Some Days Others Say it Better: Root River Siren

I was quite busy yesterday, but luckily my colleague in the "Cheddarsphere" has decided to pick up the slack on spreading the word about how nuts Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt is. You can view her article surrounding his recent vaccine exemption proposal here: http://rootriversiren.blogspot.com/2013/05/who-hell-is-jeremy-thiesfeldt-and-how.html?m=1

Drinking Liberally MIlwaukee - MPS Edition

At last night's Drinking Liberally Milwaukee, we were lucky enough to be joined by a member of
the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors, newly elected Vice-President Megan Holman. It was a lucky coincidence, considering last week there was a large action where many educators, including yours truly, spoke to the MPS board of directors urging them to take up issues related to the 2014 budget. Would you believe that I was actually nervous speaking my mind?!

Well, obviously I was more than willing to speak up at Drinking Liberally! The discussion is one that I wish people across not only the City of Milwaukee, but also the state could hear about the state of the public schools in our largest city. Some of the stories she shared, particularly one about a trip to Madison last month where DOA Secretary Mike Huebsch went on a 20 minute tirade to a group of educators about the importance of roads in the upcoming budget, were particularly amusing.

But overall, the discussion focused on MPS, just how diverse our district is, and what it will take to make it get some of the much deserved positive press it lacks in receiving. This is so very, very true, and something I never noticed until I was an MPS employee. Vice-President Holman made the remark that MPS is almost like three separate districts - schools on the south side that actually have waiting lists (where's that in the news?!), schools on the east side where it's a solid mixture of students, and then schools in the central/northwest part of the city where schools are vastly under performing and many parents are opting to bus their student away from neighborhood schools.

Furthermore, I brought up the numbers out yesterday form the Department of Public Instruction surrounding free and reduced lunch eligibility in Wisconsin. In short, it's a bleak picture of what the economy in Wisconsin has been like over the last 10 years. In case you weren't aware, wages have flat out stagnated or declined, causing families to have even less purchasing power now than they did 10 years ago. This of course, is assuming that everyone has maintained employment in your family, because if they did change jobs due to a layoff, they likely had to take a lower paying job. This is what boggles my mind, because as well as we all like to think the economy was in the 2000's, it was really quite bleak for average works. Following the 2001 recession, average workers never recovered.

Last year in August I made note of free and reduced lunch changes by republishing a series of maps  put out by WEAC. I wonder what this year's addition will look like? Sadly, I don't think I want to know.

Oaklahoma

Long before politics dominated my life outside school, or just plain being a kid, I was fascinated by weather. It has truly been a lifelong passion that has its roots so far back in my life I cannot even remember where it developed. It's a reason I became an amateur (ham) radio operator, it's a reason why every year I continue to go to NWS training, and why I currently go out as a weather spotter.

That being said, my thoughts are prayers are with those in Oklahoma this evening. They have witnessed devastation on a level that should not be seen in this day and age. While the political snipping will inevitably follow this story, as well some should, today I only offer my thoughts are wishes with the Sooners. 

State Sen. Rick Gudex on School Vouchers

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, we have video of last week's listening session in Oshkosh held by State Sen. Rick Gudex. His positions supporting school vouchers are WELL documented, but having a little video never hurts. (It's a little shaky to start, but get's better):



A great quote:

- "Referendums should be used selectively, I don't think that having a referendum on an issue like that get's anyone anywhere."

You really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really should watch this video!

Fond du Lac Area Voucher School Forum Wednesday

Lately I feel like my online writings and real live are living in two different worlds, as I have been making a lot of comments on my hometown and former residence of Fond du Lac on the Soapbox while attending various activities and getting active offline in Milwaukee with various activities. That being said, while the Milwaukee stories have a much easier time making their way to the news, the Fondy ones don't, hence why I try to keep more than just an ear to the local scene, especially when it comes to the proposed voucher expansion in Governor Walker's budget.

