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Democrats say Scott Walker cherry-picked data for State of the State address

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Wisconsin’s Democratic leaders issued a flurry of statements, analyses and rebuttals in response to Gov. Scott Walker’s annual State of the State address. Many questioned his cherry-picking of economic data, blasted Walker-backed policies promoting secrecy and cronyism, and illuminated gaps in the speech’s coverage.

State of the State video responses from Sen. Shilling and other Democratic caucus members can be viewed and downloaded here. Below is a written compilation of several Democratic reactions, beginning with the Democratic Party’s televised official response from Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca:

From Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha

During his speech tonight, Governor Walker offered nothing more than Band-Aid proposals that are anemic and weak compared to the significant challenges we face.
 
The numbers are staggering.
 
In 2015, roughly 10,000 hardworking Wisconsinites received layoff notices, the highest single-year total since the governor took office. Wisconsin still ranks in the bottom third for job growth and worst in the Midwest, and our middle class is shrinking faster than any other state. We rank third-worst for student loan debt and our roads are also third-worst in the nation. And Republicans have cut $1 billion from public K-12 schools since 2010.
 
Wisconsin should be a leader; however, under Republicans we are falling behind. When I travel the state I hear people say we should invest in our public schools, level the playing field for the middle class, promote good-paying jobs and invest in our roads and bridges.
 
The truth is the State of our State is being neglected by Republicans putting their own needs above the needs of everyday Wisconsinites.
 
Last year, legislative Republicans turned their backs on Wisconsin’s interests in order to help Governor Walker in his failed run for president.
 
The Republican agenda included:

  • Shifting $800 million from public schools to unaccountable private voucher schools over the next decade;
  • A quarter billion dollar cut to our world-class university system;
  • Driving down wages for hardworking families;
  • And rejecting federal funding that would have meant health care coverage for tens of thousands more of our citizens.

This past fall, Republicans opened Wisconsin for corruption with an agenda designed to consolidate their own power and enrich the special interest groups bankrolling their campaigns. Perhaps most egregious was their late-night, secretive effort to dismantle our open records laws so they could hide their actions from the public.
 
It is clear after that Republicans cannot be trusted to do the right thing for the people of Wisconsin.
 
The difference between Democrats and Republicans at this juncture could not be clearer. My Democratic colleagues and I have made growing our economy and rebuilding the middle class our top priorities.
 
Our “Economic Opportunity Agenda” would help create good-paying jobs, close the skills gap by connecting workers with available jobs, increase wages and make us more competitive in a global economy. Our “Bring Back the Middle Class” package would boost retirement security and provide relief from high child-care costs and student debt.
 
Today alone on the Assembly floor, Democrats voted for proposals that would ensure significant investments in our public schools and affordable health care coverage for tens of thousands of Wisconsinites that, incidentally, would save Wisconsin taxpayers more than $300 million over the next two years. Democrats also voted for much-needed relief for more than a million student loan borrowers and equal pay protections for women in the workplace.

Sadly, Republicans rejected every single one of these bills.
 
Yet even in the face of Republicans’ inaction on these important issues and their betrayal of your trust and your interests, I believe the State of the People of Wisconsin is resilient.
 
I am inspired every day by the hardworking men and women who make up the fabric of our state. Wisconsin is in need of bold action for our workers and middle-class families and Democrats are ready to lead.
 
As Republicans continue to stack the deck against ordinary Wisconsinites and obscure their harmful agenda with election-year distractions, Democrats are focused on leveling the playing field and rebuilding the middle class the Republican agenda has hurt so deeply.
 
You can trust Democrats to restore opportunity and grow wages for ordinary, hardworking people.
 
You can trust Democrats to work to rebuild a strong middle class.
 
You can trust Democrats to grow an economy that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.
 
While legislative Republicans pursue an agenda focused on helping special interests and their own self-interests, legislative Democrats will continue to advocate for the people’s agenda in 2016 and beyond – but we need your help.
 
One of the proudest moments of 2015 was when you rose up and demanded the Republicans end their assault on open records. Your hard work and advocacy forced Republicans to back down, and you can do it again.
 
I encourage you to talk to your neighbors, friends and families about the direction our state is headed. Become engaged and make your voice heard. Together, we can put Wisconsin back on the right track and make sure the State of our State is stronger for all our citizens.
 
Thank you for watching, and as always, my fellow Wisconsinites, Forward!

From Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-LaCrosse

Over the last five years, we’ve seen deep cuts that have limited economic growth, stifled innovation and denied thousands of families the opportunity to get ahead. Democrats continue to believe that the best way to move our state forward is by restoring investments in our schools, infrastructure and worker training programs. 

When it comes to the challenges facing our state, we need solutions, not sound bites. Placing more students in unpaid internships isn’t going to help the nearly one million Wisconsinites burdened by $19 billion in student loan debt. It’s time to follow the lead of other states like Minnesota and allow families to refinance their student debt at a lower interest rate just like you can with home and auto loans.

Democrats remain committed to creating a childcare tax credit for working families, supporting new jobs through infrastructure investments and expanding retirement security options for hardworking residents. With Gov. Walker’s presidential bid behind us, it’s time to look forward at ways we can improve our state and rebuild our middle class.

From Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh

1.     The truth behind Wisconsin’s workforce numbers

CLAIM: “We have at least according to two of the statistics from the federal government, the highest number of people last year working in the last 20 years.”

