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Hello and welcome to In Wisconsin.
I'm Patty Lowe.
Each week we bring you stories about the people,
places and issues in Wisconsin.
This week visit a small town in western
Wisconsin coping with the impact of deployments to a
rack. Meet the Republican candidate for US Senate
to Michael's and find out why the security of your
voting ballot is of the utmost importance to the
political parties.
Stay with us for all this
and more in Wisconsin.
Major funding for In Wisconsin is provided by
the people of Alliance Energy who bring safe,
reliable and environmentally friendly energy to keep
homes, neighborhoods and life in Wisconsin
running smoothly.
Alliance Energy, offering energy
saving ideas on the web.
In the days leading up to the election there are
many issues on the minds of voters.
This week's Wisconsin Public Radio St.
Norbert College Survey found the
war in Iraq and the economy continue to be the
most relevant issues to Wisconsin voters.
They're followed closely by
education. 96% say education policy is an important
consideration in who they'll vote for as president.
President George W.
Bush praises his no child left
behind law which requires testing and punishments for
failing schools.
Democratic challenger Senator John
Kerry also says he wants to help schools do better.
Kerry vows that unlike President Bush he'll fully
fund the no child left behind law.
But how is the law working in Wisconsin?
To find out reporter Frederica
Freiberg visited one Milwaukee middle school
that's not making the grade.
Casiasco School on Milwaukee's south side.
It's one of three middle schools in
the city and one of only three in the state that has
failed to make so-called adequate yearly progress
for five years running under the no child left behind
law. That means if these students fail to make the
grade again come test time in November one of the
sanctions could be to close the school altogether.
She was exiled but but teachers and staff say Casiasco
should get a break because of its special issues.
Nearly three quarters of its students are Hispanic.
Many newly arrived.
Most are low income.
Many of them speak no English.
Some of them have had no school experience.
They've been migrant workers in Mexico or in
other places.
And as a result I had a child last
year that was enrolled as a seventh grader that had not
spent one day in school.
And yet you know these are the children that that make
up our demographics here in this building and these
are the children that are being tested.
The principal at the school says a quarter
of the students are habitually thrown.
Staff say that's in part because families
return to their home countries for months at a time
each school year.
If kids don't come to school it's
hard for us to teach them.
It's hard for us to test them.
And here's what the tests show.
Last year 18% of Casiasco's eighth graders
tested proficient in math.
31% of them tested proficient in reading but they
missed the no child left behind target by a lot.
It says 37% of eighth graders
should have tested proficient in math last year and
61% of them should have tested proficient in reading.
The scores required after November's tests only
get tougher.
The 2005 standard will go up to 47.5%
proficient in math and 67.5% in reading.
I would like to see another category for
schools such as this one where there are extenuating
circumstances. 50% of our sixth graders came to us
reading at or below the second grade level.
Casiasco's principal says at least in
part because of the intense scrutiny of no child left
behind and a new focus on improvement.
Students scores at her school have
gone way up even if they're still not high enough.
In the 2001-2002 testing period
only 2% of eighth graders at Casiasco were proficient
in math and only 19% were proficient in reading.
Teachers say there is a new focus on
the three R's and it's working but only to a point.
So we're kind of teaching to
the test but I would say not quite because most of our
kids can't take the test because they have the language
barrier. Three years is the amount of time non-English
speakers are given under no child left behind to
gain language skills and take the standard test given
to all students.
They're coming here with no basic
skills interrupted education and we're supposed to
bring them within three years to the standards of the
no child left behind.
It's not impossible but you have
to be a miracle worker in order to achieve this.
Would it be helpful to your teachers
to see because miracles are in short supply the
school and district staff met last week to ready
a school improvement plan required under no child left
behind for schools looking for one last chance to
make the grade.
Still no one at the table expects
the school's test scores to more than double by November.
I think this is a school though that really has
developed a very solid plan a school that was really
underperforming for many years and you're really
just now beginning to see the fruition of all the
efforts that they've been doing to raise student
achievement. I think change happens in a three to
five year process and unfortunately no child
left behind doesn't really give you that time to really
see the fruition of the efforts that you put forth
to be compliant with no child left behind.
What's more even though the federal
law comes with more money for this school to offer
tutoring and other programs local budget cuts have
left teachers trying to do more with less.
Last year district budget cuts meant
the loss of seven teachers this fall more positions were
lost. So we're down you know and everybody's trying to
cover cover for the missing people.
The principal says to truly try to leave no
child behind at her school it would take an additional
half million dollars as well as more local flexibility
with federal dollars that flow from the law
meanwhile teacher morale at Casillasco has plummeted
with the worst case scenario on the horizon.
