Kyle Seidel

Making public education a priority amidst statewide budget cuts is critical to perpetuating a successful society and democracy, said Elizabeth Burmaster, state superintendent of public education.

“Within this political climate, we must come together as an educational community,” she said Wednesday afternoon in the Davies Theatre. “We must prioritize education.”

Burmaster said preserving public education helps prevent future societal problems like crime and poverty.

Junior education major Kristin Benedict agreed with Burmaster.

“I really like how she said public education is a priority in the state of Wisconsin,” she said. “Because I think that, as she said, it will lead to less correctional and social spending.”

Burmaster also discussed the importance of closing what she called the “achievement gap,” or the disparity in educational and vocational accomplishments between Wisconsinites of different economic and racial backgrounds.

“We must address that gap,” she said. “So much of it is related to poverty, to economic disadvantage.”

She said Wisconsin’s impressive high school graduation rate is misleading – when divided into sub-groups of race and economic levels there are significant inconsistencies.

“We need to reach out across racial, economic and gender divides,” she said.

She also discussed the No Child Left Behind Act, which, she said, imposes arbitrary testing on classrooms that are better assessed by state testing.

“The intent is absolutely where it should be,” she said. “But if you pull funding, how does that help?”

Burmaster, a Democrat, is up for re-election this spring and will face Republican candidate Gregg Underheim.

She spoke as a part of UW-Eau Claire’s recognition of National Women’s History Month.