GREATER MILWAUKEE GREEN PARTY SUPPORTS “YES” VOTE ON MPS REFERENDUM
The Greater Milwaukee Green Party calls on Milwaukee residents to vote Yes on the Milwaukee Public Schools’ (MPS) funding referendum on April 7.
Education is a right for all people. The $87 million per year that this referendum will raise is just a start towards repairing the damage successive Wisconsin legislatures have done to MPS in its drive to privatize public education.
Since the “school choice” program to send public money to private schools began in the 1980s, corporate interests have dominated education policy. It’s time for public school students and teachers interests to come first.
This referendum is a step in the right direction on the path to better public schools. Though it will not stop private interests from continuous siphoning of public school funding through voucher programs and Tax Incremental Funding districts), it is a necessity. Much like running a generator while the power lines are down, this referendum ensures we still accommodate our students as we work to bring other public dollars back to MPS.
This referendum will help MPS fund technical education and library services to give kids a better chance of understanding the world around them, and the tools to make change.
The art and music programs that this referendum will fund are not frills. They are essential to helping young people express themselves and create change.
Greens support the nationwide push for better teacher pay, better health care and library services, and better support services for children in every school district.
It is no accident that the attack on public schools is focused on urban districts where students most often experience the effects of racism, poverty, structural unemployment, and the violence that ensues where hope for the future is lacking.
We need public schools to help the next generation lead the fight against the climate crisis, systemic racism, and corporate domination. Public schools are democratic institutions essential in the fight for a broader democracy. We need the schools our kids deserve!
Vote YES for MPS!
For more information, go to the referendum campaign site: https://www.voteyesformps.org/