Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for nearly 20 years, is an active volunteer who serves on numerous local boards and committees. He’s married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company and currently serves on several area Boards.
Three years ago, I invited Mr. Bob Smickley, CEO of MetalTek in Waukesha, to be the keynote speaker for the Waukesha Education Foundation kick-off breakfast. Bob is incredibly smart, well-versed on an array of issues, one of Waukesha’s largest employers, and his kids went through the Waukesha School District. Bob’s stern “warning” prior to acceptance was to be careful what you ask for, because his message on education “could” ruffle some feathers.
Bob discussed positives about and within the Waukesha District. He then went on to relate his attempts to donate computers to the District, and the ensuing red tape experienced as a result of his attempted generosity. His message that day was prescient: education was not business-friendly, and change was needed.
Fast forward to “today’s” Waukesha School District: Staffing cuts (60+), increased class sizes, program cuts, and prospects for more of the same next year. Opinions from the Community range from supportive to inquiring to critical to detached. Armchair strategists are offering their “fixes” for others to execute. The School Administration and Board look to the Community and the State for help…and there is none. So how do we citizens, taxpayers, business people and parents react, and what does this have to do with Bob Smickley’s presentation of three years ago?
Local change is needed! The core values of everyone’s right to a quality public education cannot go by the wayside on our watch! Seniors surviving on social security have as much a responsibility to our kid’s futures as we do to their monthly sustenance. Parents of students have to respect the needs of more than their own kids and work for widespread change and improvement. Businesses have a social responsibility to their Community beyond writing checks. Employers have to take an active interest in learning how they can get involved to ensure the workforce coming out of local schools mirrors their needs.
Change at the State level is critically past due! Unfunded mandates, a decrepit funding formula 14 years old, hard-core political divisiveness that thwarts discussion or compromise, and a “Bury my Head” approach from our local State representatives are all factors which preclude reasonable discourse and problem-solving. …And seriously, do we really want just the politicians and educators working on a fix for a problem of this magnitude?
Taxes are acknowledged as high. The State provides a lot of money to education, yet there are additional needs in the State. Referendums are short-term fixes, and the process for approval rips Communities apart. Everyone seems to have a “pet peeve” about some aspect of public education. Please accept the preceding and move to the next paragraph…
Responsible change is needed, and all shareholders must be at the table! Legislators, educators, businesses, unions, and parents all share responsibility towards finding a long-term solution. The problems are real, local, and immediate. Every one of these groups must be an active participant in ‘blowing-up” the current education-funding model and starting fresh. The prospects of failure should be somewhat self-evident.
To Bob Smickley: I agreed with you three years ago, and I now carry your message one step further – “Education” today needs to be user-friendly to all.
