THE WISCONSIN TAXPAYER Vol. 81, Number 2 | February 2013 Wisconsin’s Spring Elections Candidates for Supreme Court, Superintendent On April 2, Wisconsin voters will choose a state Supreme Court Justice and a State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the Supreme Court race, Justice Pat Roggensack seeks to retain her seat against attorney and Marquette Law professor Ed Fallone. Current state superintendent Tony Evers is being challenged by state representative Don Pridemore. Their biographies and answers to several questions from WISTAX are reprinted beginning on page four. n Tuesday April 2, Wisconsin are running, and other questions spe- How a state oversees and selects O voters will elect members of cific to their races. Their verbatim leaders for K-12 education can have their city councils, village or town responses begin on page four. wide-ranging implications. A selec- boards, and local school boards. In First, though, is a discussion of tion process that is too political can some parts of the state, they will also state approaches to overseeing K-12 affect public trust and hamper reform. elect local judges. education. While most residents However, if the state’s education However, two races have state- have a cursory understanding of Wis- and political leaders do not have the wide impact. Voters will elect a consin’s system, they probably do same vision, needed change may be Supreme Court Justice to serve not realize how different the Badger difficult to achieve. for the next ten years. Justice Pat State approach is. State Education Governance Rogensack is being challenged by GOVERNING EDUCATION Most forms of state education attorney and law school professor In Wisconsin, K-12 education is governance combine a state educa- Edward Fallone. In the race for overseen by a State Superintendent tion board with a chief state school State Superintendent of Public of Public Instruction, the only con- officer (CSSO). Instruction, Tony Evers faces Don stitutional officer elected on a non- Pridemore. partisan basis. The superintendent is Also in this issue: In an effort to inform voters, the elected to a four-year term as head of Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance asked the Wisconsin Department of Public State Retirees See Cut • Number of candidates in both nonpartisan races Instruction (DPI). He or she is not Governments Up • School Referenda about their backgrounds, why they a member of the governor’s cabinet. Results wis tax A service of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance State education boards are generally policymak- Governing Education: Model 2 ing bodies with six functions: Voters create teacher and administrator certification standards; Elect Elect establish accreditation standards for teacher and Governor CSSO administrator preparation programs; Appoint set high school graduation requirements; establish state testing programs; Board review and approve the budget of the state K-12 and North Carolina. Another state, Oklahoma, has education agency; and two education heads. The constitutionally-established develop rules and regulations for administering Superintendent of Public Instruction is the CSSO who state K-12 education programs. heads the state Department of Education and is presi- The CSSO is generally responsible for supervis- dent of the state board of education. The Secretary of ing the state education agency (DPI in Wisconsin). Education is a gubernatorial appointee who serves in Some states have two positions dedicated to overall the governor’s cabinet and oversees K-12 education, educational governance. In addition to the CSSO, the university system, and vocational education. they have an education post in the governor’s cabinet. Prior to 2011, California also had two education heads. However, the Secretary of Education position Varied Approaches was eliminated in 2011, leaving only the constitution- States generally take one of four approaches to ally-established Superintendent of Public Instruction education governance. Each has some combination (also a cabinet position). of election or appointment of the CSSO and board Although Oregon currently uses this approach, members. Elected officials are more accountable to that will change in 2014. Oregon’s constitution names voters, but appointments may make political gridlock the governor as Superintendent of Public Instruction less likely. In some cases the board has more power; in others, the CSSO does. THE WISCONSIN Governing Appointed Board Appoints Superinten- Education: dent. In the most common approach (13 TAXPAYER Model 1 states), the governor appoints members of February 2013 Vol. 81 Number 2 Voters a state board of education. That board then Publication Number USPS 688-800 appoints the CSSO. Periodical postage paid at Madison, Wisconsin Elect Among these 13 states, four make the Subscription Price: Governor One Year, $17.97; Three Years, $36.97 CSSO a cabinet position: Connecticut, Mary- Published each month, except July, by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, 401 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53704-5033 Appoint land, Missouri, and West Virginia. Two states, Postmaster: Kentucky and Massachusetts, have a second Send address changes to The Wisconsin Taxpayer, Board education leader in the governor’s cabinet. 