(http://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/state-of-the-state-preview) 1/17/16

In May of 2010, Wisconsin had 3,074,000 people in the labor force (BLS).  In May of 2015, Wisconsin had 3,076,000 people in the labor force. The labor force growth rate over the past 5 years is an anemic 0.01%. Compare that to the growth of Indiana (.41%), Iowa (.31%), and Minnesota (.61%) over the same time period.

CLAIM: “We’re one of the top 10 states in terms of the percentage of people in the work force.” (http://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/state-of-the-state-preview) 1/17/16

This is not significant or new in any meaningful way. Wisconsin has typically had a higher labor participation rate than the rest of the U.S. going back to 1990. And it was higher than it is now under Governor Jim Doyle. Regionally, it has been higher than all neighboring states except Iowa and Minnesota.  

What is significant is that Wisconsin’s labor participation rate has dropped nearly 6 percentage points since 1995, exceeding all but Indiana and Michigan. This reflects that Wisconsin’s labor force as a percentage of population appears to be shrinking faster than most of our neighboring states.

2.     Low unemployment + slow job growth ≠ successful economic measure

CLAIM: “A recent revised report from the federal government shows that the unemployment rate in Wisconsin is the lowest it has been since the spring of 2001.”

Wisconsin does have low unemployment by almost any measure, although not as low as 15 other states.

So how can our unemployment rate be so low if our job creation rate is so bad?

The answer is that Wisconsin is losing workers at nearly every age level over the prime working years, with more people moving out of the state than are moving in. And the people who are moving out are predominantly 20-to-50 year olds. Had Wisconsin’s population growth stayed at the level consistent with our neighboring states growth rates, we would have had an additional 46,000 state residents 16 and over.  Our low unemployment rate is in part the product of workers who are choosing to leave the state for work.  (http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/mcgee/Jobs_or_Unemployment.pdf)

3. Job numbers need context

CLAIM: “The 16,600 new jobs created in the month of October is the best monthly jobs gain since April of 1992 and the best October since at least 1990.” And the 45,100 new private sector jobs added October over October is statistically significant.”

It is interesting that the Governor chose to tout October jobs in December, after the newer November numbers had been released.  The 12-month growth in November was nearly 13,000 jobs less than October’s 32,400 and trailed neighboring states. A classic example of cherry-picking.

4. “New businesses” that don’t actually exist.

CLAIM: “There has also been a net increase of over 43,000 new businesses.”

Governor Walker is referencing the number of newly registered “business entities”. However, many of these entities have no employees at all, and never will.  According to Politifact, that is because the Governor’s numbers also include non-profits such as youth groups, recreational athletic leagues, and home associations. It also includes thousands of limited-liability companies only set up to function as holding companies, startups, and out-of-state companies that register as a placeholder in case they were to do business in Wisconsin in the future.

5.  Chief Executive Magazine

CLAIM: Chief Executive Magazine today ranked Wisconsin the “12th Best State for Business” in its annual survey of CEOs, an increase of two spots over the 2014 ranking, and a significant increase since 2010, when the state ranked 41st.”

Business leaders were asked to grade states with which they are familiar on a variety of competitive metrics that CEOs themselves regard as critical. These include: 1) taxation and regulation; 2) quality of workforce; and 3) living environment. The tax and regulatory grade includes a measure of how CEOs grade a state’s attitude toward business, a key indicator. “

One of the State Advocate CEOs for Chief Executive.Net Magazine is none other than Diane Hendricks, Chairman of Hendricks Holding, Beloit, WI.  Forbes Magazine estimated Hendricks’ March net worth at $2.8 billion. Hendricks and her husband, Kenneth, built ABC Supply. She became chairman of the company after her husband died in 2007. The company posts annual revenue of more than $4 billion.

She was also Scott Walker’s largest donor, and yet owed no state income tax in 2010.

In Summary, the rankings include “a measure of how CEOs grade a state’s attitude toward business, a key indicator.” In this case, how Diane Hendricks, Governor Walker’s largest donor perceives things to be in Wisconsin.

6.  K-12 education: taking credit from decades of investment

CLAIMS:  “Schools are doing better.”            

“High school graduation rates are up again — now ranking third in the nation.”                       

“Reading/Math scores are up in fourth and eighth grades.”

“ACT scores are second best in the nation.”

Most 2015 Wisconsin high school graduates started school in 2000 or 2001. Fourth graders started school in 2008 or 2009.  Eighth graders started school in 2004 or 2005.  The point is that the achievement at any of these levels is not a snapshot of momentary success.  It is the product of investments made in public education in our state over time.

Under Governor Walker and Republicans, K-12 GPR School Aids have lost more than $1 Billion ($1.05 Billion).  Recent cuts in state education spending, no matter how damaging, take years to work their way through the system as students moved from grade to grade.

Wisconsin is just beginning to feel the effects of Act 10 as there are fewer teachers, fewer students enrolling in teaching programs and a reduction in education licensing. 

7.  The UW System: When less is actually less.

CLAIM: “For the first time in University of Wisconsin history, in-state tuition is frozen at all UW campuses for four years in a row. That makes college more affordable for our students and working families.”

The UW System has lost $795 million in state aid since Governor Walker became Governor. In the strongest national economy in a decade, Governor Walker and the Republican Legislature cut $250 million in the most recent budget from our UW system. These cuts will lead to fewer courses offered and longer graduation times.  And the low morale is leading to high faculty turnover as talented professors leave for other states. 

From WisDems Chair Martha Laning

Democrats were hoping to hear Governor Scott Walker outline a plan to work across the aisle to solve the challenges Wisconsinites face each day. Unfortunately, Gov. Walker gave an election year speech focused on spinning a failed agenda rubber-stamped by his Republican-controlled legislature instead of a plan to increase opportunity for citizens in every corner of our state.