This week, the Fond du Lac Retired Teachers Association, a largely non-partisan group, is presenting a forum on the proposed voucher expansion and what it will mean for the Fond du Lac School District. If I am lucky, I may make an excursion back to my hometown to see old friends, colleagues, and a chance to sit in on the forum. If you have any interest in how vouchers will impact this district, or others around Wisconsin, I HIGHLY suggest attending:

Fond du Lac Area Retired Educators, in association with the Fond du Lac School District, will host a community forum "Impact Fond du Lac: Vouchers and Taxes" on the proposed expansion of voucher schools.

The forum will be held Wednesday, May 22, at 7 PM, at Goodrich Little Theater, 72 West Ninth Street.

Impact Fond du Lac: Vouchers and Taxes
The proposed state budget expands taxpayer-funded private voucher schools into nine additional school districts including Fond du Lac. The budget also increases funding for private voucher schools but provides no increase for public schools. Join your neighbors for a candid discussion with education experts.

Learn about:
-The impact of proposed state budget on your child's school
-The 22-year voucher experiment and what it means for Fond du Lac
-The impact of the state budget on your local property taxes
-The DPI school report card system

Panelists
Elizabeth Hayes, President, Fond du Lac School Board
Jim Shaw, former Superintendent of Racine schools, UW professor
Jim Sebert, Superintendent of Fond du Lac Public Schools
Aaron Sadoff, Superintendent of North Fond du Lac Public Schools

Judy Goldsmith, former Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac will moderate the forum.

Fond du Lac Area Retired Educators is a non-partisan organization committed to quality education for all children.

You can also hear from former Fond du Lac High School English Teacher Earl Jewett on "Between the Lines" HERE. 

This forum is taking place during a time of large turbulence in the Fond du Lac School District. Take for example the news on Friday long-time business director Sue Schnorr was leaving the Fond du Lac District to accept a job in the Oshkosh Area School District. She is only the latest in a line of people from Fondy who have moved to that district in recent years. But there is also the diversification of the public schools in Fond du Lac, which has accelerated over the past decade with more minority families moving into the area. This leaves some in the largely older, more conservative city, with old visions of what the cities schools are like.

But, beyond that, the loss of state funding has hurt the Fond du Lac School District. On yesterday's Up Front w/Mike Gousha, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald noted the divisiveness of the voucher program, but also hinted at the trouble finding a compromise to the per-pupil funding issues in the 2013-15 Biennium Budget. That will play an even larger part in how the voucher situation unfolds in cities that are "given" it.

You can view Fitzgerald's conversation HERE, but be sure to not miss Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson's rebuttal conversation HERE. 

Open Fond du Lac City Council Seat - Finalists

As I brought to you last week, the City of Fond du Lac has had to fill a vacancy on it's city council following a member becoming sick and resigning the post. A bevy of people decided to sign up to be considered for taking over the position, and as I pointed out many of them were very, very, very, very conservative. Luckily, the Council (with a fresh crop of new faces to the local political scene including Catherine Block and Dan Manning), decided to steer clear of the over-the-top partisans and have settled on two finalists of Karyn Merkel and Lynn Farr.

As I noted, Ms. Farr is a conservative, as a simple Facebook search can reveal, but Ms. Merkel's views aren't as readily accessible. This is where it gets very, very interesting for politico's like myself to assess what will happen in the vote. While the council is non-partisan, anyone and everyone knows that partisan politics dominate. Take note of the latest article on KFIZ.com: 

The Fond du Lac City Council will consider two names when it votes on filling a vacancy on the Council. Today the Council nearly reached a unanimous consensus when it took another straw vote on the three finalists for the seat. Councilmen Gary Miller and Rob Vande Zande  changed their minds with Miller deciding to back Karyn Merkel while Vande Zande swapped support from Ron Schmitz to Lynn Farr. Council President Sam Meyer says as a result the Council will vote next Wednesday on whether to appoint Merkel or Farr to the Council to fill the remaining term of former Councilman Jim Sabel. Merkel has the backing of five Council members and Farr one. Either way the Council could be making some history with three women among its seven Council members.