Why should I do all this work
we're gonna be closed next year anyway I'm gonna apply
it another school I'm looking for a new job because I
mean we just don't know what the future is.
Casillasco parents worry about the
future too.
She said it would be a big shame if the
school would close she had one daughter that graduated
from Casillas last year and she said that she's doing
very well in high school she's got another daughter
who will be graduating this year and it would be a
shame for the Latino community to have the school
closed because she feels that the staff here give a
lot of support.
Casillasco kids are working to make
the grade but it may not come fast enough.
No. The Wisconsin Department of
Public Instruction says 123 schools in Wisconsin are on
the list for failing to make adequate yearly progress
and the Children's Defense Fund a National Children's
Advocacy Group says that in Wisconsin the no
child left behind law is seriously underfunded it's
about one hundred million dollars short of what was
originally called for.
You can get more information on
the law by going to our website wpt.org/inwisconsin
As we stated earlier Wisconsin residents have indicated
the war in Iraq is the top issue influencing their
choice on election day.
This week our We're in Wisconsin issue series
visits Arcadia a small town in the western part of our
state Arcadia has a population of 2,402 and while the
war in Iraq is half a world away it's hitting very
close to home.
In Wisconsin student production assistant
Lindsey Weiss reports Arcadia home to an armory a war
memorial and a high school to Louis Ferguson as the
principal. We have a national guard unit here in the
community so as far as the guards we get a little more
participation than maybe other schools of the
sides pretending twice.
Memorial Park is Arcadia's tribute to citizens who
have served.
And there's so much history there it comes
alive that it's not just people in a textbook it's
people that live down the road from you that can tell
you what happened because their needs are listed
there and that's why there's a large amount of service
I guess from the Arcadia area.
They've seen other people do it it's their
turn they step forward.
Ryan Bushman and Dustin Zabinsky
are two of those who step forward.
After graduating in May they were activated
in June.
For the past four months they've been
training for deployment in Mississippi and California.
Kevin Whalen is an agriculture teacher who
taught Dustin and Ryan all four years.
And then when you find out that there's
students that are going from graduation to be
activation that has a big effect and you hope that
they were able to get quite a bit from high
school. Whalen finds comfort knowing these students are
following a path they chose for themselves.
So much in high school we dictate
what they have to do so I really think it's
refreshing to be able to see students that have some
direction you know that's fulfilling for a teacher so
there's a good feeling there.
Has a patient when you talk to mom and dad.
They had a going away party.
Barb Zabinsky is one of those moms
three of her four children are in the armed services.
Dustin is her youngest and the first to be activated.
The thing that did surprise us was the fact that
the National Guard was activated at all.
We had always suspected that if
they were going to be doing something they'd probably do
it right within the country.
Private Dunn and Dustin at the going away celebration
that they had on June 20th.
Dustin was one of 680 National Guard members activated
in June as part of the first battalion 128th
Infantry Unit.
They're expected to depart for Iraq in
November. He's really getting to be a neat kid and he
just want to say no I don't want to let you go but you
know he's doing such good so many good things and
like I said before I think it's the fear of the unknown.
You know I don't want him to come back injured or
change so much that he's not that neat kid that I always
do. When you take a year of someone's life that's
serving their country what else could have been happening
during that year?
Is that the year that they would
have got married?
Is that the year that they would have
got a chance to spend with their parents?
Is that the year that could have been
life-changing? So when you're looking at the fact that
the impact it has on the individual you get to see the
price that's paid for our international relations.
International relations are weighing heavily on Zabinsky's
mind the selection season.
I just wish there was more of a direction at the
war was going at this point and I'm not seeing anything
in the Republican platform that's that's offered me
a time-life as to where they're going with the war
but they're not really saying okay like Keri said
well in six months I'm gonna pull out well he know
that you can't pull out the soldiers wouldn't even want
that if they're over there and they've had buddies
that have died trying to correct this they're not
going to want to just pull out totally.
For now, Whalen hopes other Wisconsin
residents will recognize the sacrifices of his former
students. Think about some of those high schoolers whose
graduation trip probably wasn't the one that of their
choosing. They're religious to say a prayer for them
kind of recognize that it's notable and very honorable
for them to be serving.
Military service is playing a huge role in political
campaigns this year.
In the Race for Wisconsin's
US Senate seat, Military Service has often been
mentioned by Republican candidate Tim Michaels.
We've brought you a lot of
coverage on where Michaels and his Democratic opponent
Russ Fine Gold stand on the issues.
