Let's Elect Tech Boards
Republican State Senator Alberta Darling of River Hills announced that she will re-introduce a bill calling for making memberships on the boards of directors of Wisconsin technical colleges elective offices, rather than appointed positions, as they are now. (1) She introduced similar bills in the last three sessions of the legislature, but none even made it out of committee.
Do you know how members of the board of MATC and similar institutions are chosen? ( Most people have no idea.) Each board must include two employers, two employees, a K-12 school administrator, and three other members. The boards must be balanced in terms of gender, minorities and geography. The appointments are made by representatives of the school districts in the tech-college district. Members are appointed for three years and receive no pay. (1) Moreover, prospective MATC board members are interviewed on Saturdays (there is no alternative day), so Sabbath-observers (Jews or Adventists) have no chance of being chosen.
Apparently the present method was devised so that both employers and employees would be represented. But an employer need not be a CEO of a big factory; a lawyer with a secretary qualifies. Since unions are virtually guaranteed a voice on each board, Democratic legislators have been unwilling to change the current process.
But publicity about high salaries at MATC, which have led to a major financial problem for the school, has drawn attention to the fact that the board is not directly answerable to voters. Faculty at MATC (where I taught part-time for several years in the 1980's) are paid more than at any UW campus except Madison, even though their academic credentials are far lower (2). But, unlike university professors, MATC teachers are covered by a contract with a union affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Since most people would like to have some say in how the tech schools are run, I contend that Darling's bill would enjoy massive support, if the public even knew about the issue. This is an opportunity for the Republican Party to offer the voters a clear choice between accountability to the people through direct elections and the present cozy arrangement between management, labor and school officials.
I urge readers who attend candidate forums during the next few weeks to ask office-seekers if they support Senator Darling's bill. I do!
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(1) " Legislator calls for tech board elections " by Karen Hertzog in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 25, page 1B.
(2) Nearly all tenured university faculty must have PhD, JD or MD. while tenured faculty at tech colleges need only a bachelor's degree or trade certification.
Do you know how members of the board of MATC and similar institutions are chosen? ( Most people have no idea.) Each board must include two employers, two employees, a K-12 school administrator, and three other members. The boards must be balanced in terms of gender, minorities and geography. The appointments are made by representatives of the school districts in the tech-college district. