Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him
This was the beginning of a July news story in the Capital Times in Madison, Wis., about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign for a third term as a Republican governor:
When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker started branding himself "the pro-education governor," one of his Democratic opponents said he "thought it was a joke from The Onion."“I personally think that he lost more than his hair when he hit his head if he thinks he’s the education governor,” said Milwaukee attorney Matt Flynn during an interview last month, referencing a story Walker has told about the origins of his bald spot. “It takes guts to say something like that.”
The reference is to Walker’s reputation as being hostile to traditional public schools — and that’s not great news for the governor in an election in which education is a top issue, according to polls. What’s more, Walker is running against Tony Evers, the Democratic state superintendent of education, who has been battling the governor’s education priorities for the last eight years. And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that education is the “one issue” that both Walker and Evers are “hitting hard in their campaign ads.”
Though the election is still a few weeks away, and anything can happen, Evers has been leading in recent polls, and Walker’s efforts to recast himself as the “education governor” don’t appear to have convinced his critics. His education “reform” agenda could be coming back to bite him at a time when interest in supporting public education in Wisconsin seems to be growing among many residents at the local level. What’s more, Evers, for his part, has been a teacher, principal and superintendent, and is now in his third term as Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction. He has called for much more funding for public schools and has been critical of the state’s voucher programs, which use public money for private and religious school funding. He is Continue reading: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him - The Washington Post