Last week we also brought you a personal
profile of Fine Gold looking a little more at who he
is as an individual.
This week we continue our profile
series. Frederica Freiberg brings you more insight
into Tim Michaels.
When Tim Michaels graduated from
Lomira High School in 1980 the number one song on the radio
that summer was Blondie's call me and it seemed
that even then politics was calling.
He was one of four Michaels boys from the
tiny town of Brownsville where their dad had
started what became a very successful utility
construction company.
Tim Michaels high school football
coach and civics teacher never forgot meeting Tim's
father Dale Michaels.
And he just said to me, "I have my son.
How much my sons ever cause you a problem.
They don't get their work done or they goof off.
You have my permission to give him a
kick right in the butt.
And then you give me a call and
when they come home they're gonna get a second kick."
Though the Michaels family was wealthy classmates and
teachers say they didn't act that way.
Tim Michaels mother Ruth says they
wanted to instill a good work ethic in the boys.
They started down in the shop
pushing brooms and cleaning shelves and painting
shovels and sometimes they came home with poor paint
on themselves and on the shovels the handles of the
shovels. We just wanted to just be like their friends.
We lived in a small town and you know they went to
small school and we just wanted them to be like the
other children.
Like to tell you when he was my grade
yet hair down to about here and you know which was typical
of all the boys at that time.
Tom Gilson says Tim Michaels has credited his
middle school civics class for sporking a lifelong
interest in politics.
Gilson who himself is a Democrat
remembers an impressive early campaign project
Michaels presented in class.
But they would get posters and banners and
I remember his group had this banner and as they
opened it streamers came down and confetti flew out.
Beyond that Gilson says Tim Michaels stood out for not
being your typical middle schooler.
Seventh and eighth graders can be a little
obtrusive you know they come up in this chatter chatter
chatter and Tim was a kind they just kind of sat back
and in group work he was kind of a quiet type too but he
participated well but he never had asked his group to
quiet down or anything.
Gilson describes Michaels as a thoughtful listener who
likes to learn saying the candidate recently sought
him out to learn about education issues.
From Lomira Michaels went on to
earn a political science degree from St.
Norbert College and joined ROTC
eventually becoming an air born ranger.
And then when he was a parachute jumping
out of helicopters and things like that you know no
mother likes to hear that.
Michaels served 12 years of active duty after
that he got an MBA and a masters of public
administration. He's currently co-owner of the family
business. Long time business competitor Dennis Clum
on Tim Michaels.
Does it seem like a jump from what
he does what you know he does because you did the same
thing to landing in Washington and being a US Senator?
I don't I don't think so I think he's already kind
of prepared for it I mean his credentials are
impeccable you know I I even made the comment if
you're gonna make a movie and you call central casting in
the US for a senator they would send Tim Michaels a
businessman family man a ranger.
Clum says it makes him angry when Michaels is
referred to as a millionaire candidate.
These kids worked as kids just like we
did you know we know their parents they're out there
working at a young age and out in a field not
simply having a desk job that this is a person that's
achieved success through hard work and it
wasn't handed to them.
Teacher Tom Gilson says despite Tim Michaels obvious
credentials he was surprised when Michaels threw his head
into the ring for US Senate.
Why are you surprised?
That's a pretty big office and
restaurant find calls a pretty big name so you know
I'm surprised by a lot of things a lot of my students
have done not that they're not capable but you know
how often do you teach a student who might be a senator.
Now that you know a bit more about Tim Michaels the
person here's where Tim Michaels the candidate stands
on the issues.
Michael says he would vote to make
President Bush's tax cuts permanent to promote job
growth he says he would also push for tax cuts for
small businesses and he says he promotes free trade
but would get tough on countries that don't play
by the rules.
On health care Michael says he would
push to create associated health plans plans that
allow small businesses and farmers to enter into health
care coverage pools.
He also likes health savings
accounts tax-free savings accounts that cover medical
costs. Michael says he favors the safe re-importation
of Canadian drugs he calls the Medicare bill a
good first step toward lowering prescription
costs and he supports tort reform to limit frivolous
medical lawsuits.
On national security Michaels
touts his own service as an airborne ranger saying
he understands the need to adequately fund US soldiers
and military equipment.
He also supports the Patriot Act.
Tim Michaels and his opponent in the
US Senate race Democratic incumbent Ross Fine Gold
will debate each other Friday night at seven right here
on Wisconsin Public Television.
The debate is part of our We the People's Civic
Journalism Partnership and will be anchored by
Frederica Freiburg.
Again the Fine Gold Michael's debate
happens on Friday night at seven right here on
Wisconsin Public Television.
