Governor Doyle Vows to Continue Fighting for Public Schools

Two years after taking the reins of the governorship, Jim Doyle has a lot of successes behind him and a lot of challenges still ahead. He has faced some very tough battles – many of them ongoing – with Republican legislators but has remained staunch in his commitment to keep our schools great. At this pivotal mid-point in his first term, as he prepares his 2005-07 state budget, the governor agreed to answer questions from OnWEAC.

Q. Over the last two years, you have stood strong in your support for great schools, while some Republicans who control the Legislature have tried to pass a variety of measures that would harm our schools. As you prepare your 2005-07 budget, do you expect the debate over education to be any different in the next session?

A. My administration puts education – and educators – first. In the last budget, we provided $189 million more for our schools despite inheriting a record $3.2 billion deficit, maintained full funding for 4-year-old kindergarten and SAGE, and proposed the elimination of the QEO.

Other states facing budget problems cut deeply into their school systems. They forced school districts to swallow budget cuts in the closing months of the school year. In states like Oregon, they shut down schools early. I am proud that, in Wisconsin, we put schools first and provided one of the few increases in state funding to public schools.

We are facing another very difficult budget, and will again have to make many tough decisions. But education will again remain a top priority, and I will veto any shortsighted, unnecessary cuts that will take us in the wrong direction on education. I will not allow political gimmicks like the so-called property tax “freeze” to compromise our kids’ education.

Q. Do you think the fact that the Republicans picked up a seat in each house of the Legislature will alter their strategy on education issues? Will they push even harder to cut funding for schools, erode collective bargaining rights, and undermine support for DPI services and education programs in state institutions?

A. The November elections changed Wisconsin’s legislative landscape only slightly. As governor, I will still have my veto pen and will maintain the ability to sustain my vetoes with help from friends of education in the Legislature. If the Republicans in the Legislature do push harder to cut education funding, we will just have to push back and make sure Wisconsin preserves the quality of our schools and the investments we have made, and will continue to make, in education.

Q. Let’s get to some specific issues. Following is a list of items that you vetoed from the last budget, and in some cases vetoed as separate legislation as well. What is your opinion on how each of these issues might be debated in the coming session? . . .

• The so-called “property tax freeze” that would have slashed $400 million from the funding available to schools, and funding for technical colleges as well.

A. I hope Republicans in the Legislature don’t send me another political slogan like the so-called “freeze.” The freeze that I vetoed last year would have meant the largest single cut to education in state history, costing our schools $400 million. It would have forced schools to lay off as many as 4,500 teachers, depriving our children of quality educators and increasing class sizes.

As governor, I don’t have the luxury of engaging in bumper sticker politics. I have to do what’s right for the state, and most importantly, for our kids. My work is focused on how we can grow the Wisconsin economy and support our schools in graduating highly skilled students ready to enter higher education and the work force.

• The proposal that would have made the selection of health insurance carriers a prohibited subject of collective bargaining, thereby taking employees’ voices completely out of decision-making on health care coverage.

A. Health insurance, like other benefits such as retirement benefits or vacation time, is an integral part of an employee’s total compensation package and deserves to be bargained with management when negotiating a contract – not mandated by politicians in Madison.

• The cut of $46 million in funding for 4-year-old kindergarten.

A. Investing in our kids early ensures a strong, successful future for them and for Wisconsin. My goal is for our state to provide access to 4-year-old kindergarten to every family in the state that wants to take advantage of it. Four-year-old kindergarten is one of our most effective early childhood education programs, and we must make it available to all.

Research shows that participation in early childhood education is directly related to academic success, completion of high school and college, and future job earnings. It provides critical benefits to kids from low-income and disadvantaged families, in particular. It is ironic that while leaders across the country point to the Wisconsin 4K system as a model for other states to follow, the Republicans in our Legislature are trying to eliminate it.

Four-year-old kindergarten is an option for school districts across our state – but only 42% of districts participate and only a quarter of 4-year-olds are enrolled in the program. It is difficult for school districts to start up a 4K program for two reasons. First, the school aid formula doesn’t provide any funding for pupils during the program’s first year; and second, existing revenue limits prevent school districts from covering the full cost of the program during the first two years. That’s why I have supported a state grant program that would enable school districts across Wisconsin to take advantage of the 4-year-old kindergarten option without incurring a financial penalty.

• The plan to gut the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) class- size reduction program.

