Friday, February 15, 2013

The AFP Steal Our Kids Money Tour!

The Americans for Prosperity Poverty recently did a little tour around the state telling us why they wanted to take our children's education money.  Here is a recap of their stop in Beloit, WI.  Unfortunately it was written by a stenographer who either didn't want to ask questions, or wasn't allowed.   Since this reporter dropped the ball....allow us here @cog_dis to pick it up and run with it!  

* Kristi Lacroix makes $74,000 a year which is more than anyone in our district or Janesville's district.  What is she in the top 5% of teachers paid in the state? i guess the union really screwed her over!    

* I wonder how much @afp-wisconsin pays her to run around to these things. 

*  More from Kristi:
She said schools afraid of competition should get it together or get out of the business of education. And she doesn’t accept excuses of kids not performing well because they are poor or come from bad homes.
 - Schools are NOT a business, there is no profit margin, Schools are an INVESTMENT!  

 -  Secondly, to dismiss poverty as a factor in learning  shows you do not know how to google, or you are being paid to not Google.  

* more Kristi:   "Stressing that the best teachers won’t lose their jobs in the event of expanded school choice,..."  
               - Without Collective bargaining agreements and the redefinition of "just cause", what do you base that on? 

* finally with Kristi;   “I’ll save you tons of money. Let me watch the best teachers in the state,” LaCroix said. “When school choice really opens up in Wisconsin, it’s not going to be to suburban schools, it’s going to be to successful schools who invested in their teachers.

                  -Well one thing Kristi, we as a school district are only able to "invest in the teachers" up to the CPI and not a penny more!  I will give you a break on that one as I am sure that economics is not your strong suit and you obviously have no idea what ACT 10 says.  

*   Next comes Tony Katz, who they flew in from out of state(for some reason) then put together a false video for him to show and get the blame for(with friends like @AFPWI , who needs enemies?).

  Katz played a video presenting statistics, including a claim that “51 percent of Beloit schools were failing,” which prompted Beloit Superintendent Steve McNeal to interject that the claim was false.

* We only get a few glimpses of AFP director Luke Hulgemann;

 - “We believe that competition drives innovation and results for all children,” Wisconsin State Director of AFP Luke Hilgemann said. “We need better results. We are falling behind other states and other countries.”

-  (speaking to the false video)  Hilgemann said the statement comes from reading the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report card. In October the report cards indicated that School District of Beloit has seven of its 14 schools meeting or exceeding expectations, and half of the schools in the district meeting fewer expectations.

Yet we get enough to know that Hilgemann is NOT the sharpest pencil in the box, but probably plays the role of stooge for his Masters very well!  

Kudos to those who showed up to bring sanity to this parade of propaganda, but it appears that people actually spoke up and said "thanks but no thanks" to the AFP snake oil!


Some attendees voiced concern over the images shown, and what they considered to be exaggerated claims.
Parent Rick McGrath noted the images shown weren’t from Beloit.
“Images can be very powerful. Those were very dour and provocative photos. You’re casting the wrong impression of my community,” McGrath said.
McGrath said Beloit just passed its $70 million referendum and hasn’t had time to act out its plan yet.
Teacher Kathleen Woodman said she felt hurt by the video, and said it implied the School District of Beloit is failing, which she rejected.
“I want choices for our kids, but we also must speak about public education with honest facts,” Woodman said.

Finally, local rep Amy Loudenbeck showed up and realized that this is a losing proposition distanced her self from it(also obviously trying to pretend that the mess the republicans made when they rammed through the 18 of ACT10, which she proudly voted for): :

Loudenbeck said she would like to see a parental choice debate focused on the children and families that could benefit from school choice and private school vouchers, without targeting individual school or district performance.
“I realize that may be difficult, but I am willing to work with community members to continue a respectful and open discussion on this issue,” Loudenbeck said.


With such a false and sloppy presentation, do we really want these people in charge of educating our children???



31 comments:

  1. Terribly depressing. I remember when Wisconsin, New York and California were the top states for schools. All the teachers I know are dedicated and very hard working. The crap they have to put up with doesn't stop them from giving all they have to make students successful.

