Candidates for Governor Take Shots at QEO, Revenue Caps

Wisconsin Attorney General James Doyle makes a point during the first 2002 gubernatorial forum in Kimberly. Joining him are (left to right) moderator Kathleen Dunn; Former State Rep. Stan Gruszynski, representing U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett; Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk; State Sen. Gary George; and Gov. Scott McCallum. The forum was organized by WEAC-Fox Valley and several other UniServ units.

State laws regulating school funding and teacher salaries took a beating Tuesday night (November 6, 2001) as four candidates and a representative for another squared off in the first forum of the 2002 gubernatorial race.

The forum - which took place in Kimberly exactly one year before the election - was organized and sponsored by WEAC-Fox Valley and several other northeast Wisconsin UniServ units.

Every candidate, including Gov. Scott McCallum, agreed that the current school funding system needs to be changed. Some were more emphatic than others, but they all also expressed dissatisfaction with school district revenue controls and the Qualified Economic Offer law.

Positions on the QEO

"I can't think of anything more unfair than sending someone to the bargaining table with their hands tied behind their back," said Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, one of four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.

Sen. Gary George, also a Democrat, said he has offered legislation to repeal the QEO, which severely restricts the ability of teachers to bargain a fair contract. The QEO, he said, is the reason behind a large number of unsettled teacher contracts, which he called "a real crisis across the entire state of Wisconsin."

State Attorney General James Doyle, also a Democrat, said the QEO "is a bad idea and it's got to go."

"I believe in the right of people to organize and bargain collectively," he said. The QEO, he said, has led to declining teacher salaries that make it more difficult to attract the best and brightest people to the profession.

Saying that the current and previous administrations have targeted teachers, Doyle vowed, "If elected, the first thing I am going to say is that the war on teachers is over."

Former State Rep. Stan Gruszynski, representing U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, also a Democrat, said Barrett has "serious doubts" about whether the QEO is working. He said the law singles out teachers for unfair treatment and makes it difficult to attract new teachers.

"Tom Barrett believes something better can happen," Gruszynski said. "He believes we can find a better way to fund schools that doesn't put it on the backs of teachers."

Barrett could not make it to the forum because he was needed in Washington, D.C., for important votes.

McCallum, the only Republican candidate, said that, as an economist, "I don't like the idea of artificially controlling costs, and I don't like the idea of the QEO." However, he said the QEO is tied to two-thirds state funding of schools and school district revenue controls. He said he is working with an outside consultant and involved parties in an attempt to identify a new system of school funding. He said he hopes those talks will lead to "a new finance plan that will not include the QEO as part of it."

Positions on revenue caps and school funding

In discussing school district revenue controls, McCallum noted that 40% of the state budget goes to K-12 education and that state funding of schools continues to increase. He repeated that he is exploring ways to "change the system" but said as long as the state provides two-thirds funding of schools, it must have a way to control school spending.

"You simply cannot afford to have revenue controls off with two-thirds funding," he said.

Gruszynski said Barrett believes there is "too great a lack of flexibility" for school district spending under revenue controls. He said the state needs to find a balance between providing quality public education and controlling property taxes. "It's time to restructure the system so public education gets a fair shake," he said.

Doyle said the Supreme Court recently upheld the current school funding system "but you could tell they went there holding their nose." The court, he said, carefully noted that every child must have an equal opportunity to receive a sound fundamental education. Doyle said that under revenue controls that is not happening.

"The only people who win (with the current school funding formula) are the rich, growing suburban school districts," Doyle said, noting that the current and prior administrations are responsible for the current school funding system.

George noted that school spending varies from $6,000 to $14,000 per student, depending on the district.

"I don't think the wealthiest 50 to 60 school districts should be getting more money than the bottom 200 do," he said.

Falk said it is not fair that school districts must pass referendums to spend needed funds, while no other government unit is required to do so. School boards, she said, are elected to be accountable for spending and should be allowed to do their job. Falk noted that McCallum, as governor, and George, as a member of the Legislature, have had their opportunity to change the system and have not done so.

Addressing the audience of mostly teachers, Falk said that, as governor, she would develop a system for bargaining reforms to school funding, "and you will be at that bargaining table with me."

The forum was organized by WEAC-Fox Valley UniServ Director Roger Palek. Other units that co-sponsored the event were the Green Bay Education Association, Bayland/United Northeast Educators, Kettle Moraine UniServ Council, and Winnebagoland UniServ. Wisconsin Public Radio personality Kathleen Dunn served as moderator.

Posted November 7, 2001