Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Elected boards editorial
By Mary Lazich
Wednesday, Aug 15 2007, 08:22 AM
The Janesville Gazette has written an editorial in support of my proposed legislation to require that boards with taxing authority be elected bodies.
From the Janesville Gazette:
Tech schools need change in oversight
A quick refresher on history: Before the United States was formed, the original 13 colonies balked when England's Parliament imposed taxes. The colonies argued they shouldn't be taxed without a representative in Parliament.
The Revolutionary War ensued.
Unfortunately, taxation without representation persists in corners of our country. Wisconsin's technical college system is one such case.
That would change under legislation that state Senate Republicans plan to reintroduce this month. History shows valid reasons to support it.
Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, points to a 2003 Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance study that showed technical college tax levies rose almost 150 percent in the previous decade. That compares to a 75 percent increase in overall levies. The alliance also found that tech school levies rose 7.4 percent annually from 1998-99 to 2003-04, compared to the 4.2 percent average increase for public schools.
This March brought a Legislative Audit Bureau report that showed full-time technical college instructors were among the nation's best paid. Their average earnings were about $22,000 more than faculty in the UW System's two-year campuses and often more than those at the UW's four-year schools.
Locally, Blackhawk Technical College's board approved a tax levy increase of 7 percent in April.
Did the boss boost your pay 7 percent this year? We didn't think so.
Technical colleges will argue that state law sensibly requires their boards to be balanced by geography, profession, background, gender and race, and that appointees typically work full time and might be reluctant or have little time to campaign for those seats. The colleges suggest that elections might bring board members who don't possess the qualities of appointees.
The colleges also argue that they must pay competitive wages to ensure qualified instructors, and that the nurses, accountants and other professionals who teach their classes could demand more pay in the private sector.
We understand that by providing people the skills needed in business, technical colleges are a vital economic engine. And that wages must be competitive to lure and keep good instructors. But why should Wisconsin's tech system pay more than every state except California and Michigan?
It goes back to our initial point: Only elected officials should have the power to levy taxes. Many appointed boards do good work. But if elections work for city councils, school boards and county boards, they should work for technical colleges.
Unfortunately, a similar bill in the last legislative session wasn't a priority for lawmakers. If this legislation again fails to get traction, lawmakers should consider another alternative: Place the tech system under the umbrella of the UW Board of Regents.
After all, tech schools are trying to become more like community colleges, and tech schools such as Madison's serve as huge feeders for their UW System counterparts. The regents could offer reasonable management and oversight and coordinate all post-high school education. This move would eliminate service duplications and competition between the two educational systems.
It's another idea worth serious consideration.
