They actually dropped those awful provisions and I am honestly sitting here in shock because I really thought they were just going to steamroll over us anyway. It turns out that when a whole bunch of people decide they have had enough of the nonsense it actually does something so …
September 11, 2015
Final supporters
To The General Public:
As future educators, current educators and other supporters of the Wisconsin public education system, we are deeply concerned in regards to two provisions included in the Public Instruction K-12 Omnibus Budget Motion #457, passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance. These two provisions have potentially devastating effects to public education by proposing to establish lower licensing standards for secondary educators (grades 6-12) throughout the state and introducing a parallel structure that undermines the authority of the Milwaukee Public Schools system.
Provision 46 Alternative Teacher license proposes that an initial teaching license may be granted to anyone who has obtained a Bachelor's Degree in any field. Additionally, persons who may not have obtained a Bachelor’s Degree, or even a high school diploma, could be licensed if deemed ‘proficient’ by an individual district. Classroom experience and related pedagogical skills development are no longer required to obtain a teaching position. As a result, this provision not only undermines the regulatory power of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction but sets a very low professional standard in contrast to the credentials and high qualifications currently expected of the teachers employed in our schools.
Provision 39 Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program (OSPP) creates within the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) a segregated structure charged with the budgeting, program coordination, and related management functions for schools that -under this provision- may be transferred from MPS to the OSPP and would operate under the management of a Commissioner, accountable only to the County Executive, not to the MPS Superintendent. While there are no specific qualifications outlined in this provision for the position of Commissioner, it is clear that any school under the management of the OSPP will receive sufficient appropriation for payments to its operators, and will be able to terminate all current staff. Moreover, as of 2017-18 school year, up to five MPS schools, identified as those receiving the lowest scores in the most recent school accountability report, will be transferrable to OSPP annually.
These two provisions damage the integrity of the Wisconsin public education system and undermine the democratic ideals that public education is supposed to serve and instill. Private management will create an education system motivated by profit rather one that strives to provide high quality, equitable educational opportunities for the youth of Wisconsin. Lowering teacher licensure standards for secondary educators will devalue and deskill the profession of education in Wisconsin. Please join us in signing this petition to let our representatives know that you oppose provisions 39 and 46 from the Public Instruction K-12 Omnibus Budget Motion 457 and that Wisconsin deserves a good quality, equitable public education system as well as highly qualified teachers who will act in the best interest of our children.
Eau Claire, June 9, 2015
Updates
June 24, 2015
I was just staring at the screen and realized how much this has grown since I first drafted those initial frantic notes about Motion 457. It is wild to see so many people actually grabbing onto this because I really thought I was just yelling into the void when I started.
Reached 100 supporters
June 24, 2015
8 Comments
our teachers are already underpaid, to now undermine their education and training to allow a non teaching professional the same jobs is despicable.
Protect WI schools by protecting standards and requiring minimal college degree for all teachers.
To me teachers are the most valuable asset to children getting a good education.They mold children to be better citizen and good parents
I am in favor of offering alternative ways to receive a teaching license. However, incoming teachers need to have some kind of supervised teaching experience and some kind of formal evaluation before they are allowed to receive licensure.
The students of Wisconsin deserve to be receiving a QUALITY education from teachers and school programs that are held to the highest of standards. Think about your own kids and what you would expect from their teachers. Would you really want a high school drop out teaching them? Would you send them to a school who's main goal was doing whatever they had to do in order to get the highest profit rather than doing what was best for all of the students?
who will receive this petition?
Why not take care of children through education so they can take care of us in return ??
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
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They actually dropped those awful provisions and I am honestly sitting here in shock because I really thought they were just going to steamroll over us anyway. It turns out that when a whole bunch of people decide they have had enough of the nonsense it actually does something so …
September 11, 2015
Final supporters
To The General Public:
As future educators, current educators and other supporters of the Wisconsin public education system, we are deeply concerned in regards to two provisions included in the Public Instruction K-12 Omnibus Budget Motion #457, passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance. These two provisions have potentially devastating effects to public education by proposing to establish lower licensing standards for secondary educators (grades 6-12) throughout the state and introducing a parallel structure that undermines the authority of the Milwaukee Public Schools system.
Provision 46 Alternative Teacher license proposes that an initial teaching license may be granted to anyone who has obtained a Bachelor's Degree in any field. Additionally, persons who may not have obtained a Bachelor’s Degree, or even a high school diploma, could be licensed if deemed ‘proficient’ by an individual district. Classroom experience and related pedagogical skills development are no longer required to obtain a teaching position. As a result, this provision not only undermines the regulatory power of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction but sets a very low professional standard in contrast to the credentials and high qualifications currently expected of the teachers employed in our schools.
Provision 39 Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program (OSPP) creates within the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) a segregated structure charged with the budgeting, program coordination, and related management functions for schools that -under this provision- may be transferred from MPS to the OSPP and would operate under the management of a Commissioner, accountable only to the County Executive, not to the MPS Superintendent. While there are no specific qualifications outlined in this provision for the position of Commissioner, it is clear that any school under the management of the OSPP will receive sufficient appropriation for payments to its operators, and will be able to terminate all current staff. Moreover, as of 2017-18 school year, up to five MPS schools, identified as those receiving the lowest scores in the most recent school accountability report, will be transferrable to OSPP annually.
These two provisions damage the integrity of the Wisconsin public education system and undermine the democratic ideals that public education is supposed to serve and instill. Private management will create an education system motivated by profit rather one that strives to provide high quality, equitable educational opportunities for the youth of Wisconsin. Lowering teacher licensure standards for secondary educators will devalue and deskill the profession of education in Wisconsin. Please join us in signing this petition to let our representatives know that you oppose provisions 39 and 46 from the Public Instruction K-12 Omnibus Budget Motion 457 and that Wisconsin deserves a good quality, equitable public education system as well as highly qualified teachers who will act in the best interest of our children.
Eau Claire, June 9, 2015
Updates
June 24, 2015
I was just staring at the screen and realized how much this has grown since I first drafted those initial frantic notes about Motion 457. It is wild to see so many people actually grabbing onto this because I really thought I was just yelling into the void when I started.
Reached 100 supporters
June 24, 2015
8 Comments
This entire movement is a sham to ultimately privatize public education. In the process, one piece at a time, education in this state is becoming an at risk disaster where the stakeholders are our children and the citizens left still living in Wisconsin. To reduce education to the lowest denominator and with complete lack of regard to standards of excellence is to show complete disregard to the welfare of our constituents.
our teachers are already underpaid, to now undermine their education and training to allow a non teaching professional the same jobs is despicable.
Protect WI schools by protecting standards and requiring minimal college degree for all teachers.
To me teachers are the most valuable asset to children getting a good education.They mold children to be better citizen and good parents
I am in favor of offering alternative ways to receive a teaching license. However, incoming teachers need to have some kind of supervised teaching experience and some kind of formal evaluation before they are allowed to receive licensure.
The students of Wisconsin deserve to be receiving a QUALITY education from teachers and school programs that are held to the highest of standards. Think about your own kids and what you would expect from their teachers. Would you really want a high school drop out teaching them? Would you send them to a school who's main goal was doing whatever they had to do in order to get the highest profit rather than doing what was best for all of the students?
who will receive this petition?
Why not take care of children through education so they can take care of us in return ??
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This entire movement is a sham to ultimately privatize public education. In the process, one piece at a time, education in this state is becoming an at risk disaster where the stakeholders are our children and the citizens left still living in Wisconsin. To reduce education to the lowest denominator and with complete lack of regard to standards of excellence is to show complete disregard to the welfare of our constituents.