Rep. Barca Statement on UW-Madison Cuts
"Cutting the University of Wisconsin is not only wildly unpopular – it is also incredibly shortsighted."
MADISON – Today Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) released the following statement in response to the UW-Madison’s announcement that they will cut 400 jobs and merge programs due to historically-large state budget cuts:
“Today’s announcement confirms that the Republicans’ extreme budget is already leading to hundreds of job losses in our state. At a time when Wisconsin is 40th in the nation in job growth and 42nd in wage growth, the last thing we need to do is dis-invest in our world class higher education system.
“Cutting the University of Wisconsin is not only wildly unpopular – it is also incredibly shortsighted.
“It is bad enough when one of our Big Ten athletic opponents gets a competitive edge on the playing field, but what’s even worse is how other universities are pulling ahead in academics. It’s devastating to our future competitiveness when other institutions are making new investments in academics at the same time that we are de-investing in our world class University of Wisconsin System.”
The job cuts today are the second major set of job losses linked to the damaging state budget proposal. Last week Slinger-based GeminiCares, Inc. announced they are going out of business and laying off their more than 700 employees due to Governor Walker’s dramatic proposed changes to Wisconsin’s long-term care system. The news is devastating not only for those who are losing their jobs but also for seniors, people with disabilities and others who depend on these vital services.
Cuts to the UW are very unpopular among Wisconsin residents. The latest Marquette Law poll released yesterday found 70 percent of those surveyed oppose the proposed $300 million cut to the UW system.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
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Aug 17th, 2017 by State Rep. Peter Barca"Along with my Democratic colleagues, I’ll work tirelessly to make this a better deal."
