Wisconsin Covenant Program Survives Committee Review

Governor Doyle's Wisconsin Covenant program – which guarantees students a spot in a Wisconsin college or university if they meet certain requirements – remains in the state budget bill that the Joint Finance Committee approved Friday (June 8, 2007) and sent to the State Senate.

Efforts by Republican members of the committee to strip the item from the budget failed on an 8-8 partisan vote.

Under the program, which is funded in the governor's 2007-09 state budget plan, students will be guaranteed a spot in a Wisconsin college or university if they sign a pledge and succeed in earning a high school diploma, participating in their community, taking a high school curriculum that prepares them for higher education, maintaining a B average in high school, and applying in a timely manner for state and federal financial aid.

The provision would create an Office of the Wisconsin Covenant in the Department of Administration and provide funding for two staff positions to coordinate the Covenant program. Eighth-grade students began signing the Wisconsin Covenant Pledge this year. Under the program, a Wisconsin Covenant Scholar can expect a place in Wisconsin higher education and a financial aid package based on the family’s federally-defined financial need.

In other action, the Joint Finance Committee voted to:

• Provide 14.5 customer service positions annually to the Department of Employee Trust Funds to address the unprecedented customer caseload growth. The positions are funded from the Public Employee Trust Fund, not general purpose revenue.
• Increase available funding by 2.5% in 2007-08 and 2.4% in 2008-09 for the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant program and Tuition Grant program for need-based grants to resident undergraduate students enrolled in the Wisconsin Technical College System.
• Provide $5 million in 2007-08 and $6.6 million in 2008-09 on a prorated basis to help defray the cost of new veterans tuition remissions by the UW Board of Regents and the Wisconsin Technical College district boards.

Resource page on 2007-09 state budget