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GOP Lawmaker Wants Governor To Appoint State School Superintendent

Sanfelippo Says Every Other Agency Administrator Is Appointed

vikramjam (CC-BY)

A Republican lawmaker is proposing a change to the state constitution that would give the governor power to chose the state’s top education official instead of voters.

Under Rep. Joe Sanfelippo’s plan, the state Senate would approve the governor’s nominee for state school superintendent. He said that “the state’s school system needs to be improved” and that his change would make the “Department of Public Instruction more accountable.”

“Are we happy with the state of our public schools as they exist today or do we need to make changes?” Sanfelippo said.

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He said every other state agency is led by an appointed administrator and likened the superintendent election to a popularity contest controlled by special interests.

The constitution establishes a statewide election for superintendent position every four years. The position is officially nonpartisan, but current Superintendent Tony Evers supports the Common Core academic standards, which Republicans have been pushing to scrap. He has also opposed expansion of school choice and changes to collective bargaining.

The constitutional amendment would have to pass two consecutive legislative sessions and a statewide referendum to take effect.

A statement from the Department of Public Instruction said it’s “unfortunate when a single legislator introduces another divisive, distraction directed at our schools.”

In 1995, former Gov. Tommy Thompson used the state budget process to try to switch to an appointed education secretary, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the move unconstitutional.

According to the National Association of State Boards of Education, most states use neither Wisconsin’s current process or what Sanfelippo has proposed. Rather, the most common model has a board appoint their chief education officer.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story featured Associated Press content. It has been updated with reporting by Wisconsin Public Radio.

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