Groundswell support for school funding overhaul

Education advocates from across the state testified for hours before a Senate committee urging adoption of a resolution requiring the legislature to make wholesale changes to the state's school finance system by July 1, 2009.

A hearing late last year before the Senate Education committee on Senate Joint Resolution 27 engendered hours of testimony in support of the resolution requiring a new school finance system by July 1, 2009. Of the measure's 59 co-sponsors, Sen. Mike Ellis (R-Appleton) is the only legislative Republican who signed on to the measure.

Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts (D-Verona), the proposal's author said, "The current system of funding public education was really designed to provide property tax relief. It is even questionable in its success to do that. I believe we need a system that is first and foremost designed to adequately educate our children."

Julie Underwood, Dean of the UW-Madison School of Education and representing the School Finance Network (ten statewide education organizations), told committee members, "With nearly 15 years of state-imposed revenue controls on local school districts it is apparent to us that educational opportunity is eroding in the state of Wisconsin."

The same proposal, Assembly Joint Resolution 35, was introduced in the Assembly and referred to the Education Reform committee, chaired by Don Pridemore (R-Hartford). Pridemore has indicated he doesn't plan to hold a hearing on the measure, so even if the resolution passes the Senate, as expected, action in the Assembly appears doubtful. Take a moment to call Pridemore's office and urge an Assembly hearing and passage of the resolution.

Doyle signs cable franchising bill — Dubiously touted by industry representatives as a sure ticket to lower cable fees, Gov. Jim Doyle signed AB 207 in late-December. The bill changes oversight of cable franchising to the state, rather than local governments and allows cable competition in communities with existing cable contracts.

The potential now exists for public access, education and government (PEG) channels to be shifted to the netherworld of cable channels. In Macomb County, Michigan, Comcast, the nation's largest cable carrier, recently indicated it will move government and education channels to the 900-tier of its cable offerings. State Rep. Tory Rocca, a Sterling Heights Republican, termed it "the Siberia of broadcast channels."

Wisconsin PEG advocates warned of similar changes in Wisconsin. Madison Schools' MMSD-TV currently operates on Cable Channels 10 and 19 on Charter Communications' cable offerings.

In a letter to Doyle urging item vetoes of some of the more egregious sections of the bill, Supt. Art Rainwater said, "Our concerns are basic: require that schools and other public entities have "no cost" connections to any new cable service provider and that the current signal quality will be maintained, regardless of the cable operator."

Opponents of the measure vow to seek PEG modifications to the law in the 2009-11 legislative session.