A new report from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families is critical of the impact state budget cuts have had on education policies. Council research director Jon Peacock says funding cuts are resulting in larger class sizes and a sharp reduction in teacher experience. The report says spending on schools has declined in Wisconsin at a time when the national average increased. North Fond du Lac superintendent Aaron Sadoff says its time to start thinking of public education as an investment in our kids instead of an expense. “It makes 100 percent sense that the more we invest in our kids at a younger age and in school, the less we are going to have to pay for police, social services, for prisons, the less problems we’re going to have with crime,” Sadoff told WFDL news. The report found the number of teachrs in Wisconsin schools fell by almost 3,000 between 2005 and 2013. Sadoff says he’s concerned about the impact down the road with more crowded classrooms and fewer experienced teachers. Sadoff says the state needs to decide what its long term priorities are.
