Walker Says Sanctions Aren’t Necessary Part Of School Accountability

Gov. Scott Walker said he doesn’t need a school accountability bill to include sanctions for struggling schools, saying the important thing is that it provides more information to parents.

There are several differences between the competing Republican versions of a school accountability bill, but perhaps the biggest is how the Assembly version would treat consistently struggling schools. After seven years of low test scores, it would turn such schools into independent charter schools. The Senate bill includes no such sanctions.

When asked whether he needs sanctions for a bill to get his support on Thursday, Walker replied in the negative.

“I trust parents,” he said. “I think the best thing we can do is make sure that any school in this state that receives public funding, that there’s objective comparable information available not only to the public, but most importantly to the parents.”

Senate and Assembly Republicans also differ on who should oversee struggling schools and whether voucher schools should be allowed to take different tests than public schools.