Wisconsin lawmakers will finish their fall floor session Thursday. And they’re supposed to discuss the subject President Obama raised during his visit to Madison Wednesday: education reform. The president outlined measures that states such as Wisconsin must take, in order to qualify for federal stimulus money known as Race to the Top funds. The state has until the end of the year to submit its application for a slice of the $4 billion available. WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson reports on what’s likely to pass today, a day after the president’s visit.
When state officials learned of the availability of federal money this past summer, Gov. Jim Doyle proposed that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett seize control of the struggling Milwaukee public schools. The mayor would appoint the superintendent and oversee the MPS budget.
In his speech yesterday, the president did not specifically mention that a mayoral takeover would increase the state’s chances of winning stimulus dollars. However, supporters are pushing ahead with a bill anyway. One sponsor is Democratic Rep. Jason Fields of Milwaukee. He says it’s deplorable that MPS has one of the worst majority-minority achievement gaps in the nation.
“Whenever there’s an issue about education, the MPS School Board will point the finger at the state, the state will point the finger at someone else and so you have this blame game going around and nobody is held accountable, there’s no central focus of accountability,” Fields says.
Supporters do not have a bill ready for action today, so Gov. Doyle has indicated he may call a special session of the Legislature by year’s end to take up the measure. What makes the issue interesting politically is that it’s split parties. There are lawmakers in each falling on opposite sides of the takeover. Republican Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills says she plans to vote in favor of the bill if the governor calls a special session.
“I support a change and so if it’s going to be mayoral control of MPS and the mayor’s going to be accountable and he has the vested interest to improve the school system so he can grow jobs and have a more educated citizenry that can earn more money and be successful, it’s in his best interest to get the schools on track,” Darling says.
Darling says the state needs to do everything it can do turn around struggling districts. That’s why she also supports a measure that would increase the powers of the state school Superintendent. That person could intervene in districts, making personnel changes and implementing new curriculum. That issue is also dividing party members. Fellow Republican Sen. Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau does not like the idea of giving the state superintendent more power.
“Anything that centralizes education decisions at the state level certainly undermines what we expect school boards to do at the local level,” Fitzgerald says.
A committee approved the bill this week, but the Assembly and Senate are not expected to pass it by the end of today. That means the measure would likely carry over into 2010.
Other items the Legislature won’t likely take up until spring include a proposed requirement that students take three years of math and science for graduation, and that schools be allowed to lengthen their days or school years.
As for what Wisconsin lawmakers may address on this day after the President’s visit: a bill that would link student test scores with teacher evaluations.
“Wisconsin is one of the few states that had language in their state statute that did not allow that linkage, so we’re doing something about it to make sure we can make that Race to the Top application,” John Lehman says.
That’s Sen. John Lehman, a Democrat from Racine. He says there’s a sense of urgency to pass that bill today because the president mentioned the measure Wednesday as being crucial to obtaining Race to the Top funds.
Share / Email
Print
Download
Email a Friend
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Stumble Upon
Digg
Newsvine
