With school back in session and election season upon us, education funding has become a front-burner topic. Readers of this paper are well aware of the funding challenges faced by Wisconsin's schools. Our state's exceptionally complex school financing rules create an ever-widening gap between costs and revenues for most districts. This problem is not new, but it's time to move beyond talk and into action.
Rep. Brett Davis recently proposed an education improvement plan including measures to address education funding. From what I have seen, Davis gives us the best chance to achieve meaningful reform:
• As chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, Davis has developed a deep knowledge of school funding issues and has positioned himself well to lead the reform effort successfully.
• Davis' key objectives - closing the gap between revenues and expenses, reducing property taxes, and encouraging districts to find efficiencies - should find support from a variety of interest groups, while leaving necessary room for compromise.
• Davis has shown he can get things done, as he did by working across the aisle in the state's highly partisan legislature to pass a bill saving Wisconsin's virtual schools.
It has been suggested that Davis' plan was hatched in isolation from major interest groups, an argument that does not hold water. Davis has been heavily involved in education issues for the past two years, comprehends the current financing system, and fully appreciates the interests of all stakeholders. Davis' plan reflects his understanding of the need for give-and-take among these stakeholders to achieve a successful outcome.
Furthermore, efforts to overhaul education funding are not new. Several have launched and fizzled in the past two decades using the very methods that Davis' critics advocate. Study after study has been done and reports have been written, but nothing has happened. While not a guarantee of success, Davis' plan represents a fresh approach and deserves our support.
In summary, Wisconsin's kids deserve an outstanding education, and strong schools lie at the heart of our state's economic prosperity. Davis' plan provides a fresh start toward tackling the many challenges of Wisconsin's educational system, and his experience gives us the best chance to get it done - once and for all.
Rep. Brett Davis recently proposed an education improvement plan including measures to address education funding. From what I have seen, Davis gives us the best chance to achieve meaningful reform:
• As chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, Davis has developed a deep knowledge of school funding issues and has positioned himself well to lead the reform effort successfully.
• Davis' key objectives - closing the gap between revenues and expenses, reducing property taxes, and encouraging districts to find efficiencies - should find support from a variety of interest groups, while leaving necessary room for compromise.
• Davis has shown he can get things done, as he did by working across the aisle in the state's highly partisan legislature to pass a bill saving Wisconsin's virtual schools.
It has been suggested that Davis' plan was hatched in isolation from major interest groups, an argument that does not hold water. Davis has been heavily involved in education issues for the past two years, comprehends the current financing system, and fully appreciates the interests of all stakeholders. Davis' plan reflects his understanding of the need for give-and-take among these stakeholders to achieve a successful outcome.
Furthermore, efforts to overhaul education funding are not new. Several have launched and fizzled in the past two decades using the very methods that Davis' critics advocate. Study after study has been done and reports have been written, but nothing has happened. While not a guarantee of success, Davis' plan represents a fresh approach and deserves our support.
In summary, Wisconsin's kids deserve an outstanding education, and strong schools lie at the heart of our state's economic prosperity. Davis' plan provides a fresh start toward tackling the many challenges of Wisconsin's educational system, and his experience gives us the best chance to get it done - once and for all.
