EDUCATION BUDGET CUTS WILL BE CATASTROPHIC
EDUCATION BUDGET CUTS WILL BE CATASTROPHIC
As a retired public school teacher I am alarmed by proposals in budgets at the federal and state level. Layoffs, budget cuts, and attacks on vital programs will make it more difficult to educate our youth. Over 25% of our state budget comes from federal dollars. Cuts to the Department of Education threaten critical funding for over 886,000 students in K-12 schools in Wisconsin. Rural areas will be hit especially hard. Wisconsin has made some progress in funding public school funding. However, we are still short $3,340 per pupil (compared to 2009) to provide adequate funding. This is a sad statement. With Wisconsin’s projected 4 billion surplus this could be the moment we invest in the strong public education system that our children deserve. On the chopping block now is the Medicaid program which provides health care coverage for 38 million children across America. Slashing Medicaid will hurt every student. It provides services of professionals like nurses, counselors, psychologists, and audiologists. School meals and the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) are being threatened. SNAP helps to feed 42 million people; 40% are children and 80% are households with a child, senior adult or a disabled person. Alarmingly, Congress is pushing a budget reconciliation bill that devastates our schools and communities. If they succeed, the domino effects won't just be harmful--they’ll be catastrophic. It is a blueprint for long-term collapse: sick children, hungry students, broken futures--and a society that pays the price for generations. Now is the time to contact your federal and state representatives to show your outrage. Participating in protest events also shows you care. Our children are our future.
