| Wisconsin public schools dominate the list of the nation's best
schools in this month's issue of Expansion Management Magazine,
a publication geared toward small businesses.  Wisconsin
schools account for five of the top 10 school districts in the
nation, according to the magazine. They are Sheboygan (#2), Madison
(#3), Oshkosh-Neenah (#6), Appleton (#7), and Eau Claire (#10).
The rankings are part of the magazine's 2005 Quality of Life
Quotient, in which it ranks metropolitan areas based on several
key factors that make those areas good places for employees to
live. In addition to the quality of schools, the magazine ranks
areas according to the cost of housing, crime rates, standard
of living, employment opportunities for spouses, adult education
levels, traffic and commuting, continuing education opportunities,
and commercial air access. The magazine - geared toward people who run companies with fewer
than 500 employees - uses the rankings to help its readers search
out the best areas to expand their businesses. It says quality
public schools are a key factor because, "Being able to send
one’s children to good (and safe) schools is one of the main
ingredients to quality of life." "This is just another in a long list of measurements that
verify that Wisconsin public schools are among the very best in
the country," WEAC President Stan Johnson said.
"This analysis from a business magazine counters the rhetoric
we constantly hear from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and the
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce," he added. "The
magazine rightly emphasizes the important role of quality public
schools in the quality of life in a community. Great schools are
important to families and businesses." Expansion Management
Magazine online Posted April 4, 2005 |