Forum Judy Gump has been teaching in Madison, Wisconsin, for three years. In Wisconsin, budget caps are responsible for keeping school budgets so tight that our English department can barely afford to replace books, not to mention buy new ones, and contract negotiations are always a drawn out and humiliating affair. Other districts are even worse off than ours. It s tempting to think that a district can take the money and run, but the structure of the contract prevents this. These promotions are at the heart of these exclusive marketing agreements.
Beverage companies aren t interested in helping our children by funding their schools.
They re interested in buying brand loyalty. Sure, school districts are facing a paralyzing budget crunch. Children have the right to a quality education, one that allows them to make choices about their futures. When corporations worm their way into the schools, they make the choices, they set the agenda. Trust me, I know.