UPDATE and ACTION ALERT from Stop Special Needs Vouchers, Mon 1 June 2015

[Stop Special Needs Vouchers]

Greetings from Stop Special Needs Vouchers -- please forward widely and quickly.

It's Even Worse Than We Thought:  Sign the Petition, Contact Your Legislators!

The majority party on the Joint Finance Committee has been busy inserting privatization-lobby provisions into the state budget these past two weeks, without debate or any public input whatsoever.  And it's even worse than we thought.

The special needs voucher proposal is, for us, the first and foremost thing to oppose.  But the list of other budget-outrages that will impact students with special needs has grown long:

* Undermining of teacher certification standards.  According to the proposal, DPI will have to issue teaching credentials upon request, to any voucher school or independent charter or school district who says they've hired someone with sufficient life-experience. Anyone could teach SPECIAL EDUCATION, business education, music, art, physical education, agriculture, Family and Consumer Science, technology education, and another 6-12 subjects. No high school or college degree would be required. This means that voucher schools would theoretically be able to credential any of their existing teachers or hire any relative or anyone off the street to be a special educator, and market them as such to lure parents in with the special needs vouchers.

THIS IS UNCONSCIONABLE.  Please consider signing and sharing the following petition:

Say NO to lowering teacher standards in Wisconsin

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/say-no-to-lowering-teaching

* Milwaukee school takeover proposal.  This provision would allow independent charter or voucher schools to take over selected Milwaukee public schools designated as "failing."  Some of the schools on the hit list have over 30% children with disabilities -- independent charter and voucher schools are stunningly unqualified to deal with students with these issues.

THIS, TOO, IS UNCONSCIONABLE.  Please consider signing and sharing the following petition:

Stop the Takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/milwaukee-kids-are-not-for-sale-stop-the-takeover-of-mps

* Authorization and replication of independent charters statewide.  This further giveaway to the school privatization lobby was inserted into the budget late last week.  Though independent charters (unlike private schools) must abide by the IDEA, the fact is that in Wisconsin, their Milwaukee track record of admitting and serving our students is miserable.  Overall, Milwaukee's independent charters serve only 10% students with disabilities, only half the rate as the MPS average... and they students they do serve tend to be those less significantly affected by disability.

PLEASE MAKE CALLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

The state budget is not yet passed!  It still has to pass both houses of the state legislature, and be signed by the governor.

Here is the basic message:

As a (parent / citizen / taxpayer), I am deeply concerned with the undermining of public education for students with disabilities.  The special needs vouchers, voucher expansion, changes to teacher credentialing, and Milwaukee public school takeover must ALL be removed from the state budget!

First and foremost, call (or email) your own state senator and Assembly representative.  (If you don't have them on speed dial already, type your address into the "Find My Legislators" box at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/).

The next most helpful set of calls is to Republican state senators who have historically held moderate positions on education.

Sen. Robert Cowles                                        266-0484                                 Sen.C...@legis.wisconsin.gov                
Sen. Luther Olsen                                           266-0751                                 Sen....@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen. Sheila Harsdorf                                       266-7745                                 Sen.Ha...@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen. Terry Moulton                                         266-7511                                 Sen.M...@legis.wisconsin.gov
Sen. Jerry Petrowski                                       266-2502                                 Sen.Pe...@legis.wisconsin.gov

The Joint Finance Committee will be wrapping up their deliberations this week, then it's on to the legislature.  The time to act is NOW!
 

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One More Thing You Can Do:  Write a Letter to the Editor Opposing the Special Needs Vouchers

There have been several fine letters to the editor and opinion pieces since the Joint Finance Committee majority party began its devastating changes.  Read these, then write and send your own!

If GOP "trusts the parents," why couldn't parents testify on special needs vouchers?

http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/mailbag/joanne-juhnke-if-gop-trusts-the-parents-why-couldn-t/article_ec6e9272-45e4-5e00-aff9-00fccf2e1790.html

Special needs vouchers hurt most vulnerable

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/door-co/opinion/2015/05/31/letters-may/28278239/

It's Wrong to Rewrite Education Policy in the Budget Bill

http://www.gazettextra.com/20150526/state_views_its_wrong_to_rewrite_education_policy_in_budget_bill

Not the right lesson from the legislature

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/opinion/2015/05/30/right-lesson-legislature/28178345/

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