Shorewood Schools to Seed Grassroots Anti-Budget Campaign

Shorewood schools want to send a big message to Gov. Scott Walker this time.

Two years ago, the Shorewood School Board sent a letter to state lawmakers voicing their opposition to Act 10 and other school-related budget measures. 

This year rather than simply having the five-member board sign a letter critical of the state of funding of public schools, officials want to launch a grassroots campaign to generate energy in the village and send a significant, unified message to Madison. 

“We could do something a little bit unique,” Superintendent Martin Lexmond said. “Most districts have really taken the approach of the board signing the letter; it’s been the standard approach. But if we show up with a 1,000 signatures, it will get a different kind of attention.”

During a two-hour work session Tuesday night, the School Board, district administrators and teachers drafted a letter addressed to Walker and members of the state Legislature’s Education and Joint Finance Committees, along with a fact sheet about the district and a resolution. 

In the letter and resolution, officials will voice opposition to Walker's proposed 2013-2015 budget, which includes a freeze on public school district revenue limits. It also includes an expansion of the voucher program, which allows students to attend private schools in lieu of underperforming public schools.

"Here's the tradition of excellence in Shorewood and here's what we've done so far to try to save, and here's our (budget) gap, and some of the challenges," Lexmond said of the fact sheet. 

The district hopes residents will join in signing the letter. 

Officials hope to reach the village through social media, and floated the idea of organizing town hall meetings, inviting residents to sign the letter, or allowing them to sign electronically. The letter will first be circulated around the district to allow employees to show support with a signature.

"We're trying to open the conversation," Lexmond said. 

With the campaign, officials want to keep the budget and issues facing Shorewood schools in the back of residents' minds, leading up the Legislature convening to vote on a budget.

"The first step is getting the communication moving, get your points in front of them (lawmakers) but it's the last four hours before they go to vote that they need to be peppered with calls and emails," Lexmond said. "There needs to be a second step."

Officials consulted with the offices of state Rep. Sandy Pasch and state Sen. Lena Taylor, looked at what other districts have drafted and made use of a template from the Southeastern Wisconsin School Alliance to firm up the language of the letter.

"Part of the advice was simple, easy to understand language, get a common story being told, from district to district, so that legislators start to say, 'Oh, I've heard this before,'" Lexmond said. 

Some 50 other districts have drafted letters critical of Walker’s budget proposal, Shorewood High School English teacher Michael Halloran said. 

What’s important is to grow the conversation, Lake Bluff Elementary School teacher Amy Miller said. 

“Some people don’t know what the challenges or issues or what they should be saying, and this provides some of the background knowledge or foundation so people in our district who are already pretty active, and want to do what they can, feel empowered," Miller said. "To grow those conversations and to pick up the phone, or write their own letter.”

Officials are working to further edit the letters before making them public. Patch will post them once they become available.