The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute

When I first learned that Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett were thinking of a mayoral takeover of MPS I couldn’t bring myself to elation. Yes, MPS needs a thorough shakeup, but are these the fellows to do it? After nearly eight years in office, the governor and mayor are just now awakening to the crisis in MPS.

Here is what is at the root of my misgiving:

1. Their motivation seems not to be reform but money. America is suddenly awash in federal stimulus money including barrels of money for schools. It is this money that finally got the attention of the governor and the mayor, not the dismal performance of MPS. Otherwise they would have taken up the cause of reform years ago. Nothing else has really changed.

2. The backlash from significant sectors of Milwaukee tells me that they have not adequately laid the groundwork for reform. For two fellows who are meticulous about their message, this is a major faux pas. Maybe they overlooked the message in this case because the reform is all about money. When the clock is ticking and the bank is about to close, the niceties of substance and message tend to take a back seat.

3. Real reformers, especially education reformers, have a long list of things that need changing. Richie Daley will wax late into the evening about all that needs changing in Chicago schools. Michelle Rhee, now the head of D.C. schools, is attacking low performance from every conceivable angle.

In contrast, Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett have a quite diminutive list of reforms; they simply want the mayor to appoint the superintendent and the school board. I like the dance of the seven veils as much as the next guy but this is way too much mystery for me. I can’t help but wonder what these fellows plan to do to hold teachers accountable for student performance. What is their plan for parents who don’t read to their children and don’t reinforce what teachers are teaching? What do they plan to do about the $2.2 billion bill for retiree health care that threatens to double the MPS tax levy? How will they change a culture in which fringe benefits equal an astonishing 63% of salaries while the superintendent constantly screams for more state aid?

There is no delicate way to say this, but the reform of MPS is not best left in the hands of a lame duck governor. Governor Doyle announced his push for mayoral control of MPS almost on the same day he announced his intention to retire. Education reform is hard work and requires passion, focus and the judicious application of political muscle. The governor’s batting average on every count is quite low.

Those of us who advocate real reform become queasy at the thought of Jim Doyle leading the reform parade. Not only does his taste for reform seem tepid, his lame duck status greatly diminishes the prospects of success. Frankly, a defeat of the governor’s proposal could set the prospect of real reform back years.

So yes, a change in governance is on the top of the MPS to-do list. Yet reform is not a one shot proposition. Real reform can only be accomplished by leaders who have political capital and are willing to spend it improving the future of urban children. Real reform can only be accomplished by leaders who will be around long enough to do the heavy lifting of convincing parents, teachers and politicians that the need for change is urgent and essential.

-September 10, 2009

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