It’s all fully funded!
Why do we keep picking on Francesca Hong? Because it’s easy and it’s fun! The nobler reason (if we must) is that the socialist from Madison’s Woke isthmus represents the cutting edge of the Democrat party. (Just ask John Nichols.) She says out loud what others only dog whistle. The young lady could well emerge from the gang of seven seeking the party’s nomination for governor. (Her numbers)
State Rep. Hong promises to “fully fund” Wisconsin K-12 schools. Given that our schools are already fully funded by a combination of state aid and local taxes, we must presume the candidate intends state government to haul the full load. From what we can see, Hong demands no performance yardsticks, imposes no spending circuit breakers. No questions asked! What a terrible idea!
Fully state-funded might appeal to her Madison constituency, given that the Madison School District is holding householders hostage with another 8.3% boost in the property tax levy on top of the 20.4% increase in the last budget.
What could go wrong?
Fully state-funded requires assuming $6.1 Billion in school property tax levies across Wisconsin’s 432 school districts — an 11 percent increase in state spending right there! Of course, Governor Hong would tax Wisconsin’s few billionaires — who have all that cash stuffed in mattresses instead of invested in the economy. (She’d also let Madison impose its own income tax. So there’s your tax relief.)
Presumably local school boards would remain free to set their own budgets. Which will be FULLY FUNDED! With the Big Sugar Daddy picking up the tab, the likes of Maia Pearson and Savion Castro will get free money for more social tinkering. Springtime for teachers unions! Winter for Poland and France. No more of those pesky referenda!
Already, this school board intends to shower employees with three months (60 workdays) worth of parental leave — twice as much as University of Wisconsin. (State workers have to use sick leave.) Plus $8.5 million in pay raises, which includes up to $5,000/year for long-tenured teachers. And no revenue restraints because schools will be FULLY FUNDED!
More ‘free stuff’
The other six Democrat(ic) hopefuls are not far behind. Democrat convention straw poll winner Sara Rodriguez is on board to “fully fund our public schools.”
The more moderate Joel Brennan would “make sure teachers have the pay they deserve.” Just guessing but we don’t think he means less.
Besides fully funded public schools, Ms. Hong will bill taxpayers for universal child care and free school meals. She would also “roll back unfair voucher laws.” Of course, to Democrats, they’re all unfair.
As the teachers union-endorsed pet, State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) would also croak school vouchers. Government-run schools must enjoy a monopoly free of competition! Too many families are trying to escape East Berlin!
In the Democrats’ crusade against school choice, Ms. Hong took after Kaleem Caire’s independent charter school that caters to brown and black kids here in Madison WI. It’s one of 41 statewide. Mr. Caire schooled the candidate this way:
[Francesa Hong] asserted that independent public charter schools such as One City lack the same accountability measures and standards as public schools. She grouped One City with the state’s private school voucher programs in a single critique.
These are public schools. All instructional staff must hold a DPI license or permit. We cannot discriminate in admissions. We serve students with special education needs. We administer state standardized assessments to every student. We operate under the OEO Performance Framework … [which] requires us to match or exceed the Madison school district’s performance for black and economically disadvantaged students.
(Shouldn’t a candidate for governor know stuff like that?) Mr. Caire then delivers this coup de grace: “Three consecutive years of failure would trigger the revocation of One City Schools’ charter. The school would close. No comparable academic consequence applies to traditional public schools or voucher schools in Wisconsin.“
Blaska’s Bottom Line: One City, other independent charters, and the voucher schools would not exist if government-run schools were doing their job.
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