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Wis. governor proposes school funding reform

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Jim Doyle said a plan to lift to state revenue caps for school districts that meet certain requirements could be before the Legislature by next fall.

Doyle told the Wisconsin State Journal the move would be part of an overall school funding reform bill.

Critics have said the caps, which limit how much schools can collect in state aid and local property taxes, haven't kept up with schools' rising costs. But supporters say lifting them would lead to significant increases in property taxes.

"I give the governor credit for taking that piece on," said Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, the ranking minority member on the Assembly education committee. "But we are playing with fire if we are talking about eliminating the revenue caps because these efficiencies that are in there aren't nearly enough to protect property taxpayers."

Doyle said he would lift the caps for school districts that work together to negotiate union contracts, use the state health plan or a less expensive alternative and agree to a list of practices to improve student performance.

Districts also would have to adjust teachers' pay to reflect such things as the difficulty rural schools have in attracting instructors for some subjects, the governor said.

"Where I'm heading on this is a system by which school districts are able to come out from under the caps but they can do it only with a pathway," Doyle said Wednesday. "It's something in the next couple months that we're going to put forward and it's deserving of a huge discussion in the state."

Immediate reaction to his plan was mixed.

University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Allan Odden, co-director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, said the plan would be a good compromise in allowing schools to raise more money but ensuring it was better spent.

But John Ashley, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said he worried Doyle's plan to eliminate controls on teachers' compensation, called the "qualified economic offer," might make it easier for unions to negotiate higher salaries.

Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said the plan was "well worth talking about" but teachers would be concerned about changes to their health care.

Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said the state's teachers already have some of the most generous benefits in the country and requiring districts to offer the state health plan could lower costs for some.

The revenue caps have been in place since 1993. They rise annually with inflation and allowed schools to raise an average $9,607 per student this year, according to the Legislature's budget office.