Trump taps SC Gov Haley and charter school backer DeVos
“Betsy DeVos has been a driving force for the privatization of our public schools,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. [Associated Press]
Education
Wisconsin school-choice supporters cheer DeVos pick
AFC spent almost $5 million on Wisconsin elections alone since 2010, according to liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which railed against DeVos. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Why Would an Arkansas Billionaire Write Dan Feyen a $1,000 Check?
While Jim Walton almost certainly never met Dan Feyen, it seems he’s acquainted with his willingness to sell out public schools to help private voucher schools.
Private School Voucher Special Interest Group Tops $1 Million in Campaign Spending to Elect Compliant Legislators
American Federation For Children Spends Big to Try to Elect Legislators Who’ll Keep Public Tax Dollars Flowing to Less Accountable Private Schools
Unaccountable Private School Voucher Backers Up the Ante With Six Figure TV Ad Buy to Boost Rep. Todd Novak in 51st Assembly District Race
American Federation for Children will spend whatever it takes to try to keep legislators in office who’ll keep tax dollars flowing to private voucher schools.
Dan Feyen Thinks Schools Don’t Deserve More Funding
A review of the impacts to schools in Senate District 18 reveals kids and taxpayers are paying the price for the destructive education policies Feyen supports.
Luther Olsen on Education: Trying to Have His Cake and Eat It, Too
Sen. Luther Olsen claims to support education, but his track record tells a different story and local schools are paying the price.
WEAC: New style of vouchers ‘back-door scheme’ to defund public schools
Scot Ross [said] Republican lawmakers “are willing to sell out our public schools” in exchange for campaign donations from pro-voucher supporters. [Wisconsin State Journal]
New Private School Voucher Scheme Surfaces as Pro-Voucher Front Group Spending to Elect Republican Legislators Tops $500,000
A media report details a new scheme to divert public education funding and state tax dollars to unaccountable private voucher schools.
Private Voucher School Front Group Reports Spending $500,000 in September Alone to Buy Pro-Voucher Legislature
The front group for special interests seeking to divert state money to private voucher schools hit the air in its latest attempt to elect legislative allies.
Sen. Tom Tiffany Gets His Payoff for Voting to Send Northwoods Tax Dollars to Private Voucher Schools
Special Interest Private School Voucher Group American Federation For Children to Drop $230,000 On TV Ads Backing Their Man, Tom Tiffany
Ross And Esenberg Discuss New Report On Act 10
Scot Ross refuted a report that found there have been few impacts on the state's education workforce since the act's passage. [Wisconsin Public Television]
GOP insider Rick Graber to lead Bradley Foundation
"He certainly checks Bradley's biggest boxes," said Scot Ross, head of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, which closely tracks the foundation. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Walker Denies Legal Counsel to Agency Sued by His Campaign Chair’s Legal Fund
Gov. Walker is denying legal counsel to a state agency because the lawsuit was brought by his campaign chair’s legal fund.
One Billion Dollars in Cuts to K-12 Public Schools … And Counting
Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature have cut over $1 billion from K-12 public schools since taking office.
Private Schools Line Up for Public Cash Through Unaccountable School Voucher Program
More private schools are seeking to cash in with public tax dollars during the 2016-17 school year through the unaccountable school voucher program.
Right-Wing Bradley Foundation Spent $108M to Privatize Public Education
A major new report from One Wisconsin Institute finds that the Bradley Foundation spent more than $108 million to privatize public schools in Wisconsin. [Diane Ravitch]
Gov. Walker’s Campaign Co-Chair Terms Attack on Public Ed. in Wisconsin an ‘Accomplishment’
Michael Grebe called draining hundreds of millions in public tax dollars away from public schools for unaccountable private schools an “accomplishment.”
Bradley Foundation’s Radical Education Privatization Campaign Rolls On
Updated research exposing the right-wing Bradley Foundation’s spending over $108 million in support of education privatization from provides some answers.
One Wisconsin Now Statements on John Matthews Retirement Announcement
Every community in Wisconsin has been served by John Matthews' tireless and always inventive fight for public schools, students, teachers and parents.
State Senator Chris Kapenga Endorses Barring A Muslim From Being Elected President While Using Tax Dollars to Support Islamic Religious Schools
In Kapenga’s mind it’s fine to spend tax dollars for kids to get an Islamic religious education while telling them they shouldn't be allowed to be President.
State superintendent would be appointed by governor under Republican proposal
"Having failed to win at the ballot box or in the courts these power hungry Republicans now want to change the Wisconsin Constitution to get their way," said One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross. [Capital Times]
Republicans’ Latest Power Grab: Appoint Superintendent of Public Instruction Instead of Allowing Voters to Elect Education Chief
In yet another power grab, state legislative Republicans today are proposing to take away the selection of the state Superintendent of Public Instruction from voters.
Report: Property taxes, rates drop in southeastern Wisconsin
Republicans have repeatedly cut general fund support to K-12 schools and the UW System to pay for tax breaks disproportionately benefiting the wealthy and corporations. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Unaccountable Private School Voucher Program a Billion Dollar Boondoggle Under Gov. Walker and Republican Legislature
A new analysis finds that under Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature, taxpayers will have to foot a $1.18 billion plus tab for the private school voucher program by the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year.
Gov. Scott Walker’s Education Speech Debacle
The bumbling run of Gov. Scott Walker for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination stumbled on yesterday with a speech on education in New Hampshire.