While it seems that Ms. Merkel has the largest backing of members of the council... one never knows. This is politics!!! But, as a former Fond du Lac resident and someone who still feels a very deep connection to the city, I am happy they are moving forward with having three women serving on the council! Hey WisDems, are you noticing what's happening in this city?!?!?!

Graeme Zielinski Update

Yesterday, news came out that former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Graeme Zielinski was leaving his paid position at the party to work on a side writing project. There certainly was the feeling of it being a "Friday news dump" to many in the blog-o-sphere, but I had decided to wait and let the dust settle out a little before commenting on the announcement. Something seemed amiss to me.

This morning, I may have found my answer to why I had a nagging feeling of it being something more than simply parting ways with the party for no reason. Mr. Zielinski posted this Facebook update:

Graeme Jonathan Zielinski

about an hour ago · 

• Friends: Not to be mawkish, but I'm facing a serious health scare. I've told some of you about it, but there are tests and MRIs and (blech) IVs and whatnot. I ask for some prayers, since this is sort of freaking me out. If you're a practicing, believing Catholic, I ask that you pray to Francis for intercession, since I've been dumping everything on him. I'm in fine spirits, etc., but let's all hope that this passes.

I have not always been the kindist soul to Mr. Zielinski, but I do feel like his absence has been marked with a lack of direction within the Democratic Party's messaging. The Party is undergoing a lot of rebooting at the present time in preparation for the 2014 and 2016 elections, much of it very good and making me feel more confident in the party than I did following the 2012 elections, but there is still more to do. Graeme's message did cross the line often times, but there were many other instances when he would really spark the flutter of my liberal heart.

I hope that Graeme is able to overcome what is ailing him right now. He is still a very important voice of progressivism and liberalism in Wisconsin. His absence on Twitter is missed, and while I didn't agree with everything he said as DPW Communications Director, that doesn't mean I didn't agree with a lot of what he had to say.

Best wishes on a speedy recovery from the Wisconsin Soapbox Graeme. You have the full support of me and countless others who feel you have supported us in our darkest days. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask!

Mixed Up Friday

I don't care what you say, one of the best albums of all time, is The Cars' debut. Any band would kill for their freshman effort to have so many hits that are STILL staples of radio.

There's nobody like them. They were new-wave, pop, punk, and rock all mixed into one.

Which is why I wanted to showcase them this week. There are so, so, so many great songs from their catalogue to feature. I decided to go with the closer from their 78' debut. The entire 2nd side of the album flows, and is one of the best examples of why an ALBUM is an entire body of work and not merely a collection of songs.

This week's song - All Mixed Up:

Once Again - Milwaukee is NOT the Hell Hole You've Been Told!

One of my personal passions is trying to dispel the myth that Milwaukee is somehow a hell-hole and anything east of 124th Street, be it in Wauwatosa, West Allis, or Milwaukee, is automatically written off as a pit of dispair.

Well, today my argument got a bit of a boost, in that Milwaukee is now officially getting recognition as a destination for college graduates and young people aged 20-30. You can view the article that ranked Milwaukee and other cities around the country from USA Today HERE, but there is a much simpler and local write-up on this in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as well.  The message from the JS article is pretty clear - Milwaukee is a destination! It ranks number 16 out of 100 major metro areas for growth, and that number shoots up to number two in largest percentage increase when counting the top 20 major metro markets.

Seriously people, there is a movement afoot in Milwaukee, and I am amongst it every day. There are people all the time who are discovering the East Side, Bay View, West Vliet Street, North Avenue, and countless other areas of Milwaukee worth exploring. We have work to do, we do, but there are positive stories all the time about the development happening to make this town great.

