Spring
Elections
(and
Beyond). . .
Vote on April 1st!!!
Spring elections are
notorious for their low voter turn-out.
Encourage every eligible voter you know to get to the polls next Tuesday
and cast a ballot. With the low expected
turn-out, every vote counts even more in some very important elections. Races for school boards and judges may not
garner the attention that other contests do, but we've seen just how important
these positions are in the continuing struggles locally and statewide.
Madison School Board
There are two MMSD School
Board seats up for election on April 1st.
Ed Hughes, current board president is running unopposed for one. As a general rule of thumb I dislike
"races" where candidates run unopposed. Democracy works best when there is
competition around ideas, beliefs and policies, and without competition
candidates have little accountability to the public.
In all likelihood Mr.
Hughes will win re-election, but we need to make sure that we stay vigilant and
hold all of our elected representatives accountable for being informed and
aware of the issues that are so important to our students and schools.
The second seat is being
contested between two candidates, Wayne Strong and Michael Flores. The official endorsement lists don't give too
much for voters to go on. Both candidates
have garnered a solid list of endorsements.
He's best for Madison School Board because he's so involved
and connects with struggling students.
madison.com|By Lee Enterprises
In a close call, Wayne Strong gets our endorsement for the
Madison School Board.
madison.com|By Lee Enterprises
It is troubling that
some of the endorsements have come with little or no real reasoning behind
them. In elections with the implications
that this one has, endorsements should be given for strong and valid
reasons. Not, as the Wisconsin State
Journal said, "Flores shares
many of these concerns, but it is our sense that Strong is better prepared to
hit the ground running." What
"sense" and what does "hit the ground running mean?" If there isn't a strong reason to endorse,
then why make this commitment to a candidate that the editorial board clearly
doesn't feel strongly about? Instead,
either endorse both, or neither candidate.
While running for elected office can be very confusing,
sometimes needlessly so. There are also few people outside of the far right
wing, who do not think that money in politics is out of control. That being
said, there are a couple of incidences on the Wayne Strong campaign that need
to be looked a...
forwardlookout.com
For what it's worth, I'm "endorsing" Flores in the race.
His enthusiasm for our public school system, his personal experiences
and his willingness to listen to all voices would add to a Board that needs to
be a vocal supporter of our schools, students and educators. He has demonstrated a clear understanding of
the issues, and has been a visible presence in many Madison schools. Not as a campaign tool, but simply because he
cares greatly about what happens in every building across the district. He has been an advocate for parental
involvement, and we need to make sure that this is a priority in a district
that too often seems overly bureaucratic and even "unfriendly" at times.
Issues In Education
Why is this School Board race so important for the
future of our schools? One huge reason
is that because of Act 10 and the continuing efforts of our state legislature
and governor to control and privatize education in Wisconsin, we need strong
local governing bodies to stand up to the outside pressures. Local school boards and other elected
officials become the first line of defense for our students, schools and
educators.
In addition, we are seeing significant changes in curriculum,
policies and procedures happening in our district. We need School Board members who will listen
to all parties and be informed about the issues. It isn't enough to have strong beliefs about
what should happen in our schools. We
need individuals who will be able to make decisions that don't simply sound
good, but that actually work for our students.
Issues like the Technology Plan, Behavior Education Plan
and the new system of budgeting require more than just sound-bite, or
simplified arguments. They are
complicated and must be addressed with care, concern and a significant
understanding of a variety of issues.
The best decisions will be made if the voices of educational
professionals, community members and families are blended together through an
open and well understood process.
Something that MMSD has struggled with, but needs to improve on in order
to create successful, sustainable plans that will move us ahead in the future.
Thank you for taking the time to look over the third draft
of the Behavior Education Plans for Elementary Students and Middle and High
School Students. The plans represent a shift in philosophy and practice with…
legalsvcweb.madison.k12.wi.us
The battle for our public schools is intensifying, and we are in a
critical time for the future of our schools.
Across the state and nation we are seeing efforts being made to
drastically change the way students are taught, and to alter our schools in
ways that aren't in the best interests of our students, educators and the
community as a whole. There are many
important issues that we must work to address, but the current direction that
education is moving actually does more to harm than to help.
Preeminent education historian and public school advocate
Diane Ravitch talks to Bill this week about the private sellout of public
schools.
Bill Moyers
Is this education? Is this what we want for our children and
grandchildren? Teachers have called the testing regime child abuse and here you
get to read about it firsthand. A teacher's recount of t...
seattleducation2010.wordpress.com
Corporate education reformers are coopting the politics of
race and labor, author Micah Uetricht explains
Salon
New York state legislators
reach a deal to protect charter schools as Gov. Scott Walker pushes to expand
charter schools in Wisconsin.
Ed Schultz and panel discuss.
msnbc
These struggles are not
external ones. They are very evident
across the state and nation, but they are also going on here in Madison. Standardizing curriculum, emphasizing test
scores and undermining the professionalism of educators are realities in
schools across America,
we certainly want to reverse these trends in a city that claims to value
education and respect educators.
