By the DFER Wisconsin Staff
Breaking news from Wisconsin…major initiatives from the Walker Administration’s second biennial budget are starting to roll out and partisan politics aside…some of the Governor’s proposals show some real promise.
The highlights from our perspective:
- A first step at providing equitable funding for all kids: the Governor included a significant increase in the per pupil payment for kids attending private schools that participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Education is an investment in kids not a particular type of school and it’s only fair that we start to invest in kids fairly regardless of the type of school they attend.
- Increased options for parents and students in other large districts with under performing schools: both private school choice and independent charter schools could soon be a reality for low income and middle class students in some of Wisconsin’s largest districts.
- A focus on quality: we applaud the Administration’s focus on quality and student achievement in its education agenda. There is a clear focus on making sure as they expand options they do so in a way that focuses on quality authorizers and schools. For traditional public schools, their performance based funding program will undoubtedly jump start a serious conversation about how you reward and replicate what works and incentivize improvement in struggling schools.
And there is always room for improvement:
- More money should be invested in K-12 education across the board…period. The one percent increase going to traditional public schools and independent charters is simply not enough.
- Wisconsin needs to return to long term fiscal stability for schools. We hope to work with the Legislature to craft a responsible growth index, so that all publicly funded schools can count on increases in their resources comparable with increases in their costs.
See here and here to view the Governor’s Education Announcements.