Governor Jim Doyle today called on his Task Force on Educational Excellence to take a broad look at education financing in the State of Wisconsin, including what can be done to ensure that a higher percentage of what we spend on education is actually spent in the classroom.
"We must recognize that we are living in very difficult times financially," Governor Doyle said. "We have just come through the worst fiscal crisis in our history, and our taxpayers are already overburdened. The first question we have to ask ourselves is: are we getting the most out of every dollar? What more can we do to ensure that the money we spend on education actually gets to the classroom?"
The Governor charged the task force with examining Wisconsin’s system of financing education, which will include six specific areas:
- To examine and make recommendations regarding the cost of providing a great education to every child in Wisconsin and determine the level at which Wisconsin citizens are prepared to fund that education.
- To review how the state funds education through a combination of state and local taxes, and make recommendations regarding what proportion of these two taxes is fair and reasonable to fund public education.
- To study and make recommendations on how to improve the state’s ability to attract, recruit, train, and retain high quality teachers so that every child and every classroom has a highly qualified teacher.
- To consider and recommend ways to adequately fund special education - an area in which the federal government has clearly and consistently failed to live up to its promises to our state and to our schoolchildren.
- To review existing barriers to academic achievement in Wisconsin and make recommendations to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to a great education, regardless of location, disability, language barriers, or their economic situation.
- To study Wisconsin’s current investments in early childhood education and recommend ways to deepen our commitment to early education
The Governor asked the Task Force to evaluate these issues in a "thorough and thoughtful" manner and to report back to him and to the State Superintendent by the end of the year, with final recommendations in the spring.
"Here in Wisconsin, we have a long, proud tradition of supporting our public schools," Governor Doyle said. "There is not another state in the country that wouldn’t swap their education system for ours, from kindergarten through college. But there is still much that can and must be done to improve our school system, and we have an obligation to do everything we can to ensure our kids get the best opportunities we can provide."
Michael Spector serves as Chair of the Task Force.
"Michael Spector is a highly respected member of the business community and former School Board member who understands the unique needs of schools, businesses, communities, and taxpayers," Doyle said. "He will provide real leadership and valuable experience, and will be a strong voice for education in our state."
The Governor was also joined at the meeting by Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, whom he thanked for her invaluable advice and counsel as he worked to form the Task Force.
Members of the public can find information about the Task Force, its charge, and its next meetings and submit testimony to the members of the Task Force online at edexcellence.wisconsin.gov.
Attached is the final list of Task Force members. Please note new members Tom Hall and Jim Forbes. Additionally, Vicki Boxer Samson has been replaced by Jerry Deschane.