Protecting Elections
Elections matter, and the current Republican leadership in Wisconsin recognizes
this. They also recognize that as
demographics change and the effects of their policies are felt, they need to
control elections and make sure the "right people" are voting. This effort to restrict voting rights is very
clear and has been articulated by many GOP leaders. They have tried to garner support by claiming
that there is extensive fraud in our electoral system, and while they have
failed to produce significant evidence of fraud, this argument does influence
the opinion of some voters.
This week Governor Walker signed a bill that places limits on absentee
voting and bans early voting during evenings and weekends. Unlike bills that supposedly address voter
fraud, and that have some support from the citizens of our state (often due to
misleading information), this bill was passed despite 2/3 of Wisconsinites
voicing support for expanding or maintaining current early voting times. Clearly we need to rethink the idea that the
GOP is the supporter of local control and less government interference in local
matters.
SB 324 puts politics ahead of people, aimed at suppressing
the vote of seniors, minorities, and...
unitedwisconsin.com
Gov. Scott Walker should veto the partisan, anti-democratic
legislation aimed at reducing voter turnout.
Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel|By Ron Kind
The veteran moderate holds no fire in criticizing his party,
saying it has lost faith in its ideas and is now resorting to shenanigans to
reduce voter turnout.
madison.com|By Lee Enterprises
The efforts to control the
electoral process isn't limited to legal restrictions on voting. The ability of private citizens,
organizations and corporations to buy elections is magnified under current
election rules. We have seen the impact
that 3rd party advertising and the spending of large sums of money has on our
elections. This is especially true in
local races where campaign budgets are often limited to small amounts. Are the ads and mailings misleading, untrue,
controversial? Yes, to all of
these. However, they are also effective
and powerful and allow special interest groups to buy their way into
power.
A mining town of 6,000 people isn’t too small for
billionaires to mess with to get their way. Inside the race bringing in big
money.
The Daily Beast
People power is the only
thing that will change the current electoral trends. This means that everyone becomes informed and
casts a ballot. It also means that we
seek out, support and encourage candidates who will truly represent the people.
Too often we see elected officials represent a limited number of constituents,
or simply do what is necessary to maintain their positions and get
re-elected. We also see them flip-flop
on issues when they strike close to home.
While I admire her courage and don't wish any illness or problem on
anyone, the idea that a personal issue would change a vote is problematic. When we elect representatives we do so with
the understanding that they represent all citizens, this means that they do
what they believe is right for the people, not any special interest, campaign
contributor or even put their own interests above others. By running for election, candidates put
themselves in a position where they are held accountable to a higher standard
of public service than regular citizens.
A state lawmaker from Lincoln County
who once opposed a bill that would force insurers to cover chemotherapy pills
says she changed her position...
Daily Herald Media
We also need to be aware
of the ways that public opinion is manipulated and our citizenry is controlled
through messaging and other means.
A Senate hearing on inequality featured an updated version
of Reagan’s favorite “freeloaders”—now they’re white and middle class.
By The New Yorker
Traditionally, young people have energized democratic
movements. So it is a major coup for the ruling elite to have created societal
institutions that...
filmsforaction.org
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . .
As we watch "March
Madness" we shouldn't forget that these athletes are bringing huge profits
in for a wide variety of individuals, companies and groups. At the same time, while they are often
receiving scholarships, there are too many questions that can be raised about
what type of education these athletes are receiving and what the real purpose
of college athletics is. As with many
issues important questions to ask are, Who controls the process and who profits
most from it?
The National Labor Relations Board in Chicago
has ruled that football players at Northwestern
University are employees
and can unionize, the board said Wednesday. In a statement, Northwestern
acknowledged the ruling and...
WISC-TV / Channel 3000|By Channel
3000
NCAA Says Its Graduation Rates Hit Record High, But Important ...
thinkprogress.org/.../ncaa-graduation-rates-hit-record-high...
ThinkProgress
Oct 25, 2013 - NCAA The rate of NCAA Division I athletes graduating within six years of ... percent) and African-American men's basketball players (68 percent). ... According to ESPN, only one of the 10 teams that participated in the men's ...
A plug for Wisconsin
Basketball, on and off the court.
Wisconsin
graduated every senior on its men’s basketball team the past two seasons, and
is on track to do so again.
The New York
Times|By Karen Crouse
This is the best way to
counter hatred.
Bookmark this under "How to Protest the Westboro Baptist Church."
Mother Jones
The Bad . . . Just give it up already.
Suppressing speech is bad enough, but continuing to fight when you are
clearly wrong is a waste of time, money and embarrassing to our state.
The tickets were tossed out by a Dane County
judge in February on constitutional grounds.
madison.com|By Lee Enterprises
The Ugly . . . We know that many places where the anti-government sentiment is the
greatest receive some of the highest amount of government money. If you don't like the system, don't take the
money.
The extent to which the average American’s tax burden would
vary based on his state of residence represents a significant point of
differentiation...
wallethub.com
