Money front and center in schools debate
A few words from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from last week: “We will fight to protect our increased investment in K-12 education.”
A few words from Betsy DeVos, U.S. secretary of education, from last week: “Throwing money at the problem isn’t the solution.”
Of babies and bathwaters, fuel and futilities. And the state budget, federal policy, and the election Tuesday of a state superintendent of public instruction for the next four years.
The money arguments in education are hot, important, and, on several fronts, heading toward decisive points. Let’s look at several.
The state superintendent election. I moderated a debate Tuesday at Marquette University Law School between the candidates, Tony Evers, who has held the office for eight years, and Lowell Holtz, formerly a principal and superintendent in districts around the state. There are strong differences between the two. Publicly funded private school vouchers get the most attention (Evers supported by voucher critics, Holtz by supporters).
But what struck me most was their differences about how they see the job when it comes to advocating for money.
Evers said, “I will stand for more money for our kids every single time . ... We have 860,000 kids in the state of Wisconsin that we have to be concerned about, and we have to make sure that they have adequate resources.” He said he supports Walker’s proposal to increase spending per student in all of Wisconsin’s categories of schools by about $200 in each of the next two years.
Holtz did not take a stand when I asked about the $200. “It’ll be interesting to see how it comes out of Joint Finance,” he said, referring to the Legislature’s budget writing committee.
And Holtz said, “There is no scientific correlation between higher spending and higher academic achievement . ... Adequate funding is important, but money is not the thing that is going to save our failing schools.”
Evers said, “Frankly, our public schools have been deteriorating in their state support, everybody knows that.” Referring to differences in facilities and success between schools in places such as Milwaukee and in more affluent communities, he said, “Resources are at the core of this.”
In short, Evers sees himself as an advocate for more money for schools. Holtz doesn’t.
The state budget. When Walker says he is going to fight for more money for schools, who does he expect to fight with? It seems certain Democrats will back his proposal, as compared to any involving lower amounts. But some Republican legislators are sending signals they are likely to favor smaller increases, given other pressures on the state budget (which is mostly to say, roads).
With the 2018 election for governor approaching, Walker clearly is responding to support statewide for more money for schools. The Marquette Law School Poll (in which I have some involvement) released results March 22. People were asked the general question of whether they support or oppose increasing state funding for kindergarten through 12th-grade schools.
The answer: 80% yes, 17% no. The “yes” numbers were high in every subgroup. Among Republicans, it was 68%; among Democrats, 90%. Numbers like that are why this is the friendliest of Walker’s four state budget proposals since 2011 when it comes to schools. He hears statewide that people think their schools need more help.
The Trump/DeVos budget proposals. DeVos made her comments about money in an interview at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday. She referred specifically to a federal study released in January that a multibillion-dollar “school improvement” grant program aimed at low-performing schools had brought generally no positive results. Holtz referred to the same study in Tuesday’s debate.
The broader context is the coming decisions on federal spending. The Trump budget overview released recently included a 13% cut in education spending, dropping aid for such things as after-school programs and teacher training.
The state superintendent candidates had big differences on this money issue also.
Holtz said the Trump proposals provide “an excellent opportunity to get rid of some of the federal overreach into state rights — for example, the Common Core,” the learning standards being used nationwide. Holtz said he liked the Trump call for increased federal aid for students to attend public schools of their choice. He did not talk about the cuts in after-school programs.
Evers said the envisioned federal cuts were “breathtaking.” He said, “This is the first public policy position this president has taken on education, and he’s wiping us out.”
Root causes of low achievement. What’s behind the chronic low levels of student success overall in places such as Milwaukee? Look again to the money factor in how Evers and Holtz answered that question Tuesday.
Evers said he was not letting educators off the hook for succeeding in their work, but “we have to recognize that abject poverty and difficult home situations and parents working two or three jobs, that isn’t always conducive to children learning well.” He referred to the traumas affecting children’s lives and emphasized a proposal he and Walker agree on to increase state support of mental health services for students.
Holtz said blame did not lie with students, parents, teachers or administrators. “It’s the system that’s in place,” he said. High expectations are not pushed, bad behavior by students is tolerated, and there is far too much paperwork that teachers must do.
The superintendent choice will come to a head on Tuesday. The state budget will come to a head by the end of June (possibly somewhat later). The timetable on Trump spending decisions is unclear, but there will be action soon.
Who are you going to put your money on? Or maybe you don’t think this is about money.