Posted on 07/26/2015 3:08:59 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I would be remiss not to point out a line-item veto that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker made in the budget bill he signed. He made 104 line-item vetoes in the bill and one of them had to do with assessments.
Walker stated he presented a budget which “(i)ncreases local control by affirming the authority of school districts to choose their own academic standards, provides a pathway to offering multiple student assessment options and prevents the mandatory application of the national Common Core Standards.”
In his veto message he said (pg. 3) he then vetoed language in the bill that would have prevented that.
Statewide Assessment System
Sections 3248b [as it relates to renumbering s. 118.30 (1) (a)] and 3248c
These sections require the State Superintendent to review and adopt a summative examination system to be administered beginning in the 2015-16 school year to pupils in grades 3 through 10 in the subjects of English, reading, writing, science and mathematics. The State Superintendent must ensure that each examination adopted or approved under the system satisfies the assessment and accountability requirements under federal law. Additionally, the State Superintendent must ensure that the summative examination system adopted or approved meets the following criteria:
(a) the system is vertically scaled and standards-based; (b) the system documents pupil progress toward national college and career readiness benchmarks derived from empirical research and state academic standards; (c) the system measures individual pupil performance in the subject areas of English, reading, writing, science and mathematics; (d) the system provides for the administration of examinations primarily in a computer-based format but permits examinations to be administered with pencil and paper in certain limited circumstances; and (e) pupil performance on examinations adopted or approved under the system serves as a predictive measure of pupil performance on college readiness assessments used by institutions of higher education.
I am partially vetoing section 3248b as it relates to renumbering s. 118.30 (1) (a) and vetoing section 3248c in its entirety. This provision is unnecessary and would have codified assessment criteria in state law that are closely aligned with national standards I oppose and which local school districts should not be mandated to adopt. Ultimately, local school boards across Wisconsin should be able to determine what test they administer and what standards they adopt.
The emphasis is mine. It is important to hold elected officials accountable, but it is also important to point out when they have done the right thing. He defunded Smarter Balanced, and now he is trying to make sure, within his power, that schools will be able to select the assessment they use.
I have to give him kudos for that.
This precedes a trip he made to Iowa last week where he railed against a “nationwide school board.”
During a speech at the grand opening of his Iowa campaign headquarters last Thursday, Walker appealed to local control.
“Going forward I believe in high standards, but I think those standards should be set at the local level – no Common Core, no nationwide school board. We need to take money and power out of Washington and send it back to our states and back to our schools where it is more effective, more efficient, and more accountable to the American taxpayers out there,” Walker said.
Has he done everything possible to rid Wisconsin of Common Core? I don’t know for certain. I do know, and it seems to be something his critics are unwilling to acknowledge, is that he does not have the final say over standards and assessments. Dr. Tony Evers, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, does, but Walker can control the budget through the power of the veto pen and it appears he has done just that.
Kim Simac, Wisconsin State Director for Concerned Women for America, Chairperson for Northwoods Patriots, and one of the major community organizers in northern Wisconsin, stated, “Superintendent Evers’ threat to jump directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court should any legislation or decision be made to opt out of CCSS exposes his lack of confidence in the standards themselves. Those supporters of CCSS should have an arsenal of evidence that proves excellence and superiority in the product. Obviously they do not.”................
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional office within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of Public Instruction. The superintendent is elected by the people of Wisconsin in a nonpartisan statewide ballot during the Spring primary of the same odd-numbered years that voters select members of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. The superintendent serves a term of office of four years. The incumbent is Tony Evers. Superintendents have been elected in non-partisan elections since 1902; before that, superintendents were elected by party like other state executive officers.
The superintendent's responsibilities include providing leadership for Wisconsin's public school districts; provide the public with information about school management, attendance, and performance; licensing the state's teachers; and receive and disburse federal aid for schools..."
Line item veto of any funding for standardized testing based on national common core standards. That the LOCAL school board should determine the standards appropriate for them. This is one of the reasons I favor as Walker.
Walker took the conservative path on Common Core. He neither imposed it statewide nor did he ban it statewide.
He gave control to the local districts so each can choose what is best for themselves.
That is true conservative leadership.
And to repeat for the benefit of those who don't know, the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin (Tony Evers since 2009) holds elective office -- that office is NOT appointed by the party of the sitting governor.
It was under Walker’s predecessor, Gov. James Doyle (D), that state superintendent Tony Evers signed Wisconsin up with the Common Core in June of 2010, making it the first state to actually commit to the standards.
But Walker shortly after assuming office (only governor who HAS) did do THIS:
January 3, 2011: Walker assumes Office of Governor of Wisconsin.
June 27, 2011: Walker Revokes In-state Tuition For Undocumented Students Attending Univ And Colleges In Wisconsin "- On Sunday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) signed his two-year 2011-2013 budget, which included ending in-state tuition for undocumented students attending public universities and colleges. In-state tuition for undocumented students was approved two years ago by former Governor Jim Doyle (D) after the Hispanic community struggled for 10 years to pass it"...
