Walker hoping voters have short memories

It is an interesting campaign strategy for Governor Scott Walker. He has proclaimed himself as the education Governor in his race against Tony Evers, a man who has spent his entire life in education. Walker is likely playing defense, and trying to control the message. After all, Walker broke the teachers unions, imposed cuts to public education while voucher schools have flourished. He also has pushed for deep cuts to higher education, and worked to weaken tenure protections for professors at our public colleges and universities. Walker has, likely in an effort to bolster his claim of being an education governor, provided more money for public schools in his most recent budget. Perhaps he is hoping voters have short memories. But here is a fact that can’t be ignored. School districts across the state are increasingly turning to local referendums to raise the money they need to educate our children. This November, voters across the state will be asked to approve local school referendums that total $1.4 billion. That would be a new record. People in 61 of the state’s 421 school districts will be asked to approve more school spending, even if it means higher property taxes. That is in addition to 72 referendums that were on the ballot already this year. And increasingly, these referendums are being approved by voters, who clearly value public education. Walker may call himself the education governor, but that label doesn’t stick for educators throughout the state.