Bob Peterson describes what Scott Walker intends to do to public schools and higher education in Wisconsin. Since he plans to run for the Republican nomination for President, it is important to know his views on education.
He is a zealot for school choice and privatization. He doesn’t like public schools or universities. He thinks that taxpayers should foot the bill for religious education. He believes that the purpose of education is workforce training. He is contemptuous of liberal learning. He is proud of his disdain for free inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge.
Peterson writes:
“Buried within the budget are 135 non-budget policy items — a toxic cocktail of attacks on public education, democracy, environmental protections and labor rights.
“For Wisconsin’s schools, the budget is a blueprint for abandoning public education. In Milwaukee, in addition to insufficient funding, the budget includes a “takeover” plan that increases privatization and decreases democratic control of the city’s public schools.
“The budget was passed by the Republican-controlled Senate a few minutes before midnight Tuesday, with all Democrats and one Republican voting “no.” The Assembly is expected to pass the budget and send it to Walker by the end of the week.
“The attack on the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is in the context of a frontal assault on public education across the state. The budget cuts $250 million from the University of Wisconsin system, holds overall K-12 funding flat in the first year with modest increases in the second (which, given inflation, means cuts). And while programs promoting privately run charters are expanded, the budget eliminates Chapter 220 — a metropolitan-wide program designed to reduce racial segregation in public schools and improve equal opportunity for students of color.
“The budget is also expanding the statewide voucher program, under which tax dollars are funneled into private, overwhelmingly religious schools. (The program is modeled after Milwaukee’s private school voucher program which began in 1990 and which now includes 112 schools and 25,000 students.)”
In a dismal field of GOP candidates, Walker stands out for his anti-intellectualism and contempt for learning.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Scott Walker is a JOKE.
JOKES have been presidents before.
We’ve just recently been through “JOKES have been presidents before” haven’t we Robert??
Needless to say I agree with you!
Vote for Sanders, Duane.
Walker will do whatever the Koch brothers tell him to do. He is a puppet.
Walker might well be the Koch brothers’ puppet, but Wisconsin voters are responsible for electing and then re-electing him to his office. Perhaps some Wisconsin voters could explain why they voted for him and his regressive policies.
1. Intensified turnout in red counties driven by…
2. Walker’s ability as a movement conservative to engage all elements of the GOP coalition.
3. Scapegoating of public employees.
4. Cultural issue messaging.
5. Economic anxiety leading to too much deference to job creating promises authored by corporate sponsors.
Reblogged this on History Chick in AZ and commented:
This is not surprising, but it is bad news for Wisconsin!
Interesting that meanwhile in Pennsylvania our New Democrat Governor, Tom Wolf, just vetoed a Republican budget which does not, as he requested, increase state funding for public schools or tax the frackers to pay for education funding, and vetoed a Republican bill which aimed to “reform” teachers’ pensions by requiring all new hires to have a 401k type plan instead of a pension while cutting benefits of current staff. Wolf’s positions were overwhelmingly popular here, and I continue to wonder how it is that the National Democratic Party doesn’t seize the opportunity to run on Wolf’s education platform against clowns like Walker, et al. Instead, we are stuck mainly with anti-Union, corporate reform wannabees like Obama, Duncan, Cuomo,Melloy, and, I fear, Clinton.
Which is why there is no choice but to support Bernie.
I am so happy that the people of Pennsylvania had the good sense to put Tom Wolf in office. He seems to actually examine issues rather than allowing corporations to have their way. Maybe the cities can recover from Corbett’s “reign of terror.”
Walker has been desimating public education by following ALEC’s handbook page by page since he was first elected as governor in WI. His widening destructive path seems never ending. God help us all if he comes even close to the Presidency. There is no such belief as separation of church and state in his mind.
Does he though, “stand out”?
What are the substantive differences between Walker and Bush?
If I take out vouchers, what are the substantive differences on education between Walker and Obama?
I’m not clear on why Walker is such a Right wing radical w/in the context of the end reform “movement”. Looks pretty mainstream to me, among “movement” leaders.
Walker is a determined bulldozer who is slower to compromise than many politicians. So although there is a lot of overlap in policy between Walker and Bush, Walker has demonstrated a willingness to steamroll over opposition.
In Wisconsin, vouchers are a much bigger factor than charters. We are not able to ignore vouchers as part of Walker’s platform.
Not to mention that Walker and the rest of the GOP Klown Kar are hell bent on privatizing and/or destroying Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA. There is enough of a difference between the parties to be significant; don’t forget the Supreme Court, abortion and other social issues which distinguish the Ds from the Rs. Sadly, when it comes to education, there is not much difference between the 2 parties, though Bernie Sanders is against school privatization. In many of the right wing states ruled by GOPers, abortion has almost been nullified or eliminated.
VOTE FOR BERNIE SANDERS, Y’ALL ! ! ! ! !
Walker hates education because he himself is not educated. He wants to dumb everything down. But, I have met smart people who have no college degrees. So, therefore, I classify Walker as a fool. How in the world did this fool get the governorship twice? Very, very bizarre and sad. I feel very sorry for the citizens of his state. I don’t have it any better though. Dictator John Kasich is my governor. He hates teachers too.
They ALL hate teachers, except maybe for Jerry Brown and three others.
And that is why I marched in Madison!
The American Prospect is a magazine with which i have just become familiar It is SUPERB. This last issue, summer issue has several articles concerning low paying jobs and unions. One has to do with charter schools and unions, another with adjunct professors and unions. Scholarly, I am intrigued. HIGHLY recommend these articles plus ones in the previous month’s issue. .
Scott Walker, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, officially announces his presidential candidacy today. Where is that bottle of syrup of ipecac just when you need it most?
Perhaps cyanide would be more in order?
Wow…this place has really become pretty unbearable….
IN “MY DAY” EDUCATION WAS A “MUST” / I WAS A DEPRESSION CHILD BUT MY PARENTS MADE CERTAIN THAT I GO TO SCHOOL PROPERLY CLOTHED AND RESPECTFUL TO THE TEACHERS….EDUCATION WAS A MUST!