Here's two more examples:

- A brand new park on a redeveloped rail yard in the Menomonee Valley

- Planning advanced manufcaturing and much needed jobs in the central city

Misc. Morning

It's been an incredibly busy week for me. I've been keeping track of things on the politics front in Wisconsin, including  the $15/hr movement in Milwaukee, Treasury Secretary Kurt Schuller pitching a fit over the Joint-Finance Committee keeping his own campaign promise, and of course, all of the other fun with the WEDC's oversight.  This doesn't even count a story out of Fond du Lac you will want to keep your eyes on. 

But as this school year winds down and I continue my search for another placement in the Milwaukee Public Schools, which is taking up a lot of my time. I'm also actively watching what is happening on the school board level for next year, as MPS tries to look to the future after this year's retirement title wave. That is why I will be occupied supporting my union tonight by attending the Milwaukee School Board meeting.  It is imperative to show them we are united as a staff and want to work together to move into the future.

It is for issues like this why I happily and gladly renewed my union membership. Together, we are stronger. One day longer, one day stronger.

A Twisting Tale in Fond du Lac Over Vouchers & the Fond du Lac School Board

I've documented more than a few times on the Soapbox about how conservative Republican Assembly Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt of Fond du Lac is an outspoken proponent of school vouchers. Now though, he is apparently not happy at the fact the school district that lies in his district, and is the target of voucher expansion, is fighting back against that stance. So what does he do? He goes after them with an open records request about an advertisement that appeared this Saturday in the Fond du Lac Action Advertiser.

This is a whole mess of a situation if I've ever seen one.

HERE is the press-release from Rep. Thiesfeldt's office this afternoon, but this is a part that particularly interests me:

The Fond du Lac School Board used taxpayer dollars and placed an advertisement in a local newspaper declaring their opposition to the expansion of School Choice in the governor’s proposed 2013-15 state budget. The advertisement was placed in the
newspaper on Sunday, May 12 prior to any official recorded action taken by the School Board to approve the position against School Choice or without any public input.  

“The advertisement may ultimately reflect the views of the School Board, but a
transparent process was not followed. The voters of Fond du Lac were denied the
opportunity to publicly address the members of the board before reading of the board’s official position within an advertisement purchased with their tax dollars,” Thiesfeldt stated. 

So, Rep. Thiesfeldt has his pants in a twist because the Fond du Lac School Board put an ad in the local newspaper saying they were opposed to to a government proposal, and that violates the open meetings law? How? We need some more information.

Well, let's go to today's FDL Reporter article for some more background. Apparently there was a vote scheduled today for the whole board to publicly go on record with their opposition to the voucher expansion, but it was delayed. Why? Well, this just goes to show you what part-time government officials look like, (yes, I'm looking at you AB 85/SB 95):

The decision was driven mainly by the numbers, or lack thereof, of board members who attended the meeting. Only four members were present for Monday’s 4:30 session: President Elizabeth Hayes, Mark Strand, Mark Jurgella and Susan Jones. 

Members Julie Nett, Kathleen Nagle and Eric Everson were not seated for the meeting — although Everson was standing in the hallway while the board discussed the proposal.

So, the vote got delayed simply because the entire board wasn't there to vote. So, what's Rep. Thiesfeldt in a twist about again?

Prior to the meeting, a couple members of the community, including state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, spoke in favor of the expansion of vouchers to Fond du Lac. 

Thiesfeldt accused the district of possibly violating open meetings by publishing the ad in Sunday’s newspaper that made it appear the board had already decided its position on the issue when no formal vote had been taken.

Okay, so now there needs to be a formal vote taken before any position can be taken by the Fond du Lac School Board on vouchers? More from the Reporter article and School Board Member Mark Jurgella:

Jurgella said he supports the resolution, or most of it, but didn’t think it was right for less than the whole board to vote on something so important. 