Wisconsin Republicans have spent the last five years on an agenda that decreased family incomes and shrunk the middle class. Local schools are struggling to do more with less in the face of budget cuts, our roads and bridges continue to deteriorate, and mass layoffs just hit a five-year high.

If Republicans are ready to listen to concerns of Wisconsin families instead of focusing on their self-interests, Democrats are ready and willing to help lead on an agenda focused on growth, innovation, and opportunity.  

After a year of missed opportunities, it’s time to return to basic Wisconsin values and make sure that those who pay their fair share and play by the rules will have an opportunity to succeed and get ahead. Our state deserves an economy that works for everyone, not just millionaires and billionaires.

 From Jonathan Brostoff, D-Milwaukee

Wisconsin is 32nd — dead last in the Midwest — in private-sector job growth over the past four years. It was reported recently that layoff notices in Wisconsin topped 10,000 in 2015, the highest single-year total since Governor Walker took office. In sharp contrast, the Democratic agenda features job creation, wage growth, and other efforts to rebuilding the middle class as our top priorities. 

In his State of the State speech, our governor failed to mention the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), his privatization scheme, which has been plagued by outsourcing, corruption, and allegations of pay-to-play while failing to create jobs. Democrats have put forward a plan for a job creation agency that would be fully accountable and help entrepreneurs.

Tonight, Governor Walker spoke of his plan to address student debt, but it falls comically short of where our state needs it. Wisconsin is third-worst in the nation in student loan debt, yet Walker’s plan would provide relief to a mere 3% of Wisconsinites who need it. The Democratic plan allows people to refinance their student loans just like a mortgage or car payment, a common-sense plan supported by the vast majority of Wisconsinites. 

Republicans have been actively tearing down our state’s public, higher education system, disregarding the many Wisconsinites who depend on it. This included massive cuts to our technical colleges and a total loss of $795 million in state aid to the University of Wisconsin System under Walker and Republicans.

It should be no surprise our governor is out of touch with Wisconsin’s needs. During his failed presidential campaign, he spent approximately 48 minutes per day doing state business. Still, he blamed his gubernatorial duties, which he was elected to do, for his campaign’s failure. Democrats know that we need to listen to our constituents and respond to their concerns all the time, not just when it’s politically convenient.

Governor Walker is not on Wisconsin’s side, so I am very concerned about the State of Our State.

From Rep. Mandela Barnes, D-Milwaukee

While Gov. Walker and Wisconsin Republicans claim there’s a Wisconsin ‘comeback,’ more and more Wisconsinites are falling further behind under their willful ignorance and neglectful watch. 

The governor himself said that ‘we need to think more about the next generation than just about the next election.’ If that were true, we would have heard about the tragic epidemic of gun violence ravaging our communities. We would have heard how deep cuts have devastated our local public schools, and how too many students are drowning in debt due to our crushing student loan debt crisis. We would have heard about how families have been shattered by the lack of access to good paying jobs, so that they can put food on their tables and provide basic necessities for their loved ones.

We have serious problems to solve, and we need people serious about doing their jobs and serious solutions to fix them. I will continue to fight for a brighter future and better opportunities for families in Milwaukee and across the state.  This means standing strong for our values and fighting for safe neighborhoods, healthy children, strong local public schools, real student loan debt relief, and opportunities for workers to provide for their families.

From Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee

Just like he failed Milwaukee County as the Milwaukee County Executive, Governor Scott Walker has failed to lead Wisconsin. Last year, Governor Walker was so focused on trying to get elected to his next job that he failed to do the job he was elected to. Tonight, Governor Walker should’ve just said two simple words to the entire state; ‘I’m sorry.’

In tonight’s State of the State address, Governor Walker should’ve apologized for saying Wisconsin is open for business while ushering in a 5-year high of private sector layoffs. Governor Walker should’ve also apologized for saying we should transform education, yet making the largest cuts to public education in the history of Wisconsin that led to poor literacy rates and a drastic drop in ACT scores. Finally, Governor Walker should’ve apologized for failing to focus on running Wisconsin’s government, which led to financial abuse at WEDC and physical abuse at Lincoln Hills.

Tonight, the state of our state can be summed up in one word; neglected.

From Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison

During this entire legislative session, Governor Walker and legislative Republicans have shown that their priorities are protecting their own political careers, not the people of this state.  Time and time again we’ve seen this Governor and this Legislature put themselves, their campaigns and their own jobs, first.    

Since coming into power and following Governor Walker’s lead, legislative Republicans have cut more than $2 billion from our public schools, universities and technical schools.  They expect our public schools to Book Fair and Bake Sale their way out of the black hole they have created for our state, and our children.  Tonight we heard Governor Walker’s plan for Divide and Conquer 2.0 – taking health care options away from state employees to throw pennies at our public schools, instead of making the education investment our children need.

The vision outlined by Governor Walker tonight exemplifies a series of bad choices that continue to catapult Wisconsin’s families to lower wages, more student debt and fewer quality health care providers.”  

It is not too late for Wisconsin.  We are just one decision away from starting to turn this ship around.  Accepting the federal Medicaid dollars provided a pathway to put more money into the classroom while reducing if not eliminating the funding cut to our higher education institutions.  Despite my colleagues taking their marching orders from the special interests bankrolling their campaign coffers, we as legislators must continue to fight for the Wisconsin we all believe in, and protect the people’s backs, not our own.

