulahan cited a study showing that three-year-old children from middle-class, professional households had vocabularies of 1,100 words, while children from families living in poverty, had 500-word vocabularies. “It takes more to teach the child who knows 500 words than it does to teach the child who knows 1,100.”

He described the extraordinary challenges Milwaukee educators face, partly because 76% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch (a measure of poverty), and 20% of MPS high school students have special education needs.

President Oulahan stressed, “the school finance formula we use in Wisconsin doesn’t work for us or for many other districts – urban, rural, and suburban.”

President of the Educational Assistants unit (MEAA) Tommie Glenn cited the successes in Milwaukee Public Schools including an increase in graduation rates from 65% to 68%, and a 5% increase in fourth and eighth grade reading and math scores in the NEA focus schools.

“We need to stop the cycle of decreasing enrollment, unrealistic calculations of property value per student, and diminishing resources if we are to sustain and grow the gains we have made”

Glenn indicated that another 2-year budget cycle may be too long to wait.

Mary Ulander, President of the MTEA’s substitute teacher unit (MSTA) reacted to a word that was being used frequently during the hearing. “Many years ago when my children were young, I sent them to Whitefish Bay schools, because of the reputation of the education system there. In Whitefish Bay, you never heard the word “adequate” when people talked about education, and it shouldn’t be used for any child,” she said.  “Every child deserves a high quality public education.” 

Special Education teacher Josh Resnick spoke highly of South Division High School. “We have a great school, with a committed staff, and hard-working students.”  He spoke of how many of his students would excel in areas like auto-mechanics, and while his school has outstanding facilities for teaching auto or wood shop, it doesn’t have the resources to hire teachers who specialize in those areas. “We can invest in education now, or we will pay for it later when many of my students go to prison,” he said.

Laura Vernon lamented about the lack of books, supplies, equipment and even desks for our students.  She said we’re sending them into a “spiral of accepting less.” 

She reminded the senators that “Our children matter. They are not invisible.”

Laura is the MEAA Past President and an NEA Director for Wisconsin.

Three other MTEA members spoke:

• Wanda Welch, teacher at Lancaster Elementary, and member of the MTEA Executive Board
• Juliana Kelly, teacher at Morgandale Elementary
• Ruby Glover, an educational assistant who was recently laid off due to budget cuts.

These educators spoke of the need for resources:  to keep our students safe in school and mentally healthy; to assist our large population of English language-learners, to staff the schools appropriately, and to alleviate overcrowded classrooms so students don’t have to fight for textbooks, desks and other materials.

The testimony was well-received. Senator John Lehman and Senator Dave Hansen thanked the MTEA members for taking the time to travel to Madison and share their concerns. 

In addition to the MPS delegation, representatives of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools, and the School Finance Network testified in favor of the resolution.