A. With nearly 600 Wisconsin schools participating in SAGE, it has proven to be one of our state’s most successful programs. The program improves student performance and decreases the achievement gap by reducing class sizes in the early grades. SAGE classrooms are more likely to meet the educational needs of students because teachers are better able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each child. To enable teachers to provide personalized learning to each and every student, we must ensure that class sizes are not too large.

The SAGE program is vital to the success of Wisconsin public schools, but the reimbursement level for SAGE schools has not been raised since the program was created in 1997. As a result, too many schools are struggling with decisions about whether to continue to participate in this program. The Republican solution in the last budget was to weaken the SAGE program. Not only will I veto any similar attempts this year, but I will also propose adding funds for SAGE in this year’s budget.

• The 50% increase in the teacher licensing fee.

A. School districts across Wisconsin are struggling with the challenges of recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. Their job has been made more difficult as our state’s average teacher salary has fallen to more than 7% below the national average. In addition, our districts face teacher shortages in hard-to-staff schools and in certain disciplines, such as science and special education. At a time when Wisconsin teachers are underpaid, the last thing we need to do is impose a higher licensing fee on our veteran educators and on new teachers we are working to attract to our state’s classrooms.

• The major expansions of the voucher and charter programs.

A. As governor, I have vetoed numerous attempts to broaden the scope of the Milwaukee voucher program that provided little or no accountability to ensure that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth and children are receiving the quality of education that they deserve. I do believe that we must hold the voucher program accountable to both state taxpayers and Milwaukee families. I have proposed many measures to ensure both educational and operational accountability from Milwaukee voucher schools, such as requiring those schools to adopt the same academic standards and administer the same academic assessments as the state’s public schools.

I believe that any changes to the voucher program should be made in the context of improving the educational opportunities for all Milwaukee children – not just the ones who attend voucher schools.

Q. Also in the last budget, you proposed elimination of the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) law, but the Republicans chose to keep it. Ironically, they said the QEO repeal provision didn’t belong in the budget because it is a policy item, even though they initially implemented the QEO as a budget provision. What are your thoughts on efforts to pay education employees in a competitive manner?

A. I believe very strongly that we must repeal the QEO. For far too long, state government has unfairly singled out teachers, placed an unfair cap on their compensation, and treated them differently from other public employees at the bargaining table.

We all know that the QEO simply isn’t working. Wisconsin teacher salaries have plummeted to more than $3,000 below the national average, and our average starting teacher salary now ranks 35th nationally. These factors make it harder to attract and retain the best teachers for our kids at a time when record numbers of educators are approaching retirement age. If we want to attract and retain them, we need to treat our teachers like what they are: professionals who are highly trained and deeply committed to our kids. And that means the QEO has got to go!
It was outrageous that the Republican Legislature stripped my proposal to repeal the QEO out of the budget without even having a recorded vote. They hid behind the excuse that the QEO should be considered in separate legislation. Yet, these same legislators saw nothing wrong with putting the QEO into law as part of the budget. I hope that in the coming budget, the Republicans will have the courage and respect for democratic principles to have an open debate and allow a recorded vote on the repeal of the QEO instead of using backroom political maneuvers to kill it.

Q. You have the made the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) an important part of your “Grow Wisconsin” plan. You recognize our technical colleges as important economic development tools for the state. Some Republicans, on the other hand, are talking about cutting funds for WTCS. How do you see this debate playing out in the next session?

A. Much of Wisconsin’s economic success is due to our outstanding technical college system. Ensuring that we continue to adequately fund our technical colleges is essential for continued economic growth in our state. Our technical colleges produce the well-trained, highly skilled workforce that will allow Wisconsin to attract and retain the high-skill, high-wage jobs that support families and communities.

Technical colleges provide training and educational programs to individuals who have lost their jobs so they can learn new skills quickly and re-enter the work force. The Wisconsin Technical College System plays a crucial role in fueling our economy by providing new skills and opportunities to keep that turnaround to a minimum. For example, technical colleges are essential in addressing Wisconsin’s shortage of health care workers. Eighty percent of the new job growth in the health care industry will occur in fields for which the Wisconsin Technical College System provides the majority of graduates and employees – and by 2008, the health care industry is expected to create more than 45,000 new jobs.

In the last budget, the Republicans tried to cut funding for the technical college system, but the public outcry was so strong that they were forced to reverse course in a matter of days. Despite that, they then passed the “freeze,” which would have had a devastating effect on the ability of technical colleges to educate our citizens and help grow our state’s economy.

Posted January 25, 2005