School districts will have to answer to their parents and taxpayers if their test is less rigorous than those of a neighboring school district.
In these chambers, and across Wisconsin, we must demand excellence in our schools.
To coordinate this endeavor, I am proposing the creation a Standards Development Council, chaired by the Lt. Governor, with a representative from the Department of Public Instruction, and the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the education committees of the Senate and Assembly. The council will be charged with conducting a statewide public process to approve or modify the standards I'm proposing tonight. I'm asking the council to report its recommendations by September of this year.
Tonight is the culmination of a year and a half of work in bringing the issue of academic achievement to the forefront of public debate. A year ago, I convened a National Education Summit with IBM's Lou Gerstner. There, the nation's governors and business leaders reached an agreement on the need for standards.
And tonight I'm asking you to join me in taking this to the next level -- developing a consensus on what our children should be learning in school.
I'd like to speak for a moment to the parents of Wisconsin. What we're talking about tonight is what will be taught to your children. What I'm proposing is no less than a blueprint for what will go into the heads of your children.
It is critical that you review every line -- every word -- of these standards. Your voice, not just the voices of the education experts, is what we need to hear as we define what academic standards our students should meet.
Let me know what you think.
As you review these standards, you'll notice every one of them includes a technology component. Technology must be an integral part of every facet of education.
Tonight I'm announcing one of the most exciting and far-reaching initiatives I've ever undertaken as Governor. It will revolutionize how and what our students learn, how our schools teach, and, in some cases, even what a school is.
Let me introduce you to Technology Education Achievement in Wisconsin. Or simply, TEACH Wisconsin. A $200 million investment in the future of our classrooms over the next two years. And a $500 million investment over the next five years.
TEACH Wisconsin is my commitment to ensuring every school, every student and every teacher has the hardware, the software and the knowledge to open new education worlds through the use of technology.
TEACH Wisconsin will put the world at the fingertips of every student. It will liberate teachers and students from the bounds of classroom walls.
TEACH Wisconsin will break down the barriers between educational institutions, making the University and Technical College Systems relevant to students years before they hear their first Pomp and Circumstance.
The only tether in education will be the size of our imaginations and our willingness to apply the resources at our disposal.
My budget will contain $65 million over the biennium in ongoing block grants to school districts for educational technology. $50 million in annual bonding will be available as loans to school districts to upgrade electrical and network wiring. And these grants and loans will be apart from the revenue limits on schools to avoid painful local spending decisions.
We are building a Sonet Ring around Wisconsin. A fiber optic highway connecting the schools of our state. No other state will have anything like it.
And I'm ensuring all school districts have access to this Sonet Ring and a high-speed data link for no more than $250 per month -- that compares to the $2,500 monthly fee many schools pay now.
Our Cooperative Educational Service Agencies will receive $8 million over the biennium to provide training programs for teachers to learn better use of technology. If teachers can't teach students to navigate the Sonet Ring, our investment is wasted.
I've set aside a combined $15.2 million for the University of Wisconsin System and Technical College System for continued development and expansion of the student information system, distance education, classroom technology, and teacher training.
I'd like to thank University of Wisconsin System President Katherine Lyall and Wisconsin Technical College System President Ed Chin for their vision and partnership in making technology come alive for our students.
The financial commitment I'm making to educational technology is not one-time phantom money. Even though this will be a tight budget, we must make a long-term investment in future of our children.
And I'm challenging each legislator and leader in this chamber today to adopt a school and help get it wired. That means joining the Wiring Wisconsin team this spring, rolling up your sleeves and helping your adopted school pull wires into classrooms. I will be adopting a school from my home district.
When it comes to investing in technology for tomorrow's classrooms, no other state comes close to America's State.
Now, for those of us who went to school with Laura Ingalls Wilder and thought technology was indoor plumbing, it is sometimes hard to picture exactly how this technology can dramatically transform your children's classroom.
So I would like to show you the backpack of the future.
One day, your child will be carrying home schoolwork on this notebook instead of a spiral notebook. They will study and get their information from CD Roms instead of textbooks. And instead of needing a pencil case, they will need a holder for their floppy disks and CDs.
But one thing will never change. They'll still need an apple for the teacher.
To show you the classroom of the future, I would like to bring in some friends of mine from Washburn and Milwaukee. They will show you that we're not exaggerating when we say this new technology is awesome.
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Let's go to High Mount Elementary School in Milwaukee and meet Wisconsin Johnson, a paleontologist from the Milwaukee Public Museum. Wisconsin Johnson is our Indiana Jones.
