Do You Want To Talk To The Boss Or The One Who Knows What's Going On?

The gentle reader has probably heard the saying that I've put as the title of this post or have seen it on a sign in some store that sells kitsch.

But there is a grain of truth to it.  The boss of any agency will try to present things so that they appear in the best light possible.  He or she might even believe that their policies and procedures are actually working, even though they're not there to see it.  But it is the people that actually have to do the work that knows what's good and what's bad.

Scott Walker is saying that his budget is working.  He might even believe it despite the fact that the state keeps hemmorhaging jobs every month because of his budget.  He might even really believe his "tools" are working for local school districts in making up for the nearly billion dollars he has slashed from their budgets.

That's what he wants us to believe anyway.

But those that have to deal with the mess he's made actually know the truth.  And they're talking:

This unfair budget has real consequences for our children, as the responses to the survey from around the state reveal:

• Horicon says, “We have made significant reductions in staff during the past three years and we can no longer compete with area districts. We lose more than 100 students to open enrollment.”

• Royall has been forced to close one school and has made cut to the foods program, and there are now fewer hours of science and math.

• Shullsburg, already down to one administrator and one guidance counselor for the entire district, has received significant concessions from staff in an attempt to balance the budget. However, they still anticipate that, “next year we will be making significant staff cuts to attempt to balance the budget again.”

• The news from Clayton is similarly somber: “No cuts were made in programs for the 2011-12 school year because there isn’t anything left to cut without causing a disruption in educational opportunities.” The district is “very concerned about what the future holds for small community schools.”

• Other districts are getting by only thanks to President Obama’s federal funding. Germantown notes that, “federal stimulus money is supporting our staff,” while Bowler reports that, “Federal impact aid is a blessing to our school district.”

Even the districts that Scott Walker highlights as examples that his “tools” are working are in deep trouble. Waukesha, for instance, has seen record retirements, larger class sizes, reduced benefits and shorter planning periods for teachers and staff. What’s keeping the wheels from coming off is federal funding: Waukesha received more than $8 million in federal stimulus over the last few years, which offset Walker’s $5 million cut.

I also have not heard Walker or any of his apologists explain what's going to happen next year when his "tools" are all used up and they don't have anywhere else to turn.  You think it might be because they don't want to even think about it themselves, much less have the public know?

Because if this information becomes public knowledge, the recallers won't be able to print off petitions fast enough to keep up with the demand.