Yet Another Measure Threatens the Common School Fund

Senate Bill 95, a school reform bill, threatens the Common School Fund by eliminating the current 25 percent limit on the amount of CSF money that may be used to purchase school library computers and related software.

The full Senate is scheduled to vote on this bill at 11:00 a.m. today, Thursday, October 20.

Please contact your senator right away and request an amendment to SB-95 that would remove the provisions in the bill that relate to the Common School Fund.  Thank you for your help!
Points to raise:

• The common school fund is the major source of school library resources, both print and electronic. These resources are critical to a quality education for our students to prepare them for work and college.
• It is important to uphold the constitutional intent of the Common School Fund for its intended purposes. School libraries in Wisconsin continue to be a cornerstone of a strong educational system.
• Direct them to the updated Common School Fund recommendations and clarify what the funds can be spent on. This recently updated list takes into account the need for the purchase of learning resources in various formats. For example, Kindles are actually allowable outside of the 25 percent cap.
• Cite the research that libraries staffed with qualified library professionals with strong collections of materials raise student achievement. Qualified library professionals are able to determine the appropriate resources for their library within the revised CSF standards.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR SENATOR
BY PHONE: Call the legislative hotline toll-free at 1-800-362-WISC (9472) (266-9960 in the Madison area) to leave a message for your senator.  This hotline can also tell you who your State Senator is.

BY E-MAIL or PHONE:  Visit http://www.legis.state.wi.us/ and click on "Who Represents Me?"  After entering your address, your representative and senator will appear along with a phone number or link to email them.  If you send e-mail, include your name and mailing address in the body of the message, or your concerns may not be recorded.

Generally, senators' e-mail addresses use the following format:
Sen.Lastname@legis.state.wi.us  (example: Sen.Smith@legis.state.wi.us)
--Allison Kaplan and Kathy Sanders, Legislative Committee Co-chairs, Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association