From Sen. Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville

While he was running for President, Governor Walker focused on the priorities of Republican primary voters and wealthy donors. Now that he has dropped out of the race, it is time to focus on things that affect everyone in Wisconsin.

The Governor has vowed to restore a commitment to public education and the University of Wisconsin. After leaving thousands of students and families behind while pursuing the presidency, it is refreshing that Governor Walker finally recognizes that it is time to focus on what is good for Wisconsin.

Everyone in Wisconsin has been affected by the cuts to public education and the UW-System. We need to make sure that our workforce is prepared to fill the jobs that are currently available and that everyone is trained for the jobs of the future.

I wish we would have heard about are how we are going to fix our transportation budget and repair the crumbling roads and bridges throughout our state. This is a problem that is hurting every business, every community and every family in Wisconsin.

Kicking the can down the road while our highways and bridges are falling apart is a failure of Governor Walker’s leadership. It is time to bring people together and fix this problem for the future of our state. We cannot borrow our way out of this crisis and doing nothing only makes the situation worse.

I hope that Governor Walker can provide the leadership needed to focus on the issues that affect everyone in Wisconsin and not just the fringe group of primary voters and special interests.

From Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit

I am disappointed in Governor Walker’s State of the State address this evening. Wisconsin is in need of bold action for students, workers, and middle class families, but the Governor and legislative Republicans seem content to merely offer Band-Aids that are too little and too late for the challenges we face.

Student debt is a very real problem facing millions of Wisconsin residents, including senior citizens who are still paying off student loans decades after graduating from college. But Gov. Walker’s student debt plan would help only a tiny fraction of student borrowers. However, the Democratic plan provides real relief and allows people to refinance their student loans just like a mortgage or car payment. Allowing refinancing of student loans will help lower interest rates, level the playing field, and give more Wisconsin residents the opportunity to buy a car, own a home, and start a family.

Additionally, despite 10,000 layoff notices given out in Wisconsin last year, Gov. Walker and Republicans still have taken no significant actions to promote job growth in our state or make meaningful reforms to WEDC, our struggling economic development agency. As these layoffs occur and our economy progresses in the 21st century, the importance of retraining for laid off workers and preparing tomorrow’s workforce continues to grow.

Instead of bolstering our future workforce, Republicans have done serious harm to education in our state, handing down massive cuts to our public schools and technical colleges, and a $250 million cut to our world-class university system in their latest budget. If Republicans are serious about workforce development and growing our economy, they should restore these cuts and fully fund our public schools from kindergarten through college.

Wisconsin Democrats are ready to lead and will continue to demand action for the middle class and Wisconsin communities. We know we need better roads, stronger schools, more economic opportunity and real relief for all student loan borrowers. We know we need to expand access to healthcare, raise the minimum wage, make childcare affordable, and ensure retirement security for all workers. Unfortunately, Gov. Walker’s anemic plans for Wisconsin are too little and too late, and simply a distraction from the Republican inaction on these critical issues.

From Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd, D-Milwaukee

Governor Walker is out of touch with the everyday needs of Wisconsin families. It is no surprise that while he was busy campaigning across the nation, he forgot about the real concerns of families at home. Wisconsin families are facing increased costs in childcare, layoffs from good-paying jobs and the daunting costs of student loans. Our children are suffering from the historic budget cuts to public education, and our parents are facing rising costs of healthcare due to the Governor’s failure to accept the federal funds for Badgercare. Rather than prioritizing the needs of the wealthy, we need to invest in an economic plan that will work for all Wisconsin families.

Senate Democrats drafted the Badger Blueprint because we know a strong Wisconsin starts with a comprehensive plan to strengthen and raise the standard of living for families across our state. From proven solutions to grow our economy as well as new ideas to increase opportunities for workers, the Blueprint shows that Senate Democrats are committed to helping all individuals succeed.

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Frank Lloyd Wright School raises $2 million to remain open

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The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture has reached a $2 million fundraising goal that will keep it from shutting down.

The Scottsdale-based Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced this week that the school’s doors would remain open, The Arizona Republic reports.

The institution’s future has been up in the air after it lost accreditation status last year. The Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission, which accredits universities and colleges, decided it would no longer recognize schools that are part of larger institutions with missions beyond education.

Because the foundation also oversees historical-building preservation and the Wright archives in New York, the academic program must be incorporated as a financially independent subsidiary. The $2 million will help make that happen.

The foundation and architecture school is now working on a “change of control” application to the Higher Learning Commission, including legal and incorporation documents. The commission is expected to review the application in June. If approved, the school can file documents with both federal and state agencies. The process is expected to be completed by 2017.

Wright, who died in 1959, designed 1,141 architectural works. More than one-third of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are in a National Historic District.

The school operates at two campuses, Taliesin West in Scottsdale and Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Students attend the Scottsdale campus in the spring and fall terms, with summer classes held in Wisconsin. The school offers a three-year master’s program and has continued to admit students since the accreditation change.

The Frank Lloyd Wright school had only 23 students during the recent fall term, making it likely the nation’s smallest accredited, degree-granting architecture program. Dean Aaron Betsky said the school hopes to grow to around 40 to 45 students by 2019 and eventually 60 to 65 students.

More than 217 individuals, foundations and corporations contributed to the $2 million “independence campaign.” Donors included several high-profile architects such as Wright’s grandson Eric Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry, known for the design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao, Spain.

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Study shines light on campus sexual violence

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About 11.7 percent of students across 27 universities reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force, threats of physical force, or incapacitation since they enrolled.

