Although rising energy costs strike all budgets, they hit some harder than others.

Kids in the Kenosha Unified School District know this better than anyone. Last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Kenosha schools are deliberately turning down the temperatures in classrooms in order to pay their unexpectedly high energy bill.

The district is also asking schools to rely more on natural light, remove space heaters and unplug coffee makers and refrigerators in faculty lounges.

Officials believe this approach will save the district nearly $77,000 over the course of the school year. That sum may suffice to pay the energy bill, but it was not enough save the jobs of some of Kenosha's school counselors and district secretaries. Their positions have been cut to make ends meet. In fact, classroom size is the only thing that seems to have expanded as the district wrings its budget for every last dollar.

A similar fate awaits Milwaukee public schools. The district has enough for this year's energy bill, but it's only because it pre-purchased natural gas at a discounted rate. Next year, students and faculty won't be so lucky.

Small changes in classroom temperature and electricity consumption may not seem like unjust demands in this era of budget cuts.

At least not until it is compared to the state Legislature's opposite treatment of companies like Georgia Pacific and Kimberly Clark, who are facing the same higher energy cost problem.

Instead of asking Georgia Pacific and Kimberly Clark employees to put on a sweater or turn off a desk lamp, Rep. Steve Wieckert of Appleton has proposed a sales tax exemption for electricity costs incurred during research and design activities. A similar exemption was already granted to the manufacturing industry during the last session.

"Research and development are the future for Wisconsin's economic growth and development," said Mr. Wieckert as he explained his reasoning for the bill.

Mr. Wieckert is right that Wisconsin needs to support its R&D sector. But he and his colleagues at the Capitol are neglecting an important factor as they plan for the upcoming economy — the incoming workforce.

Right now the state is asking students and teachers to wear extra layers. But there will be a point when heating costs will go up further than classroom temperature can go down. Then the cuts will come from elsewhere.

Districts around the state may be forced to follow Kenosha's lead, cutting teachers and administrators. Next comes funding for music, art and after-school programs.

Schools may even be forced to trim their technology budget — a possibility that deserves extra consideration in light of Mr. Wieckert's bill.

If classrooms are not equipped with modern technology and students are denied technological training, they will not be prepared to enter the Research and Development field Mr. Wieckert hopes to cultivate. This would be ironic if it were not so depressing.

A tax exemption may seem smart at first, but the revenue lost to corporate savings could be put to good use — for example, by funding the education system. If the tax exemption is truly a necessity, it would be nice to see politicians respond to schools' economic plight as quickly as they have to that of Georgia Pacific, Kimberly Clark and the manufacturing industry.

The state should be concerned about the quality of its economy. But part of that responsibility is making sure it provides its future workforce with the tools and experience they need to be competitive and productive.

For now, students and teachers in Kenosha are trying to shoulder the energy cost burden alone, making small changes where they can and hoping those will add up. Patrick Finnemore, facilities director at Kenosha's Mahone Middle School, explained the district's actions succinctly.

"When you're weighing whether it's more important to have another teacher at the school or a bunch of refrigerators, it's a no-brainer," Mr. Finnemore told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

For now, the choices are easy. But soon schools will not have the privilege of either/or decisions and will instead face neither/nor financial situations. Before that time comes, Wisconsin politicians should re-evaluate their economic commitment to education. A visit to the Kenosha school district would quickly show them that their dedication is lacking, leaving its students — the future of Wisconsin's economy — out in the cold.

Sarah Howard ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.