Walker scores big with Koch brothers, other wealthy donors in informal poll
Liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which opposes school vouchers, described the makeup of the task force as being “packed” with voucher supporters, executive director Scot Ross said in a statement. The group pointed to $20,000 in campaign contributions that went to the GOP members of the committee from pro-voucher groups. [Wisconsin State Journal]
The Reality of Scott Walker’s Record on K-12 Education
Gov. Scott Walker’s education policies would earn him an F grade from anyone concerned with quality public education. In his first budget, Walker enacted the largest per student K-12 education cuts in the nation.
Assembly Speaker Packs New Education Task Force With School Privatization Lackeys
A newly created “task force on urban education” features members who have benefitted from campaign contributions and heavy spending by pro-private school voucher special interests.
Will Assembly GOP Allow Raid on Public Education to Benefit Unaccountable Private School Voucher Program?
Will the State Assembly give approval to a scheme to raid funds directly from K-12 public schools to fund an unlimited and unaccountable private school voucher program in the state budget?
GOP-Led State Senate Set to Launch Massive Raid on K-12 Public School Funding to Support Unaccountable Private Voucher Schools
The private school voucher industry has poured millions of dollars into buying a friendly legislature that won’t demand accountability from the voucher program.
Sen. Ron Johnson Panders on Pet Project of Wisconsin Money Badger Michael Grebe
Add U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson to the list of politicians seeking to feed at the education privatization cartel’s trough.
A valuable lesson in Gov. Scott Walker’s education record
Wisconsin is 35th in the nation in job creation, dead last in the Midwest, and our middle class is shrinking. Wisconsin is divided as never before and in desperate search for leadership that brings us back together. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
A Valuable Lesson in Gov. Scott Walker’s Education Record
The teachable moment is that behind every "bold" claim by Walker is a very different, cold, hard truth. It's a lesson the school children of Wisconsin know only too well.
Privatization
From educating our children to incarcerating criminals and everything in between Scott Walker is willing to outsource public functions to private contractors.
K-12 Education
Gov. Scott Walker’s education policies would earn him an F grade from anyone concerned with quality public education
A Move To Eliminate Teacher Standards in Wisconsin
The Republicans want to take the skilled, licensed, qualified teachers out of the classroom and replace them with whoever walks down the street, basically, and turns in a resume. [Public News Service]
Will College Dropout Gov. Scott Walker Sign Budget Measure to Allow High School Dropouts to Teach in Wisconsin?
An amendment to the 2015 state budget adopted by the Republican controlled Joint Committee on Finance in the middle of the night would eliminate almost all standards for teachers.
Pro-Voucher Donors Get Their Way
It’s pretty clear what’s happening here. The voucher industry has spent lavishly to install compliant politicians in positions of power. And they’re paying their back their political cronies.
Wisconsin Republicans’ education bill tinkers with funding, policy, vouchers and more
Legislative Republicans are literally proposing to launder money for private voucher schools through our public schools with their latest scheme,. [Capital Times]
Republican School Funding Scheme Launders Money for Unaccountable Private Voucher Schools
A new Republican scheme to funnel money to the unaccountable private school voucher program appears to be taking shape, and it looks a lot like money laundering.
Scott Walker to Unaccountable Private Voucher Schools: ‘Let the Good Times Roll’
Back home in Wisconsin it’s “let the good times roll” for the unaccountable voucher program as Republican politicians consider Walker’s scheme for further statewide expansion.
The Foundations of Scott Walker’s Agenda: Bradley and Koch
On issues like public education and the environment the foundations of Scott Walker’s agenda are not us. Instead he’s is shilling for right-wing billionaires and their foundations to advance his own political ambitions.
Wisconsin school voucher expansion remains possible while accountability bill flounders
Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, called the program "the gold standard for failure and lack of accountability." [Capital Times]
Twenty-Five Years of School Privatization, Twenty-Five Years of Failure
On its silver anniversary, the Wisconsin school privatization experiment is the gold standard for failure and lack of accountability. But that won’t stop its champions like the Bradley-funded propaganda machine.
Assembly Speaker Vos Goes Soft on Accountability for Taxpayer Funded Private Voucher Schools
Speaker Robin Vos is rescinding his promise Assembly Republicans would pass an accountability bill to protect taxpayers and students against poorly-performing privatized schools.
Wisconsin Walker’s shopping tale doesn’t mention taxpayer millions
“If you look at the Walker record, it has been cuts to infrastructure like public education to fund a trickle-down economic agenda that hasn’t worked,” said Mike Browne, deputy executive director of One Wisconsin Now. [Bloomberg News]
Corporate WISTAX Attacks Wages with Industry-Paid Junk Science Report
The conservative, pro-corporate Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance has joined the fight to reduce wages for hard-working Wisconsinites by authoring "junk science" propaganda.
Thiesfeldt calls open meetings complaint ‘frivolous’
The complaint, filed this week by One Wisconsin Now, alleges Thiesfeldt violated state open government laws, when a committee he chairs held a meeting without notice. [Wisconsin Radio Network]
Wisconsin Assembly committee vote on school accountability bill postponed
Shortly before Thiesfeldt announced his plan to postpone the hearing, the liberal group One Wisconsin Now criticized him for what it says was a violation of open meetings law. [Capital Times]