Hayes said the board discussed the resolution in depth during a recent workshop session and all members agreed to move forward with the resolution. Jurgella was not in attendance at that session, she said.

Hmmmm.... This is a dilly of a pickle. I wish there was some journalism in Fond du Lac that got more facts out in the public area, and didn't simply print quick snippets with little context. Sadly, we have to default back to our old radio pal Greg Stensland and his "Between the Lines" program, who yet again had Rep. Thiesfeldt on his program this morning. This program is non-partisan, but it  unfortunately did not feature any members of the FDL School board, and instead did two segments on school choice expansion with this morning's show.

The one featuring Rep. Thiesfeldt can be heard HERE. 

Mr. Thiesfeldt talks, and talks, and talks, and talks a lot about making his point during this conversation. It really boils down to the fact he is upset that taxpayer dollars were (supposedly at this point) used to pay for an ad in a local newspaper without any public input being had. He says he had copies of the minutes and agendas from two meetings in April where the board met, but neither discussed vouchers or paying for a newspaper advertisement. At this point, it really comes down to believing Mr. Thiesfeldt, as John and Jane Q public really can't prove or disprove those claims.

So, let's boil this all down.

I can agree with Rep. Thiesfeldt that the entire School Board likely should not have placed an ad in the newspaper having not approved the funds for the ad in a meeting of the board. Whether or not the ad is placed, that is something the courts should sort out, as normally a group or a person would write a "letter to the editor" for a local newspaper and not simply place a paid advertisement in a newspaper that is overtly political in nature. The precedent of it does trouble me, but I am not entirely sure it is illegal. At least not yet, but it depends on what district funds were used for the ad.

But beyond that, I disagree with Rep. Thiesfeldt picking up the mantle of this and wasting taxpayer dollars in his own right of investigating this matter through his office. Isn't this simply him doing the same thing? Wasting taxpayer dollars? What is the end-game of this entire scenario? Ethics violations? Removals of board members? Who initiates those proceedings? What good does the Representative see in putting an open-records request on the school board?

This is something I think will get far, far, far more sticky before it becomes clear. While I feel like there are some things that should be investigated, I think that the State Representative who is on the opposite side politically of the issue at hand is NOT the person who should be doing it. However, the school board itself has some questions to answer itself. I have heard from more than a few people that in the past there have been some other shenanigans done in closed session of the school board that were never given a hearing at a public session. I wonder if this would be born out.

SB 95 Passes 19-14

Today, the Wisconsin State Senate passed SB 95, the Milwaukee County Government Reform Bill, which was originally introduced in the Assembly as AB 85.

It's passage was all but assured after some State Senators got in a tizzy over the County negotiating with unions. But what has been very interesting to watch, especially after all the maneuvering on this bill, all of the stonewalling by Republicans of even having a true hearing in Milwaukee County,  and even the lack of any Democrats amendments being considered in executive session, was what State Sen. Lena Taylor would do. The lone Democrat to sponsor this bill had a long haul shouldering this bill, and in the end, she rode it all the way to the finish line.

Despite being shut out once again today, for some reason, Sen. Taylor voted with the Republicans in passing this bill.

From the Journal-Sentinel: 

It was approved late Tuesday afternoon, following a lengthy delay while lawmakers huddled just off the Senate floor. All 18 Republican senators plus one Democrat -- Lena Taylor, of Milwaukee – voted for the bill. A series of amendments by Democatic lawmakers were all rejected.

And when it says "Democratic lawmakers", what is really meant is "all Democrats but Sen. Taylor" as the one amendment added to the bill by the Senate was co-sponsored by Sen. Taylor. From the JS:

An amendment approved by the Senate modifies the spending limit for the board’s budget and would shift four County Board research analysts to the independently elected county comptroller’s staff. It also would shift just one rather than both County Board lobbyists to the control of the county executive.

My response to that amendment? Blerg...

