Public Instruction Secretary Should Prioritize Education Spending

By Senator Grothman

April 23, 2008

Sometime in the next month the legislature will try to deal with a $652 million shortfall.  This shortfall is caused by Wisconsin families paying less income tax and less sales tax than was anticipated just 5 months ago – people have less money.  One would think that as we discuss a new hospital tax, raids from the transportation fund (despite more potholes than we have had in years), or just delaying payments of state obligations until next year, that government officials would finally decide to behave more frugally. 

Unfortunately this Monday, DPI secretary Elizabeth Burmaster, decided to send out $3 million in new grants encouraging 32 more school districts to start up new 4 year-old kindergarten programs.  This of course is not only a substantial increase in state funding but will inevitably result in big property tax increases state wide as over 4,000 new children are added to our schools.  While the exact increase is not clear an estimate of around $15 millions dollars can be expected.

Secretary Burmaster repeats the same old line that “communities want and need financial support to improve services for 4 year olds”.  We are not talking about poor disadvantaged children.  They are usually taken care of by a Federal program called Head Start.  Well-off suburban district such as Port Washington, Ashwaubenon, and St. Croix Falls are adding this new program.  The number of children in this program has more than doubled in the last seven years.  This year will be the largest increase of all.  It should also be pointed out that during the last thirteen years virtually every school district in the state has gone from half-day kindergarten to full-day kindergarten. 

With such dramatic increase in the last few years the State Department of Public Instruction should be doing studies to see if these past increases have had any affect on test scores. There are plenty of demographically similar districts that could be compared with each other.  National studies are inconclusive at best.   While it is well-known that American schools under perform on international tests, it has been repeatedly shown that American students do just fine in elementary school.  Problems in American schools happen in middle and high schools.  Our students start school ready to learn.  It is understandable that the teachers union will always push for the solutions that lead to the most new jobs and having the government care for younger and younger children will result in lots of new jobs. Questioning the methodology used in the middle and high schools will not necessarily result in spending more dollars and will require more self-examination by the education establishment which is not always easy or pleasant. 

Given the high tax burden in the state, as well as claims by members of the education establishment that they have been cutting other programs, there should either be no increase in 4 year old kindergarten to save the taxpayers money or Elizabeth Burmaster ought to be lobbying to spend the additional tax money to prevent cuts in other areas. 

It’s sometime said that mothers today all work and this is the reason 4 year-old kindergarten is necessary.  Studies I have seen indicate half of young mothers stay at home, work part-time or leave children with extended family.  Many of these mothers like taking care of their own children and to put these children in the care of the government should be questioned.  Sadly, on a national level some politicians are pushing for more federal involvement in this area as well. 

Elizabeth Burmaster should delay these payments until the state legislature decides how to deal with the shortfall.