Governor Doyle, State Superintendent Evers Announce State Race to the Top Application
[We have received the following press release and are pleased to publish it.]
MADISON, MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Wisconsin will file its application for the Race to the Top program with the federal government this afternoon or early tomorrow morning, ahead of the January 19th deadline. More than 97 percent – or 431 school districts and charter schools – have joined President Obama and the State of Wisconsin in this unique opportunity to improve education in this state.
“Our application is about two things – setting high demands and requiring accountability,” Governor Doyle said. “Through our Race to the Top application, we will set strong new standards for education in Wisconsin and build on our ongoing successful efforts to ensure everyone gets a good education.”
The application sets, and strives to meet, several specific goals for education in Wisconsin:
• Cut the achievement gap in half by 2013;
• Make Wisconsin one of the top five states in student achievement growth;
• Ensure 100 percent of our children are proficient in math and reading;
• Reduce the number of high school dropouts by 50 percent by 2013;
• Double high school graduation growth rates for Native American, African American and Hispanic students; and
• Increase the annual growth in college entrances by 40 percent
To meet these tangible goals, the state plans to address key educational needs – good reading skills, good math skills, and strong student achievement – and hold people accountable for the results.
The application builds on Governor Doyle’s work to improve education over the past seven years and seriously address the achievement gap in Wisconsin schools. Wisconsin’s application is unique because it has a strategic focus on addressing three key areas of education, based on consultations with local, regional and national education experts: 1) early childhood development, 2) easing the transition between middle school and high school, and 3) developing good teachers and principals.
“Our state’s school districts overwhelmingly stepped forward for Wisconsin’s application for Race to the Top,” said State Superintendent Evers. “The funding we hope to receive will allow us to transform education for the benefit of our students to ensure every child is a graduate ready for the workforce or further education.”
The Governor made it clear that despite having a strong application, unless a system of mayoral governance in Milwaukee is adopted, Wisconsin stands little chance of getting Race to the Top funds. Milwaukee alone would receive nearly $68 million.
“The President of the United States, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education all came to Wisconsin and they all said the same thing. The issue isn’t the quality of our plan. The issue is whether the plan can be executed,” Governor Doyle said. “Anybody looking at the current governance and history of governance in Milwaukee Public Schools – and its current ability to drive change – would never conclude that Milwaukee could make these changes. The federal government wants to make sure they are directing money to states that can accomplish their goals. It’s the same reason I support mayoral governance in Milwaukee.”
Today, MPS receives 13 percent of all state aid to local school districts. In this fiscal year, Milwaukee received about $800 million in state funds for education, a $44 million increase since Governor Doyle took office. Governor Doyle has taken numerous steps to improve MPS, including:
• Protected MPS and all state schools against a Republican-led State Legislature’s attempt to slash education funding by $400 million;
• Vetoed nearly $37 million in Republican proposed cuts to MPS in 2003;
• Helped put more than 50,000 students, many from Milwaukee, on the path to college through the Wisconsin Covenant;
• Increased funding to reduce class sizes by $250 per pupil. In this fiscal year alone, MPS received $32 million out of a statewide total of $111 million – more than 28 percent of all state funding;
• Increased the school breakfast and lunch programs;
• Provided $30 million for a special MPS math grant for improving student achievement;
• Added a poverty factor to the school-aid formula, resulting in an estimated increase of $9.8 million in funding for MPS each year;
• Approved $13 million in funds to assist with the school choice program – lowering the MPS levy by $13 million;
• Provided $53.5 million in special education funding;
• Provided an additional $1.8 million for high needs special education funding; and
• First Lady Jessica Doyle, a former teacher and strong education advocate, has visited a MPS school or sometimes several MPS schools nearly every week for the past seven years.
In the past two budgets, the Governor has also asked Superintendent Andrekopoulos his top priorities for new funding in Milwaukee schools. Governor Doyle followed by making significant investments in each area – math and school nurses – allocating an additional $10 million per year for math programs through a new MPS achievement grant program and exempting salary and benefits for school nurses from revenue limits.
“Just like President Obama, just like Education Secretary Duncan, the state has a critical interest in making sure that these funds are being spent in a manner that ensures we are achieving the results we want and helping kids get a good education,” Governor Doyle said. “The State of Wisconsin has devoted a tremendous amount of resources to the success of MPS and despite this, we aren’t seeing the results we should and the current system continues to fail our students.”
“Because state lawmakers haven’t fixed the serious need to reform Milwaukee Public Schools, because we haven’t created a clear line of accountability and the authority to bring change in Milwaukee – every other school district in the state is likely going to miss out on this important opportunity to improve education in Wisconsin,” Governor Doyle said. “Green Bay, Superior, Platteville, Madison, Kenosha, Beloit, big districts and rural districts alike – will likely miss out on Race to the Top funds because of a lack of reform in Milwaukee.”
Wisconsin’s final application and district funding allotments will be available at http://dpi.wi.gov/ as soon as the application is filed with the federal government.