The simple fact is that the Sen. Taylor has little to no reason to support this bill. She has yet to fully explain, in my mind, why she has been so adamantly for this bill, especially when all of her Milwaukee area colleagues have been very opposed. While I have always voiced my support for some governance reforms in Milwaukee County, I have little appetite for those reforms being dictated from the state level, and none when the reforms incude a "referendum" which only serves to cut money from supervisors that has already been slashed in state level legislation.

Sen. Taylor has some very real questions to answer to when it comes to her constituents. Her continued heavy support of school vouchers and campaign funding from the American Federation for Children does much less for progressives to support her campaign for reelection. Add this bill to concealed carry, and other issues where she has decided to go against Milwaukee's Progressive tradition, and you have a candidate ripe for seeing a primary challenge.

Some, notably Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel,  feel like former State Rep. Tamara Grigsby may mount a challenge to Sen. Taylor. Others have mentioned freshman Rep. Mandela Barnes as a possible candidate, but no official announcements have been made by either camp. It should be noted that one of my earliest flirts with blogging was with Blue Cheddar and writing a defense of Sen. Taylor about two years ago. As of now, it will be hard for me to support her again.

What a Day... Experiencing Madison

What a day.

Spent today on a field trip with my students in Madison at our lovely State Capitol. We met with Rep. Mandela Barnes, who represents the area my school is located and cordially invited us to town for a tour. It was crazy tight security today with the Dalai Lama speaking later in the day, but we were lucky to get to the Assembly Chamber and have a brief tour. We also took in the observation deck, which was wonderful for the weather we have been experiencing today.

I'm adamant in not displaying my politics in school or around my students. I'm an old-school teacher who believes in non-disclosure and is there to help students navigate a complex institution, not give my opinions on issues. (That's why I vent on here.) But, my students could clearly see how much I loved being in that building, talking with more than one Legislator who visited with the several school groups in the rotunda, and showing my respect for the institution that is Wisconsin State Government.


Turn to tonight, and how I'm right now watching the Wisconsin State Assembly continue their afternoon session. They are presently taking up issues related to landlords/tenants in AB 183, after having had discussions on a variety of other pieces of legislation today. I love watching our government in action, and am so very happy that elected officials today took some time out of their very, very, very busy day to help my students interact with their government.

Today was a good day.

50,000

As I posted when I first hit 10,00 and again when I hit 20,000 views back in January, and yet again  when I hit 30,000 and 40,000 views. Thank You!

Again and again, I'm surprised that people actually read this thing...

Today I passed 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 views. After launching the "Wisconsin Soap Box" in June 2012, I never would have thought it would happen, especially so soon. (Heck, I never thought I would have keep at it like I have been)

Thank you so much! I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep up with this because of the time involved with my job, my family, and with life in general, but I want to try. I feel it's a good release for my creative side.

Thank you!

Big Day in the Legislature, Including SB 95 In the Senate

Today proves to be a HUGE day in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Aside from the Dali Lama speaking, both the State Senate and Assembly will be in session. It also looks to be the day of reckoning in the State Senate for SB 95 - the Milwaukee County Government reform bill.

I'm still very much opposed to this bill as written, even after having heard and had discussion with other Democrats who are in the Milwaukee County political scene. As I have always maintained, I am not opposed to some reform of Milwaukee County Government, and feel like there should be some things done. However, I don't accept the premise that it is simply the County Board who needs reform and not also the County Executive's office. Furthermore, I abhor these bills for having reforms dictated from the state level down to local governments.

Ultimately I wish that these provisions would be put to a referendum of the county, and not simply a shell referendum about funding which will already have been cut before a single ballot is cast by a county resident. But it all seems moot now, as the bill is very likely to pass. What will be most interesting to me is what State Sen. Lena Taylor will do, now that she has been skewered by both liberal Democrats and given the shaft by Republicans who many feel were only using her to gain legitimacy.

We shall see.