If Christian Schneider wants to convince us that the teacher's union is the most despicable political force in Wisconsin, the fact he inserts into the end of his essay on the matter is not going to do the trick:
Today, K-12 education funding dwarfs the next-highest state spending program by a measure of 4-to-1. In 2011, Wisconsin spent $5.3 billion on public school aids, compared to $1.3 billion on Medical Assistance.
Gasp! We spend much more on education than anything else? My goodness, have state leaders no sense of priorities?
But have no fear. If trends continue, maybe some day the prison budget, which is currently larger than the budget for the entire UW System and UW-Madison, will surpass K-12 spending. Then Wisconsin can be proud.
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