- IN TANDEM WITH OUR SERIES OF INTERVIEWS, MULTI-MEDIA REPORTER
MARISA WOJCIK WILL PROVIDE FOLLOW-UP AND CONTEXT TO
STATEMENTS MADE BY THOSE CANDIDATES.
HERE'S HER COMMENTS MADE ON BY KELDA ROYS.
- DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES TO BE WISCONSIN'S NEXT GOVERNOR HAVE
EXPRESSED DOING AWAY WITH ACT 10, LEGISLATION FROM 2011 THAT
WEAKENED UNIONS' ABILITY TO BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY AND TRIM
BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES.
KELDA ROYS SAID ON OUR PROGRAM THAT ACT 10 WAS A MISTAKE.
- AND WE'RE SEEING THE TERRIBLE EFFECTS IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE
TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN GREAT TEACHERS.
- SO WHAT DOES THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR TEACHERS IN
WISCONSIN'S PUBLIC SECTOR LOOK LIKE POST-ACT 10.
A JANUARY, 2017 REPORT FROM THE WISCONSIN CENTER FOR EDUCATION
RESEARCH LOOKS AT THESE NUMBERS.
ONE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS REPORT, WISCONSIN IS NOT EXPERIENCING A
STATEWIDE TEACHER SHORTAGE.
THE STUDY ALSO REVEALS MOVEMENT AMONG SOME TEACHERS TO OTHER
DISTRICTS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN RECRUITED AND CONSIDERED FOR
HIGHER SALARIES.
CERTAIN DISTRICTS, TYPICALLY SMALLER AND WITH LOWER BUDGETS,
ARE MORE LIKELY TO STRUGGLE TO FILL VACANT POSITIONS BECAUSE
THEY CAN'T OFFER COMPETITIVE INCENTIVES.
IN 2017, WISCONSIN HAD 54,401 TEACHERS AND AVERAGED 16
STUDENTS PER TEACHER.
COMPARED WITH OTHER STATES, WISCONSIN RANKS 20TH FOR NUMBER
OF TEACHERS.
ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION.
WISCONSIN IS SEEING A DECLINE OF PEOPLE ENROLLING IN AND
COMPLETING EDUCATION PREPARATION PROGRAMS.
BUT THIS IS A NATIONAL TREND.
FROM 2010 TO 2016, ENROLLMENT IN THESE PROGRAMS DECLINED 35.4% IN
THE STATE, BUT THAT FOLLOWS FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE NATIONWIDE
DECLINE OF 33.6%.
AS FOR ACT 10, PETER GOFF, A UW-MADISON PROFESSOR OF
EDUCATIONAL LEADER SHI LEADERSHD POLICY ANALYSIS CAUTIONS US TO
LOOK TOWARD BETTER TARGETING OF FUNDS TO DISTRICTS IN THE STATE
THAT NEED IT.
FOR THESE AND OTHER FACTS, VISIT wpt.org.