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Friday, March 05, 2010

Pretending to Care

You know… Doyle has been governor for seven years.  He didn’t show any interest at all in reforming MPS until Obama dangled some money in front of him.  The MPS board also hasn’t shown any interest in reforming MPS.  Nor the legislature… not the mayor… methinks that all of their current carping is more about them not getting to spend a bunch of federal dollars than it is about helping the kids of Milwaukee. 

Wisconsin’s failure to make it past the first cut in the national competition for $4.35 billion to improve schools launched a volley of finger-pointing Thursday between the governor, legislators and interest groups.

Gov. Jim Doyle criticized the state Legislature for not acting on reform measures the governor wanted in the state’s application for the federal Race to the Top grant competition, namely allowing mayoral control of Milwaukee Public Schools and giving the state Department of Public Instruction enhanced powers to intervene in struggling schools.

He also criticized the MPS board for inaction on critical issues, including its inability to come up with its own reform agenda for drastically improving educational outcomes for children.

“Today’s announcement should be a wake-up call to many,” Doyle said Thursday. “U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has made it clear: The federal government will provide significant resources to states that are serious about reform. Milwaukee needs clear, consistent, accountable leadership focused on reform.”

(9) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0748 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Pretending to Care

    Oh, I thought you were talking about the GOP on health care reform.  Nevermind.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1010 hrs


  2. So, increasing insurance costs (either directly, or through taxation) for everyone, is caring about “health care” now?

    You’re an idiot.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1039 hrs


  3. Show me the independent proof that insurance costs (either directly, or through taxation) will increase for everyone.

    You’re an ignoramus.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1043 hrs


  4. Perhaps Talgo can open a Train Conductor School here in Milwaukee to ease the pain of this.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1058 hrs


  5. Some interesting points were made in another location when Minnesota also failed to make the first cut.

    Historically, Minnesota has been at the forefront in pro-active school reform, for better or worse. But it failed to make the first cut in Race to the Top, even though its grant propsal addressed all of the key points that President Obama had outlined in what he wished to accomplish. Governor Tim Pawlenty (R), cited the disconnect between teh administration and the state teachers’ union on some of the points of the proposal, particularly merit pay. Interesting how the need for the union to be on board being a key part of the awarding of the grant was not addressed by Governor Doyle.

    Anyway, if you look at the list of states that DID make the cut, they seem to all be swing states or in which the President has a vested interest (DC and Illinois).

    It will be interesting to see how many of the final awardees are states in which the Dems have a chance to steal a seat…

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1313 hrs


  6. so apparently if we don’t want to socialize 1/6 of the american economy, we are only pretending to care…

    sounds like useless rhetoric…

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1341 hrs


  7. Gee George, maybe if you had half a brain and could use some logic, you would be able to see the end result of legislation that:

    A) required insurance companies to insure everyone, regardless of how much it will cost them.
    B) “forces” people to buy insurance through those companies with fines that are approximately 10% the cost of actually carrying insurance…thereby letting people get away with only buying insurance when they get sick…
    C) subsidizing the people that won’t be able to afford insurance (that’s the part where taxes come in).

    Of course.  I expect you’ve never actually used logic in your life…don’t hurt yourself trying.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1424 hrs


  8. The article in reference (not health care) made me scream this morning. Our state legislatures sit around and talk about all sorts of stuff but not how to improve public school systems.  I am sorry but when the state and federal government requires schools to do things like teach in a child’s language (madison has 63 different languages to accommodate), provide services to every limitation imagined, (in my one elementary school we have 2 kids that cost the school district over 750,000 a piece in therapies and special ed services (required by law), and the low income ratio has gone from 25% to 45% in this district over a 15 year period yet funds are cut…...I am sorry Doyle and all the Republican voucher people…..our kids, our future needs you to find a different way to fund public education because the current system does not work for urban communities.  I know, send them to private schools and that will solve all the problems.  Doyle and the state legislatures need to work on a solution other than waiting for some scraps from the federal government.  It is time to put up.  This system does not work.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 05, 2010 at 1559 hrs


  9. George is an “ignoranus” for obvious reasons.

    George: what government handout program has stayed within projected costs…..EVER.

    For a “Smart Guy”, you really aren’t, are you?

    Posted by Steve on March 06, 2010 at 0004 hrs


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