Whoever wins the election a week from Tuesday it appears
likely that the phrase "every vote counts will
have never been more true."
Democrats and Republicans have heavily invested in registering
new voters and both sides will spend heavily on
getting those new voters to the polls.
Once voters are at the polls a big concern
for the political parties is guarding against ballot
fraud or tampering.
To that end, Art Hackett reports on
the growing importance of poll watchers in election
2004. "You may have voted in countless
elections and never seen a poll watcher or you may
have seen one and not realized who they were.
They would have been sitting within earshot of the
person who checks off names on the voter roll."
"They're just to observe so if a voter comes in they
would state their name and address.
If they have a list they could check off
who's been there to vote.
It's just they're just there to observe to make sure
that everything is on the up and up."
But this year poll watching is this and more.
The Democratic Party says some of their poll watchers
will be lawyers.
"This year it's highly organized, very
intense. There will be virtual armies around the state
monitoring this election."
"You're seeing the influence of this being a battleground
state where there's an incredibly heightened
level of interest in what's going on.
You're seeing third party groups that are now
promising to have poll watchers at the polls and
watchers to watch the watchers."
"Party cleaned them from the last election."
Wisconsin elections have usually been low key.
Since Wisconsin started using
electronic voting machines in 1980 state law has
required the machines be put on display prior to the
election. This is to demonstrate the lights, wires and
circuit boards inside look at test ballots and
produce the appropriate result.
It's called a public test.
Until this year in Madison at least the
public never showed up.
Yesterday, Mike Rosing, there to conduct academic
research, became a footnote in local election
history. "At the time of testing they do put a seal
on the tabulator.
The tabulator is zeroed out and
then they're taken and delivered to the polling
places." Most Wisconsin votes will be counted by optical
scanners. They've made a hand marked ballot which
can be manually recounted if necessary.
Wisconsin is outlawed, Chad plagued
punch card.
Technology isn't likely to be the
subject of disputes.
"One of the fears is that the clerks are not used to
dealing with this level of voter registration activity.
Will they have enough time to do all the vetting
that needs to be done to make sure these are all
legitimate?" "There's not been any serious evidence
of any improprieties in Wisconsin.
These statements are also efforts
to suppress the vote."
"The whole focus of what we're
doing here today is really to ensure that all of us
who have a right to vote get to vote."
Madison Attorney Stanley Woodard is training
poll watchers for a group known as Election
Protection 2004.
It's a national coalition of the
League of Women Voters, the AFL-CIO, people for the
American way, the NAACP and the Wisconsin Citizen Action
Fund. These are groups which have been involved in
extensive voter registration efforts, this election.
"So many new voters showing up
to the polls and with polling places probably being
more crowded than they are during your typical election.
I guess my concern would be that you know everybody
who has registered ahead of time is actually on the
role so when they get to the polling place on Election
Day I hope that the polling places have enough
ballots and I hope that people aren't discouraged
you know by what might be long lines or just the
whole the whole process of voting which can be
intimidating for someone who's never done it before."
But the big concern was with challenges to the right to
vote. "There are reports that in prior elections that
they would come up to a voter.
You got a record?
Can you really vote?
Do you really live in this area?
Questions of that nature.
Almost what we would call voter intimidation."
This is a complicated issue.
In Wisconsin a felon can vote as
long as they've served their sentence and are no longer
on probation.
There is a formal process for challenging
a potential voter.
Both sides have to swear a
note before election officials that procedure lets the
person vote but delays the dispute until the votes
are canvassed after the election.
"It doesn't happen often but it's becoming
more common.
The more astute I guess people are about
the election process they tend to maybe want to
challenge." If you're worried about tripping over poll
watchers on election day there's a way to avoid them.
Wisconsin law allows you to vote early at your local
clerk's office.
Thousands of people are already
voting in election 2004.
"That's our program for this week.
Remember you can watch the We The People US
Senate debate on Friday night at 7.
Russ Fine Gold and Tim Michaels will
participate with Frederica Freiberg anchoring.
You can see that right here on
Wisconsin Public Television.
You can also tune in next week to our program for more
reports leading up to the election including our
We're in Wisconsin report on agricultural issues facing
farmers in our state.
We leave you now with a hunter
and his hound as they search for ducks in the fall
foliage at a Volca prairie in Iowa County.
For in Wisconsin I'm Patty
Low. See you next week.
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Major funding for in Wisconsin is provided by the people
of Alliance Energy who bring safe, reliable and
environmentally friendly energy to keep homes,
neighborhoods and life in Wisconsin running smoothly.
Alliance Energy offering energy saving ideas on the web.
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