School-funding reform
at the top of JFC’s list
 |
|
Flanked by members of
the School Funding Network, Julie Underwood
talked about school-funding reform and the
Governor’s 2007-09 budget at the final
meeting of the Joint Finance Committee,
April 12, in Green Bay. Dan Brereton (far
right), president of the Florence County
School District Board, also spoke. Underwood
is the dean of the School of Education at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
|
|
As they were two years ago, public school-funding reformers
were front and center during this biennium’s round of
Joint Finance Committee hearings in Madison, Milwaukee, DeForest,
Chippewa Falls, Prairie du Chien, Rhinelander, and Green Bay.
Most of those testifying asked legislators to approve those
portions of Governor Jim Doyle’s budget dealing with
schools, saying it was status quo but at least it helped most
districts to some degree. At the same time, however, they
asked state government to change the funding formula and come
up with more state aid to bring districts and children back
from the brink of fiscal and educational crises.
A new feature this year was the School Finance Network (SFN),
a coalition of the 10 major public school stakeholders in
Wisconsin. SFN is now working toward a solution to the funding
problem that could be submitted to the Legislature after the
budget.
Members of the network include the Wisconsin Education Association
Council, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin
Association of School District Administrators, School Administrators
Alliance , Fair Aid Coalition, Association for Equity in Funding,
Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools, Wisconsin PTA, and
AFT Wisconsin.
To read a compilation of the JFC in Rhinelander, April 11,
go to The
(Ashland) Daily Press.
School district testimony is from:
Dr.
Wayne Johnson, superintendent of the Nekoosa
School District
Joe
Heinzelman, superintendent of the Oakfield
School District
Christopher
Patritto, superintendent of the Hurley School
District
Dr.
Mike Richie, superintendent of the Northland
Pines School District
Debra
Durchslag, school board of the Rhinelander
School District
Dr.
Sara Croney, superintendent of the Oconto School
District
Top
of page
Back to Recent Events |
