Walker, Evers talk education at schools
Attendance, graduation, school choice subjects of speeches and conferences
Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Tony Evers wellican comed students back to classes at two schools in southeastern Wisconsin on Tuesday, each continuing to tout education as a top priority in their bids for the governor’s seat.
Walker greeted students at La Casa de Esperanza Charter School in the RepubWisconsin stronghold of Waukesha, shortly before his campaign announced plans to expand apprenticeship programs for students.
“We need to make sure that every student graduates here in the state of Wisconsin. That every student, no matter where they come from, what ZIP code they live in, graduates,” Walker told reporters at the event.
And Evers joined Milwaukee leaders high-fiving students on the red carpet at Maple Tree Elementary School on the city’s northwest side before pledging to support Superintendent Keith Posley’s ramped-up efforts to reduce absenteeism in Milwaukee Public Schools.
“Attendance is absolutely critical to success,” said Evers, the state superintendent of public instruction, who called on the entire community — parents, extended families, neighbors — to
encourage students to be in school every day.
“We have a very short period of time — 13, 14 years — to make sure our children are prepared. And we’re going to work very hard around this,” Evers said.
Walker made no mention at La Casa of the expansion of the apprenticeship program, which was announced in a new campaign ad that launched about 11 a.m. Tuesday.
“Our new plan expands youth apprenticeship programs so seventh- and eighth-graders can get a jumpstart on the skilled trades,” Walker says in the ad.
In the last school year, Walker’s administration provided nearly $4 million in grants to schools for the programs, which provide hands-on experience for juniors and seniors who want to go into the trades, computer programming or other technical jobs.
Walker’s campaign aides didn’t say if Walker wanted to put more money into the program or extend it to more grades using existing funding levels.
Both candidates were careful not to over-politicize the school visits. But they didn’t hold back in impromptu news conferences afterward.
Walker said he’s overseen “the largest actual dollar investments in schools ever,” citing the $400 per-student increase over the last two years and Act 10, which he said helped save schools $3.2 billion that was returned to classrooms “to improve student success.”
“My opponent wants to undo Act 10, which actually put more money in the classroom,” adding that the reform “allowed school districts, school officials to hire based on merit, to pay based on performance, to put the best and the brightest in the classroom.”
Evers said Walker dramatically cut public school in every year but one, and he vowed to restore those lost resources as governor. He reiterated his proposed 2019-’21 budget proposal, which would increase funding for special education and mental health services, and restore the state’s commitment to fund 2/3 of schools costs — without raising property taxes.
And he lashed out at Walker’s suggestion that he has been slow to pull the licenses of problem teachers.
“That’s his MO. He’s a slash-and-burn politician. So, he picks things out that frankly aren’t true.”
Walker noted that Evers considered his 2017-’19 budget “pro-kid” — until Evers launched his campaign for governor. “I think it’s time for Tony Evers to tell the truth,” Walker said.
The candidates also sparred on the issue of school choice.
Evers, who was criticized during the primary for not being forceful enough in his opposition to state-funded voucher schools, said Tuesday that the program bleeds needed resources from public schools. He said he’d like to see a freeze on new voucher schools and increased accountability and transparency.
Walker denied that the expansion of vouchers and charters is hurting traditional public schools.
“We’re putting more money in schools than ever before,” he said. “We’re not taking one from the other.”