For all you blaming Obama on health care and costs-- You are being duped by the INSURANCE INDUSTRY!!! The effects of "ObamaCare" don't go into full effect until 2014! At THAT TIME see if it is working or not. Really the only thing insurance has had to cough up is to cover dependents up to age 26! They are using FEAR of ObamaCare and BLAMING that for increased costs. Any legislation that is requiring increased cause is still in effect from the BUSH whitehouse. Let's see how insurance is in 2014. If it's good, thank Obama. If it's bad, blame Obama. EDUCATE YOURSELVES. Increased costs in healthcare, like the credit cards, are because they are scared of regulation and are raising rates while they can BEFORE laws go into affect. Remember with the credit cards and wall street bailouts? The rush to raise everyone's APRs because they wouldn't be able to without reason after July? That's the problem with government forcing rules to go in affect much later. The companies will push back and really screw people over while they can before the are reigned in!

What about local control? What if an enlightened community wants to have great schools and the residents agree to pay for it? Walker is a DICTATOR and needs to be stopped. Today he gave himself the authority to overrule the orders of various state agencies...agencies whose mission is to help the people of Wisconsin. RECALL WALKER before he turns our state into Wississippi.

It's about time taxes go in a different direction. Kids will still get taught. It just might mean more parent involvement, like volunteering in the schools. What a concept.

unitedwisconsin.com will help to RECALL the worst WI governor ever - time to sign the petition if you have not already. This is all about politics with Walker.The political choices that he is making are all about the new Republican party and improving his political position. He claims we have a budget deficit of over 130 million dollars, but Walker and company have pushed through over 140 million dollars in special interest group spending. The police and fire fighters will soon be joining the other public workers will no bargaining rights - read the news because this will soon be taking place.

Allfor1and1forAll and Poobah: Thanks much for the comments. Do not have all the answers. In terms of dollar amounts and special education maybe it works out for instance to $10,000 per regular student and $15,000 per special education. Understand that concern personally as lost a Downs Syndrome sister at the age of 20 and have a brother who went through special education. Poobah -- my suggestion for total state tax funding is an attempt for fairness for all Wisconsin chidren. Certainly would have to be provisions in place to require a review of the necessary basic level amount and to prevent either party from raiding the education fund. Both parties have been guilty of raiding funds to serve their interests. I am not for a govenor dictating education policy. I am for the state ensuring an equal base education for every child. I am against local control in terms of funding through property taxes because of the whistle and bells the property rich school districts get and the minimal services the property poor school districts get. In my plan, if additional services were desired it would be covered by community donation or schools could combine if they wanted to offer more whistles and bells by having less overhead (I realize there is an extra cost in transportation especially at $4 plus fuel). Just an alternative way of financing our schools that I wish could be examined in more depth. Thanks again for your responses.

And once again we can see that it is about dismantling schools and alienating everyone in this state. Seems to me scotty just wants to get evryone against everyone else so he can pull something else out of his hat to pass and us not notice....RECALL WALKER is and always will be my slogan. Sorry if you don't like it but it is my opinion and I will continue to have the same one untill this gov is gone or I take my family elswhere, like the thousand or more who have already or are leaving this summer.

Maynard, you see what happens when you allow a Governor to dictate educational policy. Why are you suggesting this be taxed at the state level? I thought from your prior comments that you were all for more local control. Why not a local income tax levied by your municipality and let the local municipality dictate educational policy. I'm not suggesting that a local income tax is my solution, as I personally think a statewide or federal educational policy can work if the necessary checks and balances are in place to prevent rebel politicians like Walker from abusing the policy, but I don't understand "local control" people suggesting we cede control to the state and lose control over their tax dollars and educational policy.

paid I mean!

Maynard, how would you pay for special education? The federal government and the state haven't payed their share for a long time. Districts with a high percentage of students in special ed. get hit harder by this, I believe Janesville is one of them.

A THOUGHT: How about we get rid of property tax financing of schools entirely. Add the needed additional percentage to the state income tax rate. Make state responsible for funding a good basic education. State would give each school district X amount of money each year for each and every student in the district. Same amount for every student in the state regardless of rich or poor property district. If community wants more whistles and bells like a swimming pool and team, let them raise the money through donations. ADVANTAGES: although lower income people would also pay the extra state tax it would likely not be as large a burden on them as their property taxes or the portion of their rent going towards property taxes is now. Elderly people on fixed incomes would pay it on any taxable income but would not be the burden that school property taxes on them are now. Higher income people would pay more (buying a condo in Colorado or condo in Florida would no longer get them out of paying their fair share). Equal support of every child in Wisconsin. DISADVANTAGE: Do not believe any politician of either party has the nerve to tackle this. Both sides agree it is the other sides fault. That seems to be as far as they can get at the state and national level.

Hey Walker lovers. How do you like that our district writes a check every month to help pay for the Milwaukee voucher program. The total for the year is $850,000. And our district gets nothing in return. Gotta love this worthless governor!

