We have the opportunity to reinvest in public schools
We are in a time of great change for our public schools. We are adopting new standards, implementing new testing and accountability initiatives, and implementing all kinds of other reforms. At the same time, districts across the state are having to ask voters for more resources through referendums because of state and other funding cuts.
Like educators across the state, I keep asking myself the question: What’s going to give first?
In my own classroom, continued budget cuts have caused staff reductions—resulting in larger class sizes and fewer chances for one-on-one instruction. I am teaching more students, and in some of my classes as many as a third of the students are identified as having special needs. These are children who benefit most from individual attention and instruction, and teachers used to be able to count on consistent help from classroom aides and support staff. Yet with budget cuts, that support isn’t always there.
My school has emphasized staff collaboration, allowing us to coordinate on students’ unique challenges and skills. This is a critical part of instruction, where all the pieces of what we do in classrooms are put together not only by educators but the students. They see how math is connected to English and to science. It allows educators to broaden our instruction beyond just one subject and to incorporate everything that a student is going through. But with all of us taking on more students and more courses, I’m concerned that collaboration might be targeted for cuts.
Fortunately, we have a solution. We have the opportunity to re-invest in Wisconsin’s public schools, support educators, and work collaboratively to build strong community connections. The state is projecting $1.3 billion in surplus revenue over the next two-year budget cycle. The governor and Legislature should stand up for students and invest some of those funds in our public schools.
The last biennial state budget dramatically altered Wisconsin’s school funding landscape. Statewide funding dropped an average of $560 per student. What public schools need now is the restoration of per-pupil funding that allows them to at least cover basic inflationary costs. Please urge your legislators to support the $225 per-pupil increase requested by State Superintendent Tony Evers next school year. Coupled with an increased state investment, the proposed modest increase in student revenue will hold the line on property taxes.
Most important of all, Wisconsin students will benefit because public schools will be better positioned to provide them the full set of opportunities they need to succeed. History shows that there is no better strategy to promote economic development than to ensure that all children have the opportunities they need to grow and prosper.
A student is not just a number. Parents tell us they want opportunities for children and a well-rounded education for all students—and the upcoming state budget is a great place to make public education a priority.
Amy Traynor, Wisconsin’s Middle School Teacher of the Year, teaches math at DeLong Middle School in the Eau Claire Area School District. This column was distributed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state’s largest teachers union. Write to WEAC at 33 Nob Hill Road, Madison, WI 53713.
Feb 17, 2013 at 1:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
895 - 8th grade final exam
Take this test and pass it on to your more literate friends.. What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...
Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out.. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000.. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.. Long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus
Feb 17, 2013 at 1:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865. Orthography (Time, one hour)
[Do we even know what this is??]
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication. Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U..S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each..
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth. Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.
Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
No wonder they dropped out after 8th grade. They already knew more than they needed to know!
No, I don't have the answers! And I don't think I ever did!
Have fun with this....pass it on so we're not the only ones who feel stupid!!!
THIS TEST PROVES YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND GOBS OF MONEY TO PRODUCE AN EDUCATED STUDENT.
Feb 17, 2013 at 11:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
Rather self serving comments from Amy. What would you expect a teacher say? They sure are not looking for a more efficient system that would potentially take money away from their money tree. I want the choice to select the school where my children attend (private or public, religious or not) with a voucher to assist with the tuition. I am against supporting people as a result of their poor choices in life. The public schools are becoming welfare centers, we pay for their education, their meals and in many cases, the supplies they are supposed to bring, but don't. At least in the private schools, there is much less riff-raff , undesirable behavior, hand-outs and the parents generally care about the education of their children. Let people make their choice and let them live with the results of their choice(s). We allow women the choice to end the life of a child, but we can't allow parents that want their children to make a choice in their education. That is just as hypocritical as Cuomo and Obama claiming gun control to save the lives of children, but they support abortion. And the hypocrisy on the left continues...
Feb 17, 2013 at 6:18 a.m.
Suggest removal
It's time to stimulate the private school sector by investing taxpayer money (vouchers) into private businesses that operate private schools. Eventually, we can transition from a public school system to a completely private school system. Cross your fingers!
Feb 16, 2013 at 4:45 p.m.
Suggest removal
If public schools want more funding they better tell Mary Bell to throttle her spoiled child Mike Tate. You can't expect to get money and favors from the same folks you criticize and call evil during two years of recalls and lawsuits.
Feb 16, 2013 at 1:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
Honorfirst....tell me again how Wisconsin's public education system is failing? Is the highest graduation rate in the nation on par with failing? How about the highest college entrance exam scores in the midwest-- is that failing too? How about the highest percent of students participating in Advanced Placement classes and the highest percent of those kids passing g the AP exams so they can receive some college credit-- is that failing too?
Public education has been the foundation of our democracy, and if you want the great experiment of government by the people and for the people to not perish from this earth, then we should be working to support and strengthen it, and not rip it apart.
Feb 16, 2013 at 12:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
purrmaid, you must be living in the last century. True, unions were needed in the past to get fair equity for their employees but not in todays world. Public sector unions have fleeced the golden goose (taxpayers) until there is no gold left in that egg.
Feb 16, 2013 at 11:58 a.m.
Suggest removal
Do you "hate" unions enough to throw your child's education under the bus? If so, I question your priorities. In a perfect world we wouldn't need unions as employers would have the integrity to pay fair wages to dedicated employees. But since that isn't the case, unions are here to stay. Anti-union tail-chasing accomplishes nothing.
Feb 16, 2013 at 10:48 a.m.
Suggest removal
If you really support the students you will support the proposed voucher idea. Allow parents to determine which school, public or private to send their children to. Then provide them with a partial payment in the form of a voucher to help them meet their choice.
The days of the failed experiment (public education) is quickly fading...
Feb 16, 2013 at 10:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
Like RAF's video states, these unions protect worker interests not student interests...enough said....
Feb 16, 2013 at 9:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...
Feb 16, 2013 at 9:01 a.m.
Suggest removal
"The last biennial state budget dramatically altered Wisconsin’s school funding landscape."
In 2009, despite having $2.1 billion in federal stimulus cash... Doyles solution... increased taxes by $1.4 billion (the largest reworking of the tax codes in decades).
Reminders..(used this link for those who rely only on Politifact)
Mark Miller says Wisconsin Republicans enacted the most drastic cuts to K-12 schools of any state in the nation
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/stat...
October 7, 2011
New School Year Brings Steep Cuts in State Funding for Schools
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=vie...
Feb 16, 2013 at 8:49 a.m.
Suggest removal
Walker and education ? That's like trying to mix water and oil. As long as Walker is Govenor , education doesn't stand a chance.What he has done to education is his way of getting even with the establishments that would not grant him a diploma. Hell has no fury as a politician scorned.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.