The incidence of experiencing sexual assault and sexual misconduct among female undergraduate students was 23.1 percent. The rate was 5.4 percent for male undergraduates, according to the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct released by the Association of American Universities.

Twenty-seven universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, participated in the survey, which took place in the spring and involved more than 150,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

“Our universities are working to ensure their campuses are safe places for students,” said Hunter Rawlings, president of AAU, an organization of 62 private and public research universities. “The primary goal of the survey is to help them better understand the experiences and attitudes of their students with respect to this challenge.”

The survey, one of the largest to date dealing with campus sexual violence, looked at whether survivors of sexual assault and sexual misconduct reported incidents to the university or another organization, such as law enforcement. It revealed that rates of reporting were low, ranging from 5 percent to 28 percent, depending on the specific type of behavior.

Students said they did not report incidents because they felt “embarrassed, ashamed or that it would be too emotionally difficult.” Another explanation: Students said they “did not think anything would be done about it.”

Other findings in the survey:

• Rates of sexual assault and misconduct are highest among undergraduate females and those identifying as transgender, genderqueer, non-conforming and questioning.

• The risk of the most serious types of nonconsensual sexual contact due to physical force or incapacitation decline from freshman year to senior year.

• Nonconsensual sexual contact involving drugs and alcohol constitutes a significant percentage of the incidents.

• A little fewer than half of the students surveyed witnessed a drunk person heading for a sexual encounter. Among those who reported being a witness, most did not try to intervene.

Last year, when the White House launched the “It’s on Us” campaign to keep women and men safe from sexual violence, the administration encouraged people to take a personal pledge that includes a promise “to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given.”

Other elements of the pledge: to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur and to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.

UW-Madison: It’s on Us

Earlier in October, UW-Madison joined the “It’s on Us” campaign, displaying its commitment to the effort at the Badger’s homecoming football game on Oct. 17.

In addition, a series of “It’s on Us” videos — featuring UW athletes Vitto Brown, Corey Clement and Sydney McKibbon, athletic director Barry Alvarez and men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves — will be played at home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena.

“We are pleased to join with the campus in raising awareness of this issue,” said Alvarez. “We are constantly educating our staff and student-athletes about creating an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported, and this is a great way for us to share that message.”

More than 40 student leaders at UW-Madison, along with University Health Services, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, the UW Police Department and the Division of Student Life took the “It’s on Us” pledge.

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Walker’s attack on higher-ed seen as ‘consequential, signal event’ by nation’s academics

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Four years after taking union rights away from teachers and other public workers in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker now wants to strip job protections for University of Wisconsin professors in a move he likens to the 2011 law that made him a national figure and set up his expected presidential run.

Eliminating tenure in state law, as Walker proposed in January and a Republican-controlled legislative committee approved earlier this month, is part of a larger overhaul of higher education policy that he is talking about to Republican voters around the country.

Walker and Republican backers defend his higher education proposal as empowering university leaders to be more like a business and nimble in how they govern. University professors and their supporters, both in Wisconsin and nationally, are raising alarms that it’s an attack on academic freedom that could gain momentum in other states.

“Within the higher ed universe, this is being seen as an extremely consequential, signal event,” said Barmak Nassirian, director of federal relations and policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

A companion effort would take from professors and staff certain decision-making powers about campus issues including curriculum, research and faculty status. Combined with ending tenure in state law, the higher education proposal would be the first of its kind in the country, Nassirian said.

“Obviously the faculty are opposed, but there are plenty of folks who look at it and believe this, in fact, is the future,” Nassirian said, citing the increasing pressure on universities to be more efficient in light of escalating tuition costs. “And it may be.”

Wisconsin faculty members are sounding alarms that the changes will lead to a flood of departures for universities with stronger tenure. A petition signed by more than 450 of the university’s award-winning researchers asked lawmakers to reconsider.

More than a dozen faculty members came to a Board of Regents meeting with tape over their mouths, holding signs of protest. That’s a far cry from the 2011 protests at the state Capitol that grew to as many as 100,000 people when Walker went after public workers’ union protections.

Still, Walker openly makes comparisons. This is “Act 10 for the university,” he says, invoking the title of the union law.

Opponents say protests could grow, and extend beyond Wisconsin. Henry Reichman, vice president of the American Association of University Professors and chairman of its committee on academic freedom and tenure, said the proposed changes in Wisconsin could embolden faculty both there and around the country to become more organized as Walker mounts his expected run for the Republican nomination.

“One message to higher ed would be you really don’t want to support Scott Walker for president because if he can do it in Wisconsin, he will do it everywhere,” Reichman said.

Walker, who attended Marquette University but did not graduate, initially proposed cutting the university’s state aid by 13 percent, or $300 million. Budget writers in the Legislature have reduced the proposed cut to $250 million, while still voting to eliminate tenure in state law, leaving it up to the university’s regents to set a policy as is done in every other state.

But the Legislature’s budget committee went even further, proposing to change the law to make it easier to fire those with tenure. Now, tenured faculty members can only be fired for just cause or if there’s a financial emergency. Under the new provisions, the administration could fire them “when such an action is deemed necessary due to a budget or program decision requiring program discontinuance, curtailment, modification or redirection.”

The Legislature is expected to vote on the proposals this month or next, when passing a state budget. Walker has been campaigning for the GOP nomination for months, in all but name, but says he won’t announce his decision until the budget is passed.