Hello, Dr. Johnson and kids. Can you tell us what you're doing? (He answers)
That's great. Could the students tell me what they think about this program and distance education? (Students answer)
How has this technology helped you learn? (Student answers)
Let's bring in our friends from Washburn in Northern Wisconsin, who shared the dinosaur project with Hi Mount.
Can you tell me what you thought about taking a class on dinosaurs from a teacher in Milwaukee? (Student answers)
How did the class work? (Students answer)
Thanks kids. To wrap up, could Wisconsin Johnson tell us how the Internet was used in conjunction with the project? (He answers)
What a great way to learn. Students from opposite ends of the state learning together.
The technology we just used is the Fiber Optic Video Network. This is the classroom of tomorrow.
Technology is the great equalizer. It gives every student, whether poor or wealthy, rural or urban, access to the best teachers, best information and best education possible. The student from Elroy will have the same opportunities as the student from Brookfield.
This is the challenge that lies before us. To create the classroom of the future where every student can achieve at a high level and graduate with the skills to contribute.
In these chambers, let us make sure our children are able to lead this state to even greater heights well into the next century.
Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Legislature, Constitutional officers, people of Wisconsin: This week has been euphoric.
This week the world watched as our ambassadors, the Green Bay Packers, the pride of Wisconsin, ascended to the pinnacle of athletic achievement.
But it strikes me that what we witnessed this week was not merely a sporting victory. The Green Bay Packers have come to symbolize our entire state and our way of life. A hometown team, still owned lock stock and barrel by a community, winning it all.
America's team in America's state.
And this team is built on more than athletic prowess. After the NFC championship game, I was invited to the locker room to celebrate with the players and coaches. Of course I expected the type of party we've seen on TV when other teams win a championship - loud voices, champagne flowing, confident predictions of future victories. But what I witnessed stood in stark contrast to the self-adulation common to professional sports.
I walked into the locker room to see an entire team on bended knee, being led in the Lord's prayer by our 300-pound Minister of Defense. And there wasn't a dry eye among the warriors of the gridiron.
In that moment - even more than on the playing field of Lambeau - the Packers represented who we are in Wisconsin.
We know from where our strength comes. We are humbled by our victories. We are thankful for what has been entrusted to us.
And as I continue to travel this Great State of Wisconsin:
¨ ¨I'm awed by the never-ending chorus of optimism that rings from every community.
¨ Inspired by the deep and abiding faith that characterizes our people.
¨ ¨Invigorated by our sheer determination to succeed.
¨ ¨And humbled by the deep honor of being your Governor.
We are America's State. And together we will make tomorrow even better than today.
From Sue Ann and me, God bless you and God Bless the Great State of Wisconsin.
__________________
Adjourned.
8:05 P.M.
__________________
for the Month of January 1997
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Cowles for Tony Bauer on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Farrow for Ed Baumann Chief of Police for the Village of Pewaukee on the occasion of being selected 1996 Pewaukee Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Chvala for Adam Beckwith on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Rosenzweig for Boy Scout Troop 21 as it celebrates it 75th Anniversary.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Risser for Aaron Bryden on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Farrow for Martin C. Christianson on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Panzer for Donnovan Dolato on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Adelman for Matthew Erb on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Shibilski for Anne Farning on the occasion of her retirement after 17 years of dedicated service to the Wood County Department of Aging including 13 years as Director.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Burke for John Folaron on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of condolences by Senator George for the family of the Honorable Leander J. Foley Jr., on the occasion of commending his seventy years of life.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Drzewiecki for Brian Grandaw on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Cowles for Neil Green on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
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A certificate of commendation by Senator Ellis for Eric C. Gross on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Farrow for Paul M. Guzzetta Jr. on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Buettner for Kevin David Hayford on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Moen for David Hering on the occasion of his retirement after 35 years of service to the citizens of Monroe County.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Moen for Marshall Horlacher on the occasion of his retirement and 42 years of dedicated service to the Township Fire Department.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Ellis for John and Phyllis Jungers of Dos Bandidos/Appleton Brewing Co. in Appleton on the occasion of being awarded 1997 Outstanding Restaurateurs of the Year Award.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Burke for Daniel Lionberg on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Drzewiecki for Jason M. Matuszak on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of condolence by Senator Ellis for the family of Mary L. McClenahan on the occasion of recognizing her outstanding accomplishments and legacy she has left behind.
A certificate of commendation by Senator Huelsman for Eileen Mooers and Pat Rauch on the occasion of being honored as Delafield's 1996 Persons of the Year.
A certificate of congratulations by Senator Schultz for Nick Nice on occasion of his retirement as Lt. Colonel in the U. S. Marine Corps after 26 years of service to his country.
