The VOICE of WAFLT
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Unite and Bridge Understanding for All Stakeholders Through Advocacy by Pablo Muirhead, Ph.D., Instructor of Spanish and Teacher Education, Milwaukee Area Technical College ur society has become incredibly divided over issues ranging from pandemic responses to what books kids should read. It’s truly mind boggling. Sadly, education has never been immune to politics and it’s now in our faces every day.
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However, we are in such a wonderful profession, one in which we can help unite and bridge understanding. Our work as world language educators invites students into new possibilities, spaces in which they can become more globally competent and multilingual. The many hats I wear speak to my advocacy for education. A proud member of WAFLT since the 90s, I am in my 27th year of teaching Spanish which I have done at the middle and high school levels before moving to the college levels. As my three-year term on the ACTFL Board came to an end, I joined the Joint National Committee for Languages: National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) [languagepolicy.org] Board where I continue my advocacy at the national level. At the state and local levels, I am in my second term on my local school board where I have forged relationships with our state leaders to advocate for education. In this piece, I would like to invite you to consider things you can do, and should know about, at the local, state, and national levels. Let’s continue our focus on our work while keeping an eye on the political landscape.
Local Ideas The more we can establish ourselves as relevant and integral to the curricular experience of all students, the more we can spread the importance of global competence and multilingualism. Below are some thoughts for ways to have an impact in your school and/or district. 1. Toot your horn! Invite your administrators into your classroom to see some of the great things you are doing. They are struggling with this pandemic as well, and a few minutes in your classroom may give them a boost of energy. 2. Look at curricular requirements in your school. Work to make sure that world languages are a requirement. 3. Join other Wisconsin districts and get your school to join the national movement behind the Seal of Biliteracy as well as Wisconsin’s Global Scholars Program. State Impact Governor Evers proposed a budget that was arguably the best education budget Wisconsin had seen in a generation. However, the Wisconsin State Legislature and Senate, decimated it to the point that there was a $0 increase on per pupil expenditure. And there was no increase in special education funding, keeping us last among all 50 states. These issues clearly have a negative impact on public schools including world languages. If you have seen small pay increases, slashes to programs, or had your own program decimated, then you know what is at
stake. Keep in mind that what the state does not cover for special education comes from districts’ general education fund. Yes, that means programs get cut and salaries don’t increase at the rate they should. You might be scratching your head wondering why education has not been prioritized, especially given the fact that Wisconsin’s general fund is at an all-time high of $3.8 billion (see Legislative Fiscal Bureau Memo from Jan. 25, 2022). The original forecast had been a $1 billion surplus. Many educational advocacy groups within the state, ranging from the Wisconsin Public Education Network to local school boards, are asking for the state legislature to convene a special session to address these funding gaps. In a nutshell, apply any pressure through your networks (unions, boards, schools, etc.) to call for this special session. Stay abreast of these changes and always vote! National Impact Recent reports (ACTFL and AAAS) conclude that our country’s language capacity has reached a critical breaking-point with implications for business and government as well as military, diplomatic, and intelligence services. Much of this has to do with the national teacher shortage which also impacts world language classrooms. WAFLT is a proud member of JNCL-NCLIS. Yearly, a delegation from Wisconsin heads to Capitol Hill to advocate for issues related to languages along with delegations from
