A continuing obstruction of Governor Evers' proposals - who wins?
On 2nd June Wisconsin's Republican Legislature continued what has become a recent pattern of questionable decisions as it slashed a number of line items from the next state budget. It pointed to Covid relief funding that the state has received, suggesting that this should be used to plug the holes left by its cuts. In response the US Department of Education has since warned that such moves could endanger the $1.5 billion in federal funds previously slated for schools.
The move begs the question over what the motives could possibly be for such decisions. Most troubling, it seems to reflect an ongoing pattern whereby the Legislature acts with impunity and in a way that seems to reflect disdain for the governor and a blatant disregard for the needs of the citizens they were elected to serve.
The budget line items removed by the committee are not inconsequential:
- $40 million in forgivable loans for residents to replace lead water pipes
- $28 million to expand workforce training programs
- $15 million to start upgrades to the state’s outdated unemployment system
- $20 million for food pantries to purchase products made in Wisconsin
The same legislators responsible for these cuts had previously used the federal funds intended to benefit Wisconsin school districts as justification to cut requests for additional school funding - this has put the $1.5 billion of federal funding at risk.
Source: Twitter
A pattern of destructive behavior from the GOP
The budget cuts made by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee are a recent example of questionable behavior on the part of the GOP leadership.
On May 25th representatives of the Wisconsin Legislature opened and immediately ended a session that had been set up to debate expansion of the Badger Care initiative. The debate had been called for by state Governor Evers and would prospectively have brought health coverage to 90,000 additional low-income state residents and an additional $1.6 billion in federal funds over the next two years to aid in recovery from the pandemic.
Instead of debating the initiative thoroughly (or even superficially), Republicans who control both chambers of the Legislature opened and promptly closed the session within ten seconds, refusing to debate it (as they'd effectively indicated would happen).
The result - citizens of Wisconsin lost out on much-needed funding.
The effects of the pandemic on education
Kids, teachers and parents would all likely agree that the effects of the pandemic on the education of our children has been significant. Schools quickly had to embrace new methods of teaching remotely, often using technology that hadn't been used previously. Kids have had to adapt to learning in a distraction-filled home environment and many parents have had to balance working at home with trying to help their kids to learn.
Various studies have identified common difficulties by pupils trying to adapt to homeschooling including distraction, a lack of motivation, technical issues (including a lack of adequate home computers and internet access) and a loss of social interaction.
Many parents have reported that in trying to help their kids remain on track, they feel that their own work has suffered either as a result of competing pressures on their time and out of the frustration of trying to help their kids remain focused. Many also feel guilty for not being better equipped to support their kids.
Aside from the logistical disruptions, an ongoing study of school-aged kids in the UK shows the effects on measures of well-being remain significant. It has found that students' feelings of worth, happiness and life-satisfaction have remained at some of the lowest levels recorded since March 2020. Many respondents also reported feelings of anxiety as a result of prolonged home-schooling.
All things point to a need for schools to get back to in-person teaching as soon as possible, something that Republicans in the Legislature have been keen to bring forwards by tying the allocation of additional funds to in-person teaching. The challenge is in how and when this can be done safely.
As was witnessed in September 2020 when kids returned to school in Wisconsin after the summer vacation, if the virus is still spreading and the vaccine rollout hasn't yet reached critical mass of coverage, we run the risk of opening and then closing again frequently which is perhaps more disruptive to kids' learning.
Getting back to normal - the cost
Few are in any doubt - as soon as we can safely get kids back in the classroom, the better it will be for everyone. But this has to be done safely and when the time is right.
In New York for example, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that from the fall, all New York schools will re-open fully with no remote learning options being offered to students. It comes as welcome news for many, both the kids who've struggled to engage with home schooling and also for the parents who've found it difficult to assist their kids as surrogate teachers.
The move is seen as timely but also as necessarily cautious as the vaccine rollout progresses well across the nation. Statistics reported by the New York Times suggest that at the current pace, by October around 85% of the nation could be fully vaccinated, which would be equivalent to the entire population aged 12 and over.
While none of the current vaccines are currently approved for children under 12, this would seem to offer tentative hope that the vaccine rollout and immunity developed by those who've had COVID-19 will mean that herd-immunity is reached and schools can open safely.
To make this return to school happen safely across the nation, schools are going to need access to appropriate funding so they can help kids catch up academically, and so that they can recoup the costs incurred during Covid lockdown.
Hopefully the rather questionable decision made by the Wisconsin Legislature can be revisited for the benefit of the kids of Wisconsin (and the parents and teachers too) so that the schools of the state receive the funding they so-sorely need.