In taking tenure out of state law, the legislation would let the Board of Regents set its own policy on that matter. But with 16 of the 18 regents appointed by the governor, taken together with the broader authority under state law to fire faculty, opponents of the move say the resulting policy is bound to be feckless.

“Tenure will be gone as we know it and I think it’s a step backward for our relationship with faculty members,” said Tony Evers, who serves on the Board of Regents in his capacity as state superintendent. Evers fought against Walker’s union restrictions against teachers and other public workers four years ago and signed the petition that led to the 2012 statewide vote over recalling Walker from office. Walker won that vote.

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Republican leaders to cut $250M from UW budget, making Wisconsin one of only six states reducing higher-ed funding

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The Legislature’s budget-writing committee voted Friday to cut the University of Wisconsin’s budget by $250 million and eliminate tenure protections for faculty from state law — moves derided by Democrats, who argued the changes would hurt both higher education and the state’s economy.

The budget cut is $50 million less than the $300 million proposed by Gov. Scott Walker in his budget proposal.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee, on a party line vote, also approved continuing a tuition freeze for two more years and rejected Walker’s plan to give UW more independence from state laws and oversight.

Instead, more limited flexibilities would be given to UW to save money on purchasing and the university would be exempt from state rules on building projects funded entirely through gifts or grants. Republicans expressed remorse about the cut, but said the flexibilities would help UW deal with it. The cut was $50 million less than Walker proposed.

Democrats say the cuts, along with others in Walker’s budget, are the result of his bungling of the economy. They say that the state faces a $2.2 billion shortfall due to massive tax cuts that Walker-led Republicans gave to corporations and wealthy people.

Millions of dollars were given to Walker cronies and donors through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. There were no rules requiring that companies receiving grants or massive tax cuts from WEDC would create new jobs in Wisconsin, and many of recipients shipped jobs to other states or overseas. Many of them defaulted on loans without consequences, and WEDC lost track of many loans.

As a result, untold millions of dollars disappeared through the agency. The Legislature has since removed Walker as its chair. WEDC, which was championed by editorialists across the state, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, now appears headed for elimination.

While Wisconsin moves toward massive higher-education cuts, most other states have been investing more money in higher education this year. Only 5 other states — Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Connecticut and West Virginia — are considering such cuts.

The 26 institutions in the UW System serve about 180,000 students statewide.

The 13 four-year and 13 two-year institutions in the system already have been announcing layoffs and other budget cuts to deal with Walker’s proposed $300 million reduction for them.

In the past decade, state spending on higher education per student in Wisconsin dropped 20.3 percent compared with 5.9 percent nationally, according to data provided by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The budget committee’s plan for the UW system was added to the state budget, which the committee is likely to complete next week. From there, it heads to the Senate and Assembly, both controlled by Republicans, where it could be changed before it’s voted on next month. Walker can then make extensive changes through his broad veto power.

About a dozen protesters were removed by police throughout the meeting for speaking out against the committee’s moves.

In addition to cuts, the proposal would remove tenure protections from law, leaving it to the UW Board of Regents to restore. The board, whose members are appointed by Walker, could also fire any staff or tenured faculty member.

UW System President Ray Cross Cross and board vice president Regina Millner promised to immediately incorporate tenure into its policy.

The committee also voted to make changes to shared governance provisions, taking power away from faculty, students and staff to have a voice in campus decisions and giving more authority to campus chancellors and the UW System Board of Regents.

Democrats tried to undo all the cuts, but didn’t have the votes.

“People don’t like these cuts,” said Rep. Chris Taylor, a Democrat from Madison. “They don’t want to cut our public education system.”

Walker’s original proposal included the cuts tied with a tuition freeze and a transformation of UW’s organizational structure into a new model known as a public authority. Walker cast it as an extension of the 2011 law known his signature legislative achievement that essentially ended collective bargaining for most public workers, including K-12 teachers.

Walker is expected to launch a presidential run once he signs the budget into law late next month or in July.

His plan for UW ran into opposition from Republicans who were reluctant to cede so much authority to the university, in part over fears that it would lead to higher tuition increases.

Walker had wanted to limit future tuition increases after two years to no more than the rate of inflation. The committee was not going to go along with those limits.

Republican Sen. Steve Nass, of Whitewater, said that was bad news for the middle class and the move sends “a green light to UW Administrators that the sky-is-the-limit on tuition in fall 2017.”

Wisconsin

Walker accused of cronyism in UW hiring

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The University of Wisconsin System has hired a controversial longtime associate of Gov. Scott Walker to serve in the newly created post of vice president for university relations.

Walker’s critics are crying foul, saying the hiring of Jim Villa for a job he’s unqualified for is yet another example of the governor’s penchant for cronyism.

Villa, who’s been extensively involved in Walker’s campaigns, has no reported background in higher education. In his new job, he earns an annual salary of $178,000 to oversee the university system’s lobbying and public relations efforts. 

Villa’s association with Walker dates back to the governor’s days in the Assembly, when Villa served as his chief of staff. Villa later worked on Walker’s 2002 campaign for Milwaukee County executive and then became his chief of staff at the county. He also served as an informal adviser to Walker during his gubernatorial bid. 

Villa was regularly copied on emails sent out by Walker’s campaign and his county office, according to investigators in the so-called “John Doe” criminal probes of Walker’s Milwaukee county executive staff.

The brunt of Villa’s professional experience has been in real estate. In 2008, he was named president of the Commercial Association of Realtors–Wisconsin, a title he continues to hold. He’s also a lobbyist for Wisconsin Realtors Association.

Villa’s name appeared repeatedly in the more than 28,000 pages of emails and other documents released in conjunction with the John Doe investigation of former Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch.

