[ APPLAUSE ]
>> IT WAS ALREADY A SHORTAGE OF
TEACHERS IN WISCONSIN BEFORE
COVID-19.
BUT THE PANDEMIC ONLY MADE IT
WORSE.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION SAID SCHOOLS ARE
FACING HISTORIC TEACHER
SHORTAGES WITH FEWER STUDENTS
PURSUING EDUCATION DEGREES.
DEMOCRATS AT THE CAPITAL THIS
WEEK PROPOSED A PACKAGE OF EIGHT
BILLS TO ADDRESS THE CRITICAL
NEED.
ONE BILL WOULD SET THE MINIMUM
SALARY FOR WISCONSIN TEACHERS AS
THE EQUIVALENT OF WHAT STATE
LEGISLATURES MAKE.
NOW AT JUST OVER $56,000.
ANOTHER WOULD CREATE A RECURRING
$7,000 BONUS TEACHERS WOULD
RECEIVE FOR EVERY 5 YEARS OF
SERVICE AND ANOTHER MEASURE
WOULD SET A $15 AN HOUR MINIMUM
WAGE FOR STUDENT TEACHERS.
MILWAUKEE SENATOR LATONYA
JACKSON IS AMONG DEMOCRATS
PURSUING THE BILLS.
SHE JOINS US NOW.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SOUNDING
THE ALARM OVER WISCONSIN'S
TEACHER SHORTAGE FOR YEARS.
HOW DO YOU THINK THESE PROPOSALS
WILL ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THE
PROFESSION AND KEEP THEM THERE?
>> I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO DO
EVERYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RECRUITING
THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST MINDS
TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN, AND WE
KNOW THAT EVEN BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC THAT WAS A HARD
OBSTACLE TO OVERCOME.
AND NOW WITH THE PANDEMIC IT HAS
JUST EXASPERATED THE TEACHER
SHORTAGE.
SO WE HAVE TO DO MORE IN
PROVIDING LOAN PAYOFF, AND
PAYING AN EQUIVALENT STARTING
WAGE TO ATTRACT THOSE
INDIVIDUALS INTO OUR CLASSROOM.
>> SO IS IT MOSTLY ABOUT PAY?
OR IS MORE?
THAT TEACHERS OR WOULD BE
TEACHERS NEED?
>> IT'S ABOUT PAY BUT MOSTLY
ABOUT SO MUCH MORE.
IT'S ABOUT BRINGING THE
PROFESSIONALISM BACK TO STATUS
QUO, AND BEING PROFESSIONAL.
YOU HAVE YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS NOT
WANTING TO PURSUE A DEGREE IN
TEACHING BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE
THE PROFESSION AS BEING
APPRECIATED OR HIGHLY REGARDED.
AND WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO
ATTRACT THOSE INDIVIDUALS INTO
THE PROFESSION, BUT ALSO TO
BRING IT BUREAUCRAT TO THE
PROFESSIONAL STATUS THAT IT USED
TO BE LONG BEFORE ACTING.
>> WHERE WOULD THE MONEY COME
FROM TO PAY FOR THE PACKET?
>> WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH
MONEY TO PAY FOR THE PACKAGE.
WE HAVE $1.7 BILLION SITTING IN
OUR RAINY-DAY FUND.
AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING
$3.8 BILLION TO COME IN GPR.
SO THAT'S A TOTAL OF OVER
$5 BILLION THAT WE SHOULD INVEST
BACK INTO OUR CLASSROOMS, AND
BACK INTO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO
ARE EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN.
>> MEANWHILE, THE REPUBLICANS IN
LEGISLATURE ARE PASSING BILLS TO
EXPAND SCHOOL CHOICE AND
PARENTS' RIGHTS AROUND
CURRICULUM, FOR EXAMPLE,
ALLOWING PARENTS TO SUE.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION THAT
PROPOSALS, YOUR DEMOCRATIC
PROPOSALS WILL EVER EVEN GET A
VOTE?
>> YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE AN
UPHILL BATTLE.
AND IN MOST CASES THIS
LEGISLATION PROBABLY WILL NEVER
REACH THE FLOOR TO GET A VOTE
THIS SESSION AS IT WILL QUICKLY
COME TO AN END IN MARCH.
BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE KNEW THAT THERE ARE
INDIVIDUALS OUT THERE,
ESPECIALLY ON THE DEMOCRATIC
SIDE, THAT ARE -- WE UNDERSTAND
THE NEED TO HAVE WELL-QUALIFIED
TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
TEACHING OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND
OUR MOST VALUABLE.
WE HAVE SEEN OUR -- MY
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES ON THE
OTHER SIDE NOT SHOW ANY CARE OR
CONCERN, ESPECIALLY FOR PUBLIC
EDUCATION.
AND THERE HAS TO BE HONEST ABOUT
IT.
I AM NOT AGAINST CHOICE IN
CHARTER SCHOOLS.
MY DAUGHTER GRADUATED FROM A
PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL ON CHOICE.
SO I DO UNDERSTAND THE NEED.
BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BIAS.
IN MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES
CHOOSING TO WANT TO PICK SCHOOL
SYSTEMS AGAINST -- PITTING THE
SCHOOL SYSTEMS AGAINST EACH
OTHER, RATHER THAN ADEQUATELY
FUNDING AND MAKING SURE ALL
SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE BOARD
HAVE WHAT THEY NEED, AND THE
RESOURCES THEY NEED TO PROVIDE
QUALITY EDUCATION TO OUR
CHILDREN.
>> ANOTHER REPUBLICAN BILL WOULD
BREAK UP MILWAUKEE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS INTO SMALLER DISTRICTS.
WE KNOW IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME
THIS HAS COME AROUND.
AS A SENATOR WHO REPRESENTS
MILWAUKEE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF
THAT PROPOSAL?
>> IT'S DEMEANING.
BECAUSE WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT
EXIST IN OUR CHOICE AND CHARTER
SYSTEMS TOO, AND WE'RE NOT DOING
ANYTHING TO TRY TO HOLD THE
SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE.
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
EDUCATES OVER 78,000 STUDENTS.
AND OUT OF THAT 78,000 STUDENTS,
OVER 62,000 OF THOSE STUDENTS
ARE IMPOVERISHED AND
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.
ANOTHER 20% OF THOSE STUDENTS
ARE SPECIAL NEEDS AND REQUIRE
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING WHICH
IS EXCEPTIONALLY EXPENSIVE.
RATHER THAN MY COLLEAGUES DOING
WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, TO MAKE
SURE THAT MILWAUKEE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS HAS THE RESOURCES THAT
THEY NEED TO ADEQUATELY FUND THE
SCHOOLS, THEY CHOOSE TO WANT TO
BREAK IT UP.
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE
PAST HAD SOMETHING CALLED A
MILWAUKEE MAP PARTNERSHIP.
THAT WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH UW-M
AND THE TECHNICAL COLLEGES IN
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND WE SAW THOSE MATH GAPS
CLOSE.
WE SAW MATH IMPROVE IN OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES
CHOSE TO NOT FUND THE PROGRAM
ANYMORE, AND IT WAS CUT OUT, AND
NOW WE'RE SEEING THE GAPS COME
BACK AGAIN AT A MUCH LARGER
RATE.
IF THEY WANT TO DO THINGS TO
IMPROVE AND HELP MILWAUKEE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THEY WOULD FUND
THOSE SERVICES THAT ARE MOST
NEEDED TO CLOSE THE GAPS AND
STOP TRYING TO PENALIZE A SCHOOL
SYSTEM THAT IS BIGGER THAN SOME
OF OUR COUNTIES.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
SENATOR JOHNSON.