A new plan announced by the governor Monday will make Wisconsin eligible for billions of dollars in federal education funding.
The $5 billion in Race to the Top funds, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is to be divvied out to states that show improvements in their educational system.
However, Wisconsin is one of only a handful of states that was initially ineligible for the money, due to a state law saying student test scores cannot be at all tied to teacher evaluations.
Some of the changes outlined by Gov. Jim Doyle include moving the state toward recognized standards of testing that compare Wisconsin students’ achievements to other students both nationwide and globally, and developing new methods to gauge the performance of teachers and students.
Doyle also proposed providing financial incentives to both teachers and principals who improve the educational standards of their school and also extend both the school day and year.
Christina Brey, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said they are currently looking over Doyle’s ideas, but added they did not have many specifics at present.
“We are studying the details of [Doyle’s] proposals and we will have a complete opinion after that,” Brey said.
Brey said WEAC does agree with some of the plans outlined by Doyle, including compensating teachers based on merit, but WEAC needs to see the details of how these plans will be executed.
In regard to a proposal to use student standardized testing scores during teacher performance evaluations, Brey said teachers, like students, cannot be accurately measured in just one way.
“Student assessments can’t evaluate students based on one test and it’s the same way with educators,” Brey said. “WEAC definitely believes that any type of evaluation system needs to encompass many measures and standards.”
Brey added that any changes for the state should be made for long-term benefit, not just for a grant that will expire. She said the changes should be stable and innovative.
Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, a member of the Committee on Education, said Nass is also analyzing Doyle’s reform plans.
“In terms of some of the proposals, the devil is in the details,” Mikalsen said.
Mikalsen said Nass has been waiting for Doyle to propose reforms, as Doyle hinted at possible changes in the summer.
He added Nass is somewhat concerned about the reform approach in terms of financing.
“A longer school year in and of itself will require the state to sign costly contract negotiations with school boards and unions,” Mikalsen said. “With state aid being limited because of financial problems, does that cost go on property taxes?”
Mikalsen added that another possible problem with Doyle’s proposals is some school districts may refuse to lengthen the school day and the school year. The plans need to be flexible and should not overshadow the power of individual school boards.
