To the editor,

Jamie Johnson’s recent Western Wisconsin Journal interviews with Assemblyman Zimmerman and State Sen. Stafsholt revealed much about their policy positions on public education. Zimmerman says the state can’t afford the present costs. He views schools as a “business expense” and we need greater efficiency. He harps on the reduced student population in both K-12 and higher education as the reason to reduce support.

Never mind that the state’s share of money going to public education during the past 12-14 years has not kept pace with inflation and aging building needs with an ever-larger proportion of funding coming from local property taxes. Educational costs should be shared on a population-wide basis.

Zimmerman’s solution? Consolidation to improve efficiency as has happened in businesses and agriculture. I think he would have Hudson, River Falls, Ellsworth and Prescott all in one school district with one administration and one high school. The number of further consolidations that could take place before bussing expenses and winter driving hazards would outweigh the benefits are probably limited. But even more important, schools are socially and economically a very important part of local environments and losing them would only add to the cultural demise and economic wasteland now found in much of rural small-town Wisconsin.

The state’s share of higher education funding has shrunk from about 75-80 percent in the early ‘60s, to about 14-18 percent today. Now the University System is being asked for another 15% cut. Wisconsin now ranks about 43^rd  in the nation in state support of its university/college system. Stafsholt addressed the higher education funding question with the response that the state’s freeze on tuition should be re-examined.

Our current Legislators go down to Madison and vote for whatever Republican Assembly leader Vos and Majority Senate leader LeMahieu tell them to vote for. It’s time for changes.  

Lou Greub

River Falls