You have a bad link in comment 4.
https://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/why-did-hundreds-common-core-implementers-meet-in-dubai/
Was he as governor the one who initially adopted common core in WI?
Oh, sorry—I see now you’ve answered my question above.
Walker really did good on this issue.
This is probably the best he could have done given a static State educational bureaucracy. The better move would have been a nice layoff at the WDPI with grants back to local school districts. I don't know if he could pull that off in with the way things are structured in Wisconsin. A governor surely could not in California.
The budget is the key to all. Here’s a true story:
Under Governor Tommy Thompson (GOP) the DPI (Department of Public Instruction) was still run by an elected Democrat. Thompson kept cutting the DPI budget until they only had enough money to perform statutory functions, i.e., things they were required to do by law, like keep track of student counts, figure out what each school was entitled to in state aid, handle disputes, etc.
It got to the point where they told local schools to file a required report on site rather than send it in. One administrator said that it had gotten so bad that not only didn’t the DPI have enough staff to read the report; they didn’t even have the staff to FILE it.
The key to destroying the Left is defunding their tax dollar bonanzas. (essentially my tagline)
I take it Wisconsin has term limits for the governor?
Walker’s vetoes.
To Carrie-Okie: No term limits as far as I know. I think Thompson was into his 4th term when he left for DC.
FReep Mail me if you want on or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Thx. I was of the impression that Thompson had been popular. That being the case, why then was he followed by a Democrat?
Thompson was followed by his Lt. Governor McCallum who got blamed for some of the over spending by Thompson. There was the hullabloo over the Brewer stadium (at the end of Thompson’s administration) which caused the sacrifice of several Republican legislators. McCallum’s loss was just the next step. The stadium tax fell on counties outside — far outside — Milwaukee and the voters blamed the Republicans. Furthermore, Thompson did not lift one finger to help re-elect McCallum. We have to thank McCallum for Sheriff Clarke, however. Clarke was his appointment.
That history reminds me of the piss poor jobs both Bush Presidents did in setting up a successor. Quayle was such an idiot he didn’t have a prayer. Cheney may have been functionally a good VP, but was physically a risky bet as President. Horrible judgment on the part of both father and son.
McCallum got blamed for all of the Thompson excesses. He spent a couple of terms carrying water for Thompson’s excesses. Thompson ran off to DC to be the HUD Secty, but that is not the job he wanted. He wanted to be Transportation and was miffed when Bush appointed someone else. Then, when it was time to offer his resignation at the transition between 1st and 2nd terms he was surprised when Bush took it. He took out his hurt feelings on McCallum when McCallum needed him.
Thompson also had an clownish brother (tavern owner who was always in trouble with the law for illegal gambling) who filed for Governor as 3rd party. Tommy refused to endorse McCallum claiming that he was still trying to decide.
I lost all respect for Thompson during his “opus” speech from HUD. He proclaimed that “he didn’t know why the terrorists hadn’t attacked our water supplies because it would be so easy.”
Thanks, Tommy. (sarc/off)
[snip]................In Wisconsin, the governor can adjust or remove funding regarding standards, but he has no control over district decisions on the matter. The Governor does not have ultimate authority over the educational standards in local-control Wisconsin. Conservatives have excoriated President Obama for his unconstitutional executive overreach. Walker respects school districts and constitutional rule, and yet partisans cry “Walker the RINO!” In Wisconsin’s statutes and the state Constitution, partisans will find plenty to affirm Walker’s limited power on dealing with Common Core implementation in local schools. Legal precedent established this in Thompson v. Craney:
“Since Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, the administration at the state level of public education in Wisconsin has been the duty of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is elected in a non-partisan statewide election pursuant to Article X, § 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution.”
Wisconsin state law clearly outlines the state superintendent’s final authority on curriculum. Despite legal realities, Common Core critics expect Walker to stand before the cameras every day and preach the evils of the curriculum (and indeed, there are plenty). However, even if he talked about it at speaking engagements every day, and removed all statewide testing aligned with the nationalized standards, Wisconsin schools districts must adopt the responsibility and adapt their own standards.
As a dedicated constitutional conservative, Walker expanded school choice, vouchers, welfare-to-work programs, froze state college tuition, and removed tenure for college faculty: an impressive array of accomplishments for a red-state governor in a blue state. With his limited, legal resources, Walker pushed for the repeal of Common Core, has affirmed the power of local control in school districts, and vetoed provisions in his budget which would upend his opposition to the unpopular curriculum. Walker made the right decision, opposing its implementation respecting local control. Conservatives have blasted Obama for his executive overreach at the federal level, yet his critics want him to do the same regarding education? Frankly, opponents of Common Core in Wisconsin, as well as around the country, need to stop “Waiting for Superman” and take the fight to their school boards..................
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