More hinky balderdash from WI capitol regarding education

For those who thought nothing could be worse than defunding public schools to send our tax money to for-profit, private, and religious schools... or than cutting the UW system by hundreds of millions of dollars over the past five years... or the demonization of teachers and professors that we have had the last five years (though apparently every teacher in those voucher schools is of an entirely different class, one of virtue and excellent pedagogy and selfless devotion to the education of our children, and holds none of the characteristics of the public school teacher/demon class)...

now the Republicans in the state legislature have formed a committee in secret, that at this time plans to meet in secret, to discuss the merger of the Wisconsin Technical Colleges System and the UW two-year college system. And it is being done not only without inviting any Democrats to the discussion, but not even informing or inviting the Democrats who are on the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities. Defund, Destabalize, Demoralize, Demonize, and Destroy, a five-pronged attack on education that is being entirely too effective, from K-12 through our universities and colleges.

Rep. Dana Wachs (D-91st District) is the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, and has sent this letter and press release showing his dismay that he and his colleagues were neither informed nor invited, and his dismay that this group wants to meet behind closed doors to discuss something so monumental as a potential merger.

His press release.

His letter to Rep. Terry Katsma.

For more of a sense of what is happening within the two-year colleges (and this applies as well to the entire system), here is a good read from Kelly Wilz, a professor at UW-Marshfield, about the struggles of being a professor in the current climate and the damage being done.

It is insane. Seriously, contact your legislators, and ask them to stop this nonsense.