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  2. What a dog and pony show. Unfortunately, the parents don't seem to believe the teachers and admin at their own schools but will swallow this bilge hook, line and sinker....

    The acorns don't fall far from the tree.

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  3. You know, I've come to the conclusion that all these people attacking teachers and public employees are just getting their revenge for some perceived mistreatment they received sometime in their lives.

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  4. Here is some interesting info I put together about Lacroix’s school compared to other area schools which I got from the WI DPI.
    Her school (Lakeview Technical Academy or LTA for short) in Kenosha has the highest state report card score in 3 county area of Kenosha, racine and Walworth counties, 3rd lowest poverty rate, top 5 lowest rate of students with disabilities. LTA compared to Kenosha Bradford (KB). LTA report card score 80.1(exceeds excpectations), KB 59.1(meets few); LTA 395 students, KB 1719 students; LTA 83% white, KB 59%white; LTA 4.6% black(18 students), KB 17.8% black(306 students); LTA 0.5% Limited English Proficient(2 students), KB 7.8%LEP(134 students); LTA 8.4%with disabilities(33 students), KB 15.8%with disabilities(271 students); LTA 23% economically disadvantaged(91 students), KB 47% Econ.Dis.(808 students).

    3 city of Racine public H.S. avg (Case Hi, Park Hi, Horlick Hi) percent and numbers: Avg. enrollment 1909 students; avg.report card score 45.1(fails to meet expectations); 30%black(573 students per school); 47.5%white; students with disabilities 16.4%(313 students per school); limited English proficient 9.5%(181 students per school); Economically Disadvantaged 57%(1094 students per school)

    maybe she won't take excuses because there aren't too many to take? just a thought.

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  5. These people that side with these Nazis, and I don't care if that is sensational because they are using their play book, are able to secure the mass people because people still believe there is accountability in public statements. People need to get rude and stand up and say, "NO YOU ARE LYING"! It's our last stance against the exploitation of our children's education funds.

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    1. "get rude"? When hasn't the left been rude?

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    2. Oh, just because we're not capitulating the way you thought we would?

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  6. We have a teacher in Kaukauna which makes $96,000 a year as a gym teacher. What is yoir point with Kristi's salary brings nothing to your point.

    School choice is about raising our own children with morals not where those morals are prohibited ! As a taxpayer of WI it is not fair that we pay double for our children to recieve a decent education because unions see fit to promote their own agenda in name of the children. Collective bargaining brings nothing to the table for my children. It protects on the merit of seniority vs. the best qualified. I have nothing against paying for the best. The best were not whining in Madison while school was in session. Those were the entitled worried about their own bottom line.

    Act 10 has worked great in Kaukauna ! We were able to keep all schools open. We hired more teachers and have money to put back into education NOT WEA Trust.....

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    1. Kaukauna was a lie then, and it's a lie now. But enjoy your higher taxes with less to show for them.

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    2. Taxes were reduced by $500 last year, and raised by $100 for the addition on FVTC this year. Keep drinkin the Koolaid Crapper

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    3. Gee, that's not what the official documents say. Keep goosestepping, fool.

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    4. Spin it anyway you please.....You are using union sources to enhance a false narrative to begin with. We country folk here in Kaukauna live here and know, and see the proof daily. TGFSW and Kristi Lacroix !!!

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    5. How do you see with your eyes closed? Believe your lies all you want, but don't waste our time on them.

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  7. Walker was re -elected by a 74% margin within our community ! He will be re-elected again. Your side continues to be union lapdogs (11% of nation population) keep up the good fight. MI will lower that rate even more !!!"Maybe you should move to Dem Eutopia in CA,IL , or NY last I looked......its working GREAT there.

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    1. Yes, he was elected, and now we are paying higher taxes, higher fees, have less jobs and a stagnant economy.

      Last I looked, we ranked below all of the unionized states. For goodness sake, we're even worse off than Alabama. And you're actually bragging about that?!

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    2. The Red Republican States are TAKERS, they take the money brought in from the MAKERS, unionized Democratic states, to the Federal Government to pay their bills. Get your facts strait, and Illinois, California, and New York are doing much better than WI.