Rindfleisch was convicted of campaigning while on duty at the Milwaukee county executive’s office. She was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, but she managed to avoid serving time.

While working for the county, Rindfleisch lived with Villa, apparently in order to meet the residency requirements for county workers that were then in effect. Walker eliminated those requirements after becoming governor.

However, there seems to be no love lost between Rindfleisch and Villa. In one email that surfaced from the John Doe investigation, she said the name of her consulting firm — JVS — was an acronym for “Jim Villa Sucks.”

Villa was not charged in connection with the “John Doe” investigation. But his lobbying firm caught the attention of investigators due to his involvement in bidding on office space for the county Department of Aging.

The Associated Press obtained records showing concerns among university officials about hiring Villa for the new position. UW president Ray Cross chose Villa over four other finalists.

Villa listed Walker, former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and powerful lobbyist and former Thompson administration official Bill McCoshen as his references when applying for the position.

Tony Evers, superintendent of public instruction of Wisconsin and also a member of the board of regents, emailed fellow regent John Drew two days after the appointment was announced to say he was reading “scary” information online about Villa.

Liberal groups also objected to the appointment, noting that the Walker administration has been repeatedly embarrassed by hiring unqualified “cronies” for high-paying jobs.

“Filling this job with a scandal-tainted figure like Mr. Villa is a $178,000 a year exclamation point to Gov. Walker’s record of corruption, cronyism and failure,” said Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, a liberal group. “Gov. Walker’s personal involvement in securing a newly created executive level job for his longtime confidant and aide continues the shameful willingness of this administration to flout the principles of honest and ethical government in pursuit of political advantage.”

Melissa Baldauff, communications director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said, “Scandal has followed Jim Villa at every public position he has ever had, and we have every expectation he will bring more problems to the University of Wisconsin System. It’s a shame that the UW System has been put in a place where they feel like they have to hire Scott Walker’s henchman to get the governor and the GOP Legislature to stop abusing them.”

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Wisconsin

150 students to lobby in Madison for tuition equity bill

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About 150 students with Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the youth arm of Voces de la Frontera, will gather at the Capitol in Madison today (March 18) to lobby lawmakers. They’ll be urging passage of a bill to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition.

The legislation, introduced by state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, would allow in-state tuition for undocumented students under three conditions:

• Graduation from high school or received a declaration of equivalency in Wisconsin

• Residing in the state for at least three years after attending their first day of high school.

• Signing an affidavit saying they have filed or will file for permanent residency in the United States as soon as they are eligible to do so.

Undocumented students who attend a University of Wisconsin school or technical college must currently pay out-of-state tuition, which is two to three times the cost of in-state tuition.

Organizers of the lobbying day say students will meet with lawmakers in the morning and then march from the Capitol to rally at the Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus. 

Some students also will be in the Assembly Gallery when Zamarripa address tuition equity on the House floor. That’s expected to happen just before the march. 

José Trejo, a teacher at ALAS High School in Milwaukee, planned to participate in the events. “As a teacher, it is educational malpractice to tell students that education is their key to the American Dream, yet know full well that the access to this key does not exist for many of them,” he said in a news release. “In state tuition is essential if we are to live up to the ideals of the founding of this country.”

Terresita Becerra, a Reagan High School student honor student from Milwaukee, also planned to participate. “Marching and lobbying in Madison will be a turning point in my education,” she stated. “This affects me personally because I myself have to pay out of state tuition rates, even though I’ve studied in Wisconsin my entire life.”

Be there …

Who: Students from across Wisconsin involved with Youth Empowered in the Struggle calling on elected officials to support tuition equity for immigrant students.

What: March, rally and lobby day for tuition equity.

WHERE: Madison at the State Capitol in Madison to march to the Library Mall on the UW campus, where a rally will be held. 

When: About 2 p.m.

Viral

S.C. House refuses to restore college cuts for books dealing with homosexuality

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The South Carolina House refused this week to back down from plans to punish two public colleges in the budget for assigning freshmen to read books dealing with homosexuality.

The House rejected multiple attempts to restore $52,000 cut from the College of Charleston in the state budget, and $17,142 cut from the University of South Carolina Upstate. Those are the amounts the universities spent on books assigned to their incoming freshmen last summer. The efforts failed by votes of 69-41, 70-43, 71-40 and 71-38.

Opponents argued the cuts, which reduce what the colleges can spend from their own revenue sources, censor and micromanage college decisions.

When it comes to public colleges, legislators should be debating funding and building construction, not “pushing our own moral agenda on these institutions of higher learning,” said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

“Are we saying we don’t trust the college students enough to expose them to something they may not have seen before? We can’t let you read anything other than what we believe?” she asked. “What about the notion of freedom to have different views? Isn’t this what we go all over the globe fighting for?”

College of Charleston students read “Fun Home,” a book by Alison Bechdel that describes her childhood with a closeted gay father and her own coming out as a lesbian. USC Upstate assigned “Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio,” referring to South Carolina’s first gay and lesbian radio show, for a freshmen course that included lectures and other out-of-classroom activities meant to spark discussions about the book.

Rep. Garry Smith, whose subcommittee made the reductions, said he wanted to make a point after college officials declined to give students an option to read something else. He said he wouldn’t oppose the books if they were part of an elective course. He called it promotion of a lifestyle.

“Freedom comes with responsibility. These universities did not act responsibly,” said Smith, R-Simpsonville.

Rep. Wendy Nanney, R-Greenville, said opponents of the cuts argue for a diversity of ideas but don’t want to consider conservatives’ viewpoint. After House Speaker Bobby Harrell rejected Smith’s suggestions to project illustrations from “Fun Home” on the House screen, Nanney said, “It’s not appropriate to even put up in this room but we’re giving it to 18-year-old kids?”

The votes came as the House opened floor debate on the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The spending plan commits $7 billion in state taxes. The state budget would total $24 billion, up from $22.5 billion this year, when including all revenue sources, such as federal money, fees, fines, lottery profits and tuition at public colleges.

While other sections of the budget passed quickly with no discussion, the college cuts tied up debate for hours. Debate on other sections will continue Tuesday.

College of Charleston President George Benson said the university is committed to academic freedom, and any university education must include the opportunity for students to engage controversial ideas. Any attempt by legislators to tie funding to what books are taught threatens the credibility of all of South Carolina’s public colleges, he said.

“Our students are adults, and we will treat them as such,” Benson said. “Faculty, not politicians, ultimately must decide what textbooks are selected and how those materials are taught.”

Wisconsin

Fixed rates latest in college tuition plans

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Freshmen at Northland College, a Wisconsin liberal arts school known for its environmental focus, will pay no more than $30,450 in tuition next year. They’ll pay the same the following year. And the year after that.

The college on the shore of Lake Superior is joining a growing number of schools promising fixed-rate tuition —a guarantee that most students will pay a single rate for the length of their college careers.

The programs at schools like George Washington University, University of Kansas and Columbia College in Missouri aim to help families budget for college without worrying about big price jumps. They also give recruiters something to tout on the road to try to ease the sticker shock.

Tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose 27 percent in the past five years, while those at four-year private schools went up 14 percent, according to the College Board.

About 320 colleges and universities offered tuition guarantees during the 2012-13 school year, according to an analysis of U.S. Education Department data done by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. The schools represent about 6.7 percent of the nation’s nearly 4,800 institutions where students receive federal financial aid.

Many fixed-rate plans are coupled with a commitment to hold financial aid steady so students have a firm cost estimate, but they are not discounts. At Kansas, students starting as freshmen pay more than standard tuition in their first two years to offset lower rates in the last two. Other schools try to estimate expenses and inflation and set rates that cover costs when averaged over four years. Transfer students generally pay tuition for the year they enter; at Kansas, they pay standard tuition.

Students say the programs help them hold down costs by allowing them to budget wisely and borrow less.

“I can’t think of any other major expense where a student or their family is expected to commit to such a large expense without knowing what it is going to cost,” Jane Mahoney, a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, said in an email. “I think the tuition agreement puts a lot of students and families at ease when figuring out how to fund a college degree.”

Mahoney, 23, said Kansas’ program helped her and her parents decide how much she needed to work, take out in loans and receive in family help. It also gave her an incentive to graduate in four years because the rate was only good that long. Mahoney ended up finishing a semester early, with $16,000 in loans – an amount she has found manageable with her job as the alumni association’s digital media and marketing coordinator.

Many schools have been rethinking their costs as graduates struggle with student debt and diminished job prospects. Some schools have frozen tuition. A smaller group has slashed rates 20 percent or more in heavily publicized “tuition resets.”

Even without those moves, few students at private schools have been paying full freight. Most schools offer scholarships to lure students with attractive grades, athletic skills or other talents. Post-recession, that aid has increased at private schools more quickly than tuition, said David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

“The out-of-pocket expense is less today for a family than it was five years ago,” Warren said. “That’s a little known fact.”

Northland has been part of that trend too, with a guarantee that students who meet certain academic and income criteria won’t pay more in tuition than they would pay at the flagship university in their home state. In Wisconsin, that figure is the $10,400 in tuition and fees charged by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fixing the cost of tuition is aimed at helping students reduce debt by planning better. Northland officials said they noticed that after freshman year, student borrowing tended to mirror tuition increases.

“In most cases, the institutional awards that are given stay the same, so as the cost of education goes up . . . most of our students have gone ahead and turned that into an additional loan, which has escalated the amount they needed to borrow,” President Michael Miller said.

Susan McHale, 21, a George Washington senior from the Philadelphia area, said its fixed-rate tuition plan – established in 2004 and one of the oldest in the nation – was a great relief to her father, a cost-conscious accountant who began saving and budgeting for her college education when she was in middle school. She has helped pay for room, board and other expenses with summer jobs and a part-time position in the school’s admissions office.

McHale said knowing her tuition wouldn’t go up also encouraged her to control other expenses, such as housing, books and meals.

Tuition guarantees don’t affect benefits from 529 savings plans as long as colleges meet the eligibility requirements. The guarantees vary by school. Some include fees, others do not. Some give students the choice between a fixed-rate and one that will increase annually. Northland’s plan will include room but not board; George Washington’s doesn’t include either.

Most schools let students lock in their rates for four years, but some, like Columbia College in Missouri, guarantee the cost for five years. Columbia’s recruiters have found it a useful tool.

Columbia junior Alyssa Johnson said the guarantee was a deciding factor for her. She qualified for scholarships and grants that covered most tuition and avoided taking out loans for room and board after her freshmen year by working as a resident assistant. She estimates she’ll graduate with $3,000 in debt from a school with a more than $17,000-per-year price tag.

“I did a lot of planning to go ahead and try to stay out of debt and to make sure that I could cover school, and I could come to the school that I wanted to go to,” said Johnson, 20, of La Monte, Mo. “I think having that fixed-rate tuition was a huge part of that.”