Our view: Spending a surplus without party labels, partisan division – Kenosha News

Posted On: March 10, 2020

Our view: Spending a surplus without party labels, partisan division

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What if the extreme partisan politics seen in Madison and Washington all of a sudden went away?

What if Republicans and Democrats actually worked together to solve problems?

What if state and federal governments worked like local government, where party labels are not in the conversation?

Case in point, let’s talk about when government has a surplus.

Wisconsin has a $452 million surplus; at the local level, Kenosha Unified School District has a $7 million surplus.

Wisconsin’s is the result of extra tax revenue; KUSD’s is largely the result of savings from changing health insurance providers.

State lawmakers failed to work together to compromise on how to spend down the surplus. Republicans went their way on an income tax plan; Democrats and Gov. Tony Evers preferred increasing funding for schools and a property tax cut.

Majority Republicans passed their plan and sent it to Evers. The Assembly adjourned. Evers vetoed it.

Evers said he will not accept a plan “that doesn’t invest in our kids and our schools for mental health education or special education.”

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said, “He’s got a soft spot, and it’s always going to be more money, more money into education and ignoring other parts of state government.”

So for now, the state surplus will sit there, and neither schools nor property or income taxpayers will see any relief.

Now consider the KUSD surplus. No doubt there were competing ideas on how best to use it.

But the school board, working together, decided on a variety of ways to spend the money, including a one-time $1,000 stipend for all employees and upgrades and repairs at 20 schools.

In all, more than $2.5 million will go toward the stipends, and there were no dissenting votes in the package.

“We asked for a classroom expense and financial recovery package that included a stipend,” said Tanya Kitts-Lewinski, union president. “I think we’re happy with the stipend. We’ll take it because educators really need some relief.

The board also approved $81,200 for five educational support professionals security positions at different schools, $150,000 for the equity team for districtwide professional learning, and money for other areas.

How did they do it? They presented ideas, compromised, and didn’t come in wearing the Republican and Democrat labels and the tunnel vision that goes with them.

It worked in the case of KUSD, and it works largely for local governments, which are closest to residents. Debate, make the best decisions, and move forward.

KUSD employees will have more money in their pockets and schools will improve. Meanwhile KUSD families and the rest of Wisconsin residents won’t get a tax cut or benefit at all from the state surplus.

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Our view: As esports explode, Wisconsin can take a lead role

College scholarships to play video games?

It’s not as crazy as you think; in fact it’s happening now, and at least two Wisconsin legislators want to make sure the state isn’t left behind.

In mid-February, state Reps. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, and Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, introduced LRB-3801, creating a grant program for Wisconsin schools to establish esports programs.

McGuire noted that esports — i.e. video-game-based competitions — is a rapidly growing field that provides a competitive environment that can be more inclusive than traditional athletic events.

At the start of the 2018 school year, there were 128 colleges/universities offering approximately $15 million in scholarships related to esports, McGuire said. In five years, that number is expected to rise to 800 colleges/universities and $100 million in scholarships.

Not unlike sporting events, esports tournaments draw thousands of spectators and rake in millions of dollars. According to statistics compiled by Newzoo, there were nearly 900 major esports events in 2019 that brought in ticket revenue of more than $56 million.

And it is possible to “go pro” in esports, with top gamers making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Also notable is that esports can be played on a level field by anyone — height, weight, gender and physical prowess are not factors.

At the same time, esports have been shown to have the same benefits as regular sports, with an emphasis on teamwork, communication and overcoming obstacles.

Like a football or basketball team, players on esports teams train regularly, taking part in drills and sharpening their acumen.

Gateway Technical College announced the formation of an esports club this year, and UW-Parkside is preparing to offer an esports program in the fall. More and more high schools and colleges are also starting esports teams.

As the activity explodes, it stands to reason that the state should step up.

“The passage of this bill would be a critical step in positioning Wisconsin as a leader in the global esports industry,” said James O’Hagan, Racine educator and founder of the Academy of Esports.

“With a projected $100 million in collegiate scholarships by 2023, the funds in this bill will ensure equitable access to this extraordinary opportunity for our state’s students and place Wisconsin at the forefront of the national conversation about education and esports.”

The time for scoffing at gamers and stereotyping them is over. Esports is a wave of the future and should be regarded no differently than traditional sports.

We agree that Wisconsin should take the plunge into esports and strongly consider the merits of the bill proposed by the legislators.

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