How To Cut The Fat From Education

Tigerton High School students take a German II language class over the ERVING distance-learning network. The network, around since 1991, has been benefiting students throughout the area. (Leader photo)

Look, no teacher and the students are learning.

Image and article from Shawano Leader

Erving benefits area school students
By Colleen Spindler, Leader correspondent

Morgan Schonfelder, a former student at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School wants to be a doctor. Thanks to an interactive distance-learning program, she was able to take a medical terminology class that otherwise would not have been available at her school.

“It was nice to take the medical terminology class because that definitely saved me a lot of time in college,” Schonfelder said. “It’s definitely nice to get a wider variety of classes here.”

More than 300 area students this year are benefiting from an expanded curriculum thanks to the Embarrass River Valley Instructional Network Group’s efforts.

ERVING, formed in 1991 as the first distance-learning network in Wisconsin, features a communication network that now includes a state-of-the-art, two-way interactive high definition video system, which enables students in one school to take a class being led by a teacher in another school. For example, students sitting in their Clintonville classroom can interact with students from Tigerton or Gresham, as well as with the teacher leading the class from Bonduel.

With the high cost of education today, school budgets skyrocketing, property taxes spiraling out of control maybe it's time to look at over the air education. Take the example of most colleges today, one professor and hundreds or sometimes a thousand or more students for one class and just one instructor.

Since the teachers union members do not want to help in this bad economy maybe it's time to cut back on teachers themselves. We have Go To Meeting, Cisco Systems, and even here in Wisconsin, e1evation, llc and other forms of technology and learning systems. Why not use them?

Let's take the Wisconsin M & O conference but you could pick any group of schools in this state or this country.. Let's just start the first year with only seniors. take one teacher in Suring teaching math to students in Suring, Gillett, Coleman, Wausaukee and Crivits.

One teacher in Crivits teaching history in Suring, Gillett, Coleman, Wausaukee and Crivits.

One teacher in Gillett teaching Spanish in Suring, Gillett, Coleman, Wausaukee and Crivits.

We just eliminated 12 teaching positions. 12 salaries, 12 retirement plans and 12 health care costs. Look at the above image and article. Six students taking German ll and what did it cost the school system? I'm not sure of costs but if schools can save 3/4 of a million dollars in salaries and benefits and what, a $100,000 for equipment costs, that's still a savings of $650, 000.

If we are moving into the 21st century, we need to look at all facets of spending and cost savings in education in Wisconsin. Do teachers really care about educating students or are they only concerned about their Cadillac salaries, pensions and health care.

It;s time for change in Wisconsin and it's time Scott Walker looks at the useless spending in education in Wisconsin.