Just got my property taxes: Assessment went down and taxes went up ... Why? Because they increased the tax rate to make up for the lowered assessments so they could continue to spend as much and more. That is why a freeze on the property tax rate is needed to force districts, municipalities, etc. to at least look hard at inefficiencies before going after more money. More to come in next post.

Awesome, cut more money from schools. That is definately the way to reach the governor's goal of having all kids reading by third grade. With kindergarten classes going from 15 or 16 per classroom to 25 or 26, many struggling learners will have no chance. Very very sad. Many of the kids in this town are already at risk of failing out of school, and now that will even get worse.

Must make Walker proud to be the "Anti-Education Governor." Thank God for single terms.

@factsplease: Yes, everyone needs to share in the pain of the budget situation that was presented to the Governor by the last Governor and last Lib legislature. I'm sure the children will do just fine if the teachers hunker down, pay their fair share toward their sick bennies and retirement and keep politics out of the classroom.

Works for me... By any means... Force if needed...

But don't forget, Walker is providing school districts with the "tools" to adjust to the new revenue restrictions and the $900 million he took away.
-
I think the only "tools" are those Republican state senators and representatives who passed his legislation.

It is long overdue...we have to start living within our budget....
Nuff Said...

FYI: Honorfirst - One GOP proposal removes educational accountability from choice schools by eliminating the requirement that vouchers students take state assessment tests! The ability to chose a school with a tax-payer financed voucher does NOT mean the education nor anything else in that choice school will produce academic success. In fact, statistics from various studies in Milwaukee tend to often demonstrate the reverse. http://www.weac.org/issues_advocacy/reso...

So kids are supposed to wait a few years until the budget is under control to get the education they need? Yes, they can just wait. I'm sure they'll catch up once the budget looks better.

We have plenty of other places for the $636 million and it's not education. Maybe in a few years when the budget comes under control.

For once I agree with you, Kaysbrew, Obama has fallen into the corporate trap, just like the rest of them.

factsplease - and no one is a bigger offender and abuser then Obama and his cronies as you call them.

GE Joins Intel to Advise Obama as Overseas Holdings Expand
By Mike Dorning, Bloomberg - May 23, 2011

Seven publicly traded U.S. corporations represented on President Barack Obama's advisory council for jobs and competitiveness -- including General Electric Co. (GE) and Intel Corp. (INTC) -- have devoted a growing pool of their non-U.S. earnings to investments in other countries.

This as he throws the only true Democracy in the middle east overboard.

Healthcare premiums are kind of like taxes in that you have to pay them, whatever they cost (yes, there are a few companies to choose from but at the end of the day, they are all virtually the same and ALL are paying multi-millions to their CEOs.) But if tax money was paying multi-million dollar salaries, people would be outraged. Yet, when these companies are getting uber-rich off of sick people and people who have to buy their product or risk losing everything, no one bats an eye. The model of employer paid healthcare is going away and then more people will be aware of the way we are being ripped off. Ask anyone who buys health insurance for their employees or themselves if the costs are outrageous. And ask yourself how much of your premium money is going JUST to line the pockets of some wealthy CEO. Then think about how much of the money we supposedly spend on education is going to those same CEOs.

GlennBeck-This is one reason why healthcare is too expensive (show me a government employee who makes a fraction of these):
"An op-ed piece in the Providence Journal about huge pay packages for corporate CEOs mentioned the breath-taking $124.8 million total compensation of United Health Group (parent of United Healthcare) CEO William McGuire. This figure can also be found in the Forbes Special Report on CEO compensation. Here one can find that other managed care CEOs got less fabulous, but still formidable compensation, e.g., Howard Phanstiel, PacifiCare, 3.38 million; Edward Hanway, Cigna, $13.3 million; John Rowe, Aetna, $22.2 million; and Larry Glassrock, Wellpoint, $25.0 million.
McGuire's compensation was so large as to take a measurable part of this large company's net income (5%). "
http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/05/ho...

Even Ayn Rand decided in old age that she wanted to use those public health care services she didn't want to pay for.

" The private schools just don't seem to have the issues that the public schools have". Yeah, they don't have the issue because they can pick and choose who is let into their school. Public schools have to accept everyone. If they don't get with the program in private school, they get the boot. In Public schools they have to go to a lengthy process to be removed. Allowing vouchers and a joke, I should not have to pay for someones child to go to a private or religous school. We have public schools for a reason, so everyone, not just some, can get an education.

How strange that the comments section was disabled on the 300K school/porn settlement.
Wonder why? Couldn't be because it makes the union look stupid-Nah that couldn't be it.

I like the idea of the voucher system because it gives parents the option of providing the best education/environment for their children. The private schools just don't seem to have the issues that the public schools have. Many parents are very selective of who they want their children to associate with. Let's face the facts: just to continue throwing money at a problem will not make it go away and throwing more money at the teachers will not automatically translate into better education.

Right wiselady, A person viewing porn at work should get fired. But the unions and their power to fight the American taxpayer has cost us more money....again.....

But they have money for this.

Wis. school board paying $300K after porn firing

justmy414

your comment is absolutely disgusting.

