LETTER: So much for gov’s support

To the Telegram:

When Scott Walker was elected in 2010, he vowed to support small business.

I have owned and operated a school administration software company for the past 30 years.

Walker’s budget, which all state Republicans voted for, contained a $15 million line item stating all public schools in Wisconsin were required to use the same school administration system. In order to submit a bid to become the software provider, companies were required to have at least a $1 million line of credit.

This excluded me from being able to submit a bid, along with any other small- or medium-sized software vendors.

As a result, I will be run out of business within the next year.

In addition, this transition will prove to be very costly for our state schools. In the best-case scenario, 40 percent of school districts will need to purchase new software, convert their records, and spend time and money training staff. Furthermore, because one vendor will control the market with no competition, they will also be able to control the cost of their products and services to all the school districts in the state.

Charles F. Elliott,

president, Elliott

Software Systems,

Oshkosh, Wis.

Tags: opinion, letters