There is no easy and simple fix to Wisconsin's public school funding dilemma. But with reform proposals he announced Tuesday, Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, offers a promising path to solutions - if partisans are willing to compromise and make difficult decisions.
Davis has made the politically risky move of stepping into the education reform fray during an election year. And it's not just any other election for the two-term assemblyman - state Democrats have targeted Davis' 80th District as winnable in their effort to gain a majority in the Assembly.
But Davis says the campaign is the perfect time to talk about school funding reform, and he's right.
"We want to make sure education reform is part of what people are talking about," Davis told the Times.
His plan, true to form, is general and leaves plenty of room for discussion and negotiation. But its basic objectives include closing the gap between revenue caps and mandated minimum increases in teacher pay and benefits, allowing districts to shift some of the funding burden away from property taxes, encouraging or requiring school spending efficiencies to limit the need for fund increases, and making student testing quicker and more beneficial.
All are laudable and necessary goals. None will be accomplished without significant concessions from both sides of the aisle in Madison.
Conservative Republicans likely will need to concede that raising the revenue limits is necessary to bridge the cap gap. Davis said he isn't ruling out any solution, but said he's reluctant to mandate lower pay and benefit increases for teachers.
The teachers unions may appreciate that sentiment, but they might not like that Davis wants to encourage, or perhaps require, that districts seek efficiencies in health insurance costs. The cost of health benefits is a major budget buster for school districts, and union employees must make concessions to lower that expense. School administrators, meanwhile, may not jump to support the consolidation of administrative functions Davis proposes. Individuals will need to make personal sacrifices for the purpose of putting a greater percentage of tax dollars into the classrooms.
Davis said more study may be necessary on determining where efficiencies can be found. One potential and productive way to facilitate those savings would be to require districts or regional CESAs (Cooperative Educational Service Agencies) to meet certain efficiency requirements before being able to shift away from property taxes as a fund source.
Which brings Davis' plan to another discussion point, referendums. The Assemblyman rightly says the plan does not move forward without an element that allows locales to decide whether they want to shift revenue from property taxes to another source, most likely a sales tax. Garnering support for creating more local control over revenue sources shouldn't be difficult, but sales taxes may face significant opposition from business and industry interests statewide.
Davis, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, has all the right objectives in his proposal. His challenge will be to gather support from competing interests. It will be a true test of Davis' leadership, and of the willingness of legislators to reform education funding.
Davis has made the politically risky move of stepping into the education reform fray during an election year. And it's not just any other election for the two-term assemblyman - state Democrats have targeted Davis' 80th District as winnable in their effort to gain a majority in the Assembly.
But Davis says the campaign is the perfect time to talk about school funding reform, and he's right.
"We want to make sure education reform is part of what people are talking about," Davis told the Times.
His plan, true to form, is general and leaves plenty of room for discussion and negotiation. But its basic objectives include closing the gap between revenue caps and mandated minimum increases in teacher pay and benefits, allowing districts to shift some of the funding burden away from property taxes, encouraging or requiring school spending efficiencies to limit the need for fund increases, and making student testing quicker and more beneficial.
All are laudable and necessary goals. None will be accomplished without significant concessions from both sides of the aisle in Madison.
Conservative Republicans likely will need to concede that raising the revenue limits is necessary to bridge the cap gap. Davis said he isn't ruling out any solution, but said he's reluctant to mandate lower pay and benefit increases for teachers.
The teachers unions may appreciate that sentiment, but they might not like that Davis wants to encourage, or perhaps require, that districts seek efficiencies in health insurance costs. The cost of health benefits is a major budget buster for school districts, and union employees must make concessions to lower that expense. School administrators, meanwhile, may not jump to support the consolidation of administrative functions Davis proposes. Individuals will need to make personal sacrifices for the purpose of putting a greater percentage of tax dollars into the classrooms.
Davis said more study may be necessary on determining where efficiencies can be found. One potential and productive way to facilitate those savings would be to require districts or regional CESAs (Cooperative Educational Service Agencies) to meet certain efficiency requirements before being able to shift away from property taxes as a fund source.
Which brings Davis' plan to another discussion point, referendums. The Assemblyman rightly says the plan does not move forward without an element that allows locales to decide whether they want to shift revenue from property taxes to another source, most likely a sales tax. Garnering support for creating more local control over revenue sources shouldn't be difficult, but sales taxes may face significant opposition from business and industry interests statewide.
Davis, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, has all the right objectives in his proposal. His challenge will be to gather support from competing interests. It will be a true test of Davis' leadership, and of the willingness of legislators to reform education funding.