OH NOES!!! It truely is the end of the world as we know it. Get a grip people, not everything is a conspiracy or an attempeted power grab by some group or individual, my God there are somethings that are just life and nothing more.

Stingy?? Oh yes and proud. Since school i've paid enough taxes back to cover it several times. Its bad enough I have to pay others welfare too. This should be a self sufficient country. If You cant afford school....dont have kids...same with food, housing, clothes.. Its so sickening to see these people living on welfare with 5+ kids. They only do it cause they can....and they get tax returns on welfare on top of it... oops deviating from the subject. But anyway...im sick of paying for other peoples stuff.

Sure- freebird - then those of us with school aged kids don't have to pay for Social Security, either. Why should we support you freeloaders. If you want to make money - work like everyone else! (Hyperbole to make a point...not serious about that)

And to get to the bottom line of why health care cost have sky rocketed....Can we all agree that it's because of big gov wanting to take care of everyone who pays taxs or not. Vote Tea Party

According to previous articles, $2.6 million is going to the INCREASE in health care premiums for next year. I don't blame the teachers for that, I blame the bloated insurance and health care industry. Insurance and medical care costs have gone up at a rate WAY beyond inflation which has hurt all companies which provide insurance and anyone who has to buy their own. These costs are also increasing taxes because public employees need health care too and companies are paying less in taxes to offset their costs for insurance. If the cost to educate a child increases every year, I just wonder how much of that increase is going to line the pockets of insurance and medical companies and NOT the the teachers or the kids.

Wisconsin's public school system will be the envy of Mississippi.

Grandy. I think many people are also wondering where share the pain excludes the people who can afford to pay more but aren't asked. Like it's against someone's religeon to ask. Who feels the pain more?

I've never used the public transit system here either. Get rid of that too.

factsplease - your comment accentuates your ignorance about the JVL school district's expenses. Several years ago, the district began asking teachers to contribute to their health care premiums. They gained public sympathy and support by stating that health care costs were increasing, as we all know is true. HOWEVER, what the public did not know is that the district was actually cashing in on surplus dollars each year from excess health care fund left unused. In eight of the previous 10 years, the district had 2-3 MILLIONS dollars left from the teachers' health fund that they rolled back into the Fund 10 balance. Much of the fund 10 balance came from those monies the teachers bargained for but ended up not using.
How did they do that? It's simple. The district has their own insurace adjuster that comes up with exaggerated payments. That minimizes any room for salary increase, because at the time a teacher could not receive more that a 3.8% increase, including the value of insurance. Then the district gets to keep what's left over.
The average Joe Public doesn't know half of what really goes on, yet is so eager to villainize those dedicating their lives to our children. It's disgusting.

please dont try to confuse sigma by using logic, it will only get in the way

Justmy414,

Just so that I understand you, you hope that Sigma is killed by a medical error?

And that error will be caused by a worker, in a healthcare setting who did not earn an education because the cost per pupil decreased from 10,000 per student per year (in Janesville) to 9500 per student per year?

The financial contrainsts the State faces are real the left would rather diflect the issue and pretend this is a revenue issue rather than a spending issue. School districts need to be more effecient and unlike the federal govt the state cannot simply print more money to meet the ever expanding desires of those who live off the government teet.

The Walker education juggernaut. Vicious, truly vicious. Of course Walker's faithful will avoid the squeeze. The wealthy can afford to send their kids to private school, and baggers home-school theirs. The rest, however, will feel a real pinch. The only way to save public education in Wisconsin is to recall Scott Walker.

I haven't used police or fire protection yet. Does that mean I don't have to pay taxes for them? I don't have children in school either, but education needs funding

Sigma-If you, at any point in your entire life, attended a public school, someone else helped pay for you to go to that school.

Sigma, you'd better start paying back the childless people who coughed up for your education, then.

Sigma40 your selfishness would be much admired by Ayn Rand.

How much of the increase in school spending has gone to health insurance for employees and not to educating kids? The skyrocketing health care costs are what's breaking this country, why isn't that being addressed???

I dont have children in school. No reason I should pay for other peoples kids.

Any time there is discussion in regard to the money schools spend someone always comes up with the "it's all about the children." A couple of facts in that regard. We continue to spend more and more dollars per student. Has the eduction gotten better? Why has the cost of schools continued to balloon? While there were many teachers that stayed at school during this years protests at Madison, if it were about the students, they wouldn't have been there on a school day.

GUTTING shared revenues and then not letting schools have the ability to alternate fund sources is incredibly and dismally short-sighted for the students in those schools are OUR mutual national future. Those who do not value public schools and would rather siphon the tax-payer dollars into vouchers where the money will support schools that can legally discriminate against employees, discriminate against students they "don't want", and into parochial schools who are not accountable how those monies are spent is despicable. Beginning with ancient Greece, without strong, accessible PUBLIC schools welcoming ALL, democratic nations have always declined. Shame, shame, shame!

or care about the future of this country.

or even care about children in school

Unless you have children in school.

Awesome!!