401 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53704-5033 phone: 608.241.9789 fax: 608.241.5807 Appoint With this approach, the views of the board Email: [email protected] website: www.wistax.org and CSSO are more likely to be in line with the Officers and Board of Directors: CSSO C.D. Fortner, Chair, Milwaukee; Jere D. McGaffey, Secretary-Treasurer, governor’s. But, that can also lead to a percep- Milwaukee tion of partisanship, which can be lessened if J.L. Adams, Beloit; Richard Meeusen, Milwaukee; K. David Nunley, appointees have to be approved by the legislature or Milwaukee; J.D. Quick, Manitowoc; J.R. Riordan, Madison; D.R. Schuh, Stevens Point; M.D. Simmer, Green Bay; T.L. Spero, Milwaukee; Carol if board terms are staggered. Ward-Knox, Jefferson; Robert Webster, Milwaukee Appointed Board, Elected Superintendent. In Staff: Todd A. Berry, President; Dale Knapp, Research Director; Katherine a second approach used by 11 states, the Governor Lindsay, Research Analyst; Sandra Mumm, Business Manager; Susan appoints a state board of education, but the CSSO is Ryan; Megan Sawle; Sharon Schmeling, Communications Director elected. Reproduction: Media is encouraged to quote contents, with credit to WISTAX. The CSSO is a cabinet-level position in four of the Electronic reproduction or forwarding is prohibited, unless prior permission is granted. Send requests to [email protected]. 11 states using this model: California, Georgia, Idaho, Page 2 The Wisconsin Taxpayer but authorizes the legislature to create an elected su- Other Models. Ten states (Louisiana, Minnesota, perintendent. Lawmakers there recently eliminated Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South the elected superintendent position effective in 2014, Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin) ap- specified a process for the governor to appoint a proach governance in other ways. Most approaches deputy superintendent, and clarified that the governor are similar to one of those outlined above. is responsible for K-12 education. In Louisiana and Ohio, some state board mem- This model creates some checks and balances by bers are elected, while others are appointed by the combining election and appointment. However, it governor. In both states, the CSSO is appointed by may create unnecessary tension if the state board and the state board. CSSO do not share a vision for K-12 education. The In New York and South Carolina, the state legislature board, which typically has more power, will likely appoints the board. In New York, the CSSO is appointed reflect the governor’s views. by the board; in South Carolina, it is an elected position. Governor Appoints Board and CSSO. In nine In Mississippi and Washington, board members states, the governor appoints members of the educa- are appointed by multiple individuals or organizations. tion board and the CSSO. In four (Delaware, Maine, In Mississippi, the governor, lieutenant governor, and Pennsylvania, and Tennessee), the CSSO is a cabinet Speaker of the House all make appointments. The position. In Virginia, the governor appoints both the CSSO is then appointed by the board. In Washington, CSSO, who heads the state’s Department of Education, the board is comprised of elected members, guberna- torial appointees, a private-school representative, the Governing Education: Model 3 elected CSSO, and two students. Voters In Texas, the board is elected, and the governor appoints the CSSO. In Minnesota (which has no Elect board) and New Mexico (which has an advisory Governor Public Education Commission), the CSSO is ap- pointed by the governor. Appoint Appoint Wisconsin is one of only 14 states with an elected Board CSSO CSSO, and one of only two with no state board. It is the only state with no state education board and a Secretary of Education, a cabinet officer who and an elected CSSO. Similar to the fourth model oversees the K-12, university, and community col- discussed, some consider the Wisconsin approach lege systems. less partisan than others. However, Wisconsin also illustrates at least one of the drawbacks of that This approach generally has the same advantages model. Often, Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public and disadvantages as the first model. Here, though, Instruction does not have enough political support the governor has more influence, since he or she ap- to propose, enact, and implement needed change. points the CSSO. Governing Elected Board Appoints CSSO. GOVERNANCE AND OUTCOMES Education: Is any one model better than another? Many Model 4 Seven states use a fourth approach. Voters elect a state board of educa- factors play a role in the effectiveness of each form Voters tion, which then appoints the CSSO. of educational governance. That said, a 2006 study Elect In three of those states—Colorado, from political scientists at the College of William and Michigan, and Nevada—the CSSO Mary found that states perform better when gover- Board is a member of the governor’s nors appoint the CSSO.