Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 06:50:49 -0800 From: jessea@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) Subject: Wisconsin: Dates for community forums on improving education Department of Public Instruction/Information Release 125 South Webster, PO Box 7841 Madison, WI 53707-7814 1-800-441-4563 This information is provided as a free public service on the State of Wisconsin Badger gopher at gopher://badger.state.wi.us:70/00/agencies/dpi/bullpr/1995/dpi95084.txt and the Department of Public Instruction's electronic bulletin board, WiseNet. DPI 95084 12-15-95 Dates for community forums on improving education announced MADISON-State Superintendent John T. Benson says he's welcoming any Wisconsin citizens interested in helping shape the direction and focus of public education in this state for the 21st century to a series of community forums. "While internal agency discussions have centered on some specific initiatives_equity in school funding, citizenship and community building, high academic achievement for all students, school violence, and student and parent responsibility_everything and anything should and will be on the table for discussion at these forums," he said. A panel of policy makers will join Benson at each site in listening to citizen testimony on improving education. Community forums will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in seven locations. o Jan. 22 - Milwaukee Public Schools Central Office Cafeteria, 5225 West Vliet Street; o Jan. 23 - Brown County Public Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay; o Jan. 24 - Janesville Educational Services Center, 527 South Franklin Street; o Jan. 29 - Hogan Administrative Center, 807 East Avenue South, La Crosse; o Jan. 30 - Northstar Middle School Cafetorium, 2711 Abbe Hill Drive, Eau Claire; o Jan. 31 - Great Lakes Elementary School Cafeteria, 129 North 28th Street East, Superior; and o Feb. 6 - Longfellow Administrative Center, 415 Seymour Street, Wausau. "Historically, education in Wisconsin has been guided by locally elected school boards. Local control in the future must be more than partisan political posturing," Benson noted. "It is hypocritical to profess a belief in local control and then limit local spending on education as was done in the last state budget. If the governor and the Legislature truly are interested in local control, these forums will provide an opportunity for them to join me in listening to our constituents' concerns. I cordially invite them to do so. "So much of what is being advanced by policy makers as educational reform has had little or no public input," said Benson. "Representative government is good, but only if elected government officials listen to their constituencies and respond to their advice." Benson noted that a recent Wisconsin study found overwhelming support for the public schools from parents and others with "an intimate knowledge of the staff and its commitment to educating every child." He added that these findings were consistent with more than a decade of Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll results that show significant support for local public schools but concern about schools nationally. "I hope to hear from retirees, business owners, local elected officials, parents, students, teachers and teacher educators, librarians_anyone who has an idea about how we might advance the public schools rather than abandon them," invited the state superintendent. "These community forums are an opportunity for grass-roots involvement in the decision-making process and for improving public participation in public education," he concluded. -30- [The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project notes: the DPI's Home Page is at http://www.state.wi.us/agencies/dpi/ AND Superintendent Benson can be emailed at ] *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ YOU MAY RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project*; ph/fax: 510-601-8883, 586 62nd St. Oakland, CA 94609-1245 Gopher to "gopher.outright.com" Web sites: http://206.148.240.69/loco/PERSONProject/ http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/person.html/ http://www.pride.net/pridenet/person The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project is *always* looking for volunteer organizers. Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. *Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally.