Lisa Fitzgerald, Wife Of Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader, Gets Layoff Notice

As the standoff between Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans over controversial legislation stripping public unions of collective bargaining rights continues, teachers are beginning to receive preliminary layoff notices, including the wife of state senate majority leader Scott Fitzergald (R).

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

Superintendent Jeremy Biehl says the school board decided Wednesday night to send preliminary layoff slips to all 34 members of the teaching staff, including librarians and counselors. Biehl says the action was taken because of the uncertainty of the state budget bill.

Lisa Fitzgerald works as a counselor in the Hustisford school district. Republican governor Scott Walker has threatened to layoff 1,500 state workers if Democrats who fled the state to avoid voting on the unions legislation don't return.

Read our live blog of the Wisconsin protests for all the latest updates.

Comments

[Debbie Niemeyer]

08:22 PM on 03/01/2011

When Sen Scott Fitzgerald was internviewed on CNN a few days ago, did anyone notice that his pupils were pretty big? I thought I was seeing things, but I saw him again tonight with Spitzer interviewing him, and his eyes were in the same light but with smaller pupils. Just curious...

[unwashedmasses]

02:29 PM on 02/28/2011

I wonder if she will become a 99er. Husband Scott better keep his job in that case. At least one income.

[Voyager101]

06:17 AM on 02/27/2011

I questioned earlier what would happen if a democrat did this. Of course nothing would. http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=63290

[Ryan Poortenga]

08:04 PM on 02/26/2011

Her first teaching job was as a science teacher at my high school when I was in the 10th grade--she seemed like a real dimbulb who didn't actually want to be there but she was always well-dressed so hey, I guess the aspiring-political-wife side of her was always there...

[bj2386]

09:21 PM on 02/25/2011

"The most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to k i l l it."

Margaret Sanger, Women and the New Race
(Eugenics Publ. Co., 1920, 1923)

These are the views and organizational goals of Planned Parenthood as spoken by its founder, Margaret Sanger.

[Harbinger08]

05:22 PM on 02/25/2011

The Huntisford school district where Lisa Fitzgerald works employs a grand total of 34 teaching staff members, yet apparently requires a superintendent to manage all those adults. Most teachers have to contend with nearly that many unruly students in each class. Why don't they fire that guy first, he probably makes more than any of them, and does little to no work.

[Schwerin97]

11:45 PM on 02/25/2011

Oh, no doubt. For some strange reason, school districts always pay their superintendents big bucks despite the fact most of them are useless.

[Eris23Skidoo]

05:03 PM on 02/25/2011

Oh, whatever. Lisa Fitzgerald is not going to lose her job. She is the wife of someone who is well-connected, politically. Her job will still be there even if thousands of other jobs are cut. Scott Walker isn't about to start defecating all over his cronies. No way. These bills Walker is trying to pass aren't about harming particular teachers, they are about removing the Constitutional rights to assembly and association. Gov Walker want's people to associate with whomever HE chooses, not whomever THEY choose. And the wives of his cronies are going to retain their public sector jobs come hell or high-water. This controversy has never been about fairly applying the law, it has been about rewarding right wing donors and punishing political opponents.

[lifeinnyc]

04:32 PM on 02/25/2011

I saw her husband interviewed last night - I'm not sure what program - and he said that his wife did not get/was not getting such a notice. Not sure about the facts here.

[Eris23Skidoo]

05:05 PM on 02/25/2011

They probably skipped giving her a notice because we all know that would only be a formality. Scott Walkers political allies will be rewarded with tax dollars, not punished or separated from them.

[LDF]

08:50 PM on 02/26/2011

Sigh. We've been through this. He did not say that . . . and she got a notice.

[mrpuddles]

04:31 PM on 02/25/2011

Lawrence ODonnell, on The Last Word, asked Scott Fitzgerald if he thought his wife was "worth less" because she's a public employee. Fitz answered by trying to change the subject.

Dog house time.

[Eris23Skidoo]

05:06 PM on 02/25/2011

According to republican philosophy ALL females are "worth less" that's why they favor their male children. Accd to republican philosophy, females are birthing cows and nothing more.

[PitBull6]

12:34 PM on 02/26/2011

What planet did you grow up on?

[ThermoNuklear Brahms]

03:09 PM on 03/01/2011

they are the party of redefining Rape. you don't need to bring in male>female children when we have hard documentation of real sexism.

[gallo146]

04:29 PM on 02/25/2011

Remember Mrs. F. what goes around comes around....

[dvncmdy]

04:07 PM on 02/25/2011

Wonder what dinner at the Fitzgerald house is like?!?

[randyjet]

03:03 PM on 02/25/2011

A counselor? She DOES need to go! What kind of counselor would she be? Vote to screw the kids?

[mmsuki]

02:41 PM on 02/25/2011

File this under: Too Good to be True.

[Harbinger08]

05:24 PM on 02/25/2011

And it probably is. Bet that she's is somehow one of the ones who either doesn't lose her job, or they find another "position" for her.

[KKSSHOE]

02:32 PM on 02/25/2011

People need to realize that is just shifting the burden. 25 states currently have taken out loans with the Federal Unemployment Trust fund due to the fact that unemployment claims and extensions have depleted the funds that employers in those states contribute to. When they lay off teachers, the unemployment claims come from those funds. As the unemployment continues to stay flat at around 10%, these funds have no chance of recovering. The employers are then forced to pay higher premiums. The unemployment crisis is going to really put the brakes on the recovery if we don't solve that problem. Cutting taxes for the rich is not going to help. Reducing the cost of doing business by reducing the costs of these Unemployment insurance will go much further. Most businesses are taking losses now, so cutting income taxes only benefits a small portion of businesses who have the cash flow to create jobs now.

[Eris23Skidoo]

05:08 PM on 02/25/2011

Cutting taxes benefits any business who wants to pocket a big fat tax subsidy and NOT use it to hire anyone or do anything else that would help with the recovery.