MADISON, MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Wisconsin will file its application for the Race to the Top program with the federal government this afternoon or early tomorrow morning, ahead of the January 19th deadline. More than 97 percent – or 431 school districts and charter schools – have joined President Obama and the State of Wisconsin in this unique opportunity to improve education in this state.
“Our application is about two things – setting high demands and requiring accountability,” Governor Doyle said. “Through our Race to the Top application, we will set strong new standards for education in Wisconsin and build on our ongoing successful efforts to ensure everyone gets a good education.”
The application sets, and strives to meet, several specific goals for education in Wisconsin:
• Cut the achievement gap in half by 2013;
• Make Wisconsin one of the top five states in student achievement growth;
• Ensure 100 percent of our children are proficient in math and reading;
• Reduce the number of high school dropouts by 50 percent by 2013;
• Double high school graduation growth rates for Native American, African American and Hispanic students; and
• Increase the annual growth in college entrances by 40 percent
To meet these tangible goals, the state plans to address key educational needs – good reading skills, good math skills, and strong student achievement – and hold people accountable for the results.
The application builds on Governor Doyle’s work to improve education over the past seven years and seriously address the achievement gap in Wisconsin schools. Wisconsin’s application is unique because it has a strategic focus on addressing three key areas of education, based on consultations with local, regional and national education experts: 1) early childhood development, 2) easing the transition between middle school and high school, and 3) developing good teachers and principals.
“Our state’s school districts overwhelmingly stepped forward for Wisconsin’s application for Race to the Top,” said State Superintendent Evers. “The funding we hope to receive will allow us to transform education for the benefit of our students to ensure every child is a graduate ready for the workforce or further education.”
The Governor made it clear that despite having a strong application, unless a system of mayoral governance in Milwaukee is adopted, Wisconsin stands little chance of getting Race to the Top funds. Milwaukee alone would receive nearly $68 million.
“The President of the United States, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, and the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education all came to Wisconsin and they all said the same thing. The issue isn’t the quality of our plan. The issue is whether the plan can be executed,” Governor Doyle said. “Anybody looking at the current governance and history of governance in Milwaukee Public Schools – and its current ability to drive change – would never conclude that Milwaukee could make these changes. The federal government wants to make sure they are directing money to states that can accomplish their goals. It’s the same reason I support mayoral governance in Milwaukee.”
Today, MPS receives 13 percent of all state aid to local school districts. In this fiscal year, Milwaukee received about $800 million in state funds for education, a $44 million increase since Governor Doyle took office. Governor Doyle has taken numerous steps to improve MPS, including:
• Protected MPS and all state schools against a Republican-led State Legislature’s attempt to slash education funding by $400 million;
• Vetoed nearly $37 million in Republican proposed cuts to MPS in 2003;
• Helped put more than 50,000 students, many from Milwaukee, on the path to college through the Wisconsin Covenant;
• Increased funding to reduce class sizes by $250 per pupil. In this fiscal year alone, MPS received $32 million out of a statewide total of $111 million – more than 28 percent of all state funding;
• Increased the school breakfast and lunch programs;
• Provided $30 million for a special MPS math grant for improving student achievement;
• Added a poverty factor to the school-aid formula, resulting in an estimated increase of $9.8 million in funding for MPS each year;
• Approved $13 million in funds to assist with the school choice program – lowering the MPS levy by $13 million;
• Provided $53.5 million in special education funding;
• Provided an additional $1.8 million for high needs special education funding; and
• First Lady Jessica Doyle, a former teacher and strong education advocate, has visited a MPS school or sometimes several MPS schools nearly every week for the past seven years.
In the past two budgets, the Governor has also asked Superintendent Andrekopoulos his top priorities for new funding in Milwaukee schools. Governor Doyle followed by making significant investments in each area – math and school nurses – allocating an additional $10 million per year for math programs through a new MPS achievement grant program and exempting salary and benefits for school nurses from revenue limits.
“Just like President Obama, just like Education Secretary Duncan, the state has a critical interest in making sure that these funds are being spent in a manner that ensures we are achieving the results we want and helping kids get a good education,” Governor Doyle said. “The State of Wisconsin has devoted a tremendous amount of resources to the success of MPS and despite this, we aren’t seeing the results we should and the current system continues to fail our students.”
“Because state lawmakers haven’t fixed the serious need to reform Milwaukee Public Schools, because we haven’t created a clear line of accountability and the authority to bring change in Milwaukee – every other school district in the state is likely going to miss out on this important opportunity to improve education in Wisconsin,” Governor Doyle said. “Green Bay, Superior, Platteville, Madison, Kenosha, Beloit, big districts and rural districts alike – will likely miss out on Race to the Top funds because of a lack of reform in Milwaukee.”
Wisconsin’s final application and district funding allotments will be available at http://dpi.wi.gov/ as soon as the application is filed with the federal government.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 4:42 PM
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