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  8. And not only did Walker deny WIsconsin 4.3 billion dollars of our own federal taxes to help with Medicare costs, he will deny our state 10,000 jobs, fail to provide healthcare to 157,000 more Wisconsinites, throw more people off Badgercare and into the emergency rooms where the rest of us will pick up their costs in increase insurance premiums. Hey, the regular Wisconsinite will pay twice in federal taxes and again in higher insurance costs while Wisconsinites will suffer and die for lack of health care! How moral is this? Turn off propaganda radio and TV and use the math that public schools taught you to look at the numbers. Everyone loses so Walker can run for President and leave a broken Wisconsin in his wake.

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    1. You need to go back and look at what accepting that fed money to expand medicade would actually cost us. I'm so tired of you libs only seeing short term benefits and ignoring the long term damage of your policies. it is your short sidedness that put the country in this mess.

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    2. A) Walker's plan will cost us much more in the long and short term.

      B) It's the Republicans and teahadists that have driven up the debt so high.

      C) Neither of these have to do with the topic at hand.

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  9. Once again the spin doctor is in the house !!! Illinois was just downgraded a second time due to out of control pensions. Hmmmm CA same thing while charging its citizens at 65% tax rate. Jobs hace been leaving the State faster than Obama in a conversation about Benghazi. New York is losing its population faster yet. Our unemployment rate continues to fall as the rest of the nation continues to shed jobs. Last I looked our GDP as a nation shrunk last quarter. We have a surplus. You continue to harp on jobs though. He was wrong for putting out the number of 250,000. Yet in this economy of Obama's no state except North Dakota is booming. You keep harping on jobs. That is all you have. The state is headed in the right direction. Once we lower the tax rate this year, and approve the mining bill. Things will really start to get moving even faster.

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    1. Actually, you are lying. The nation has continued to have constant job growth while Wisconsin has had more months with job losses than gains. Wisconsin is in the top ten of people fleeing the state and the only one in the Midwest with a population drop.

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    2. ^^^ Koolaid drunk ^^^ Let me guess Red?

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    3. Wow, capper, you show more ignorance with every post.

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    4. Why? I can back up what I say. You can't, can you?

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  10. Stellar analysis. And, with the corporate masters in power, it will sadly get much worse (for the kids) before it can get better.

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  11. Kristi is every union blowhards kryponite ! She was attacked by the mindless, and by the looks of this piece still is being attacked. She works in the belly of the beast, and continues to push forward. She has bigger balls than the lapdog writing this piece. Keep up the good fight Kristi !!

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    1. Let me guess, 4 years ago you said Sarah Palin was Kyptonite for us "elitist lib'ruls." And I bet Bubblehead Kristi idolizes a grifter like Palin, making easy money off rubes like you.

      For someone allegedly interested in education, you sure don't learn much. SUCKER!

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    2. If her "balls" are so big, and "balls" is what it takes to fix the schools, then hopefully without collective bargaining and those "stupid" unions in the way the school board will be able to transfer her from the small school with the rich, white, English speaking kids with high IQs to one of the large schools with the poor, black,hispanic, non english speaking kids with low IQs and takes no excuses and turn it around...and then move on to the next. Show us that poverty doesnt matter.

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  12. The voucher movement is nothing more than a giant grift at this point. This article exposes La Croix and Koch whore Hilgenmann as the clueless front people that they are.

    And every grift needs its marks, which the Anonymous trolls from Redlands illustrate. Your taxes may have been down for one year, but your home values are down for good, because no young family wants to locate in anti-education cesspools like yours.

    And when the unaccountable voucher school folds up in a year or two and your kid's life is thrown into turmoil, which keeps him or her from doing well in school for the next few years, you can take solace in knowing you saved $50 one year.

    While Walker and the voucher grifters laugh all the way to the bank behind your back. SUCKER!!

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  13. Kristi can watch me any day she wants. I can out "teach" her and my union has nothing to do with it. Kristi has it easy; she has kids who come with the background knowledge and expectations to learn. Give her a bunch of kids who have parents who do not value education or kids who are cold and hungry or kids who have substance abuse in their lives and Kristi won't know what to do.

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  14. And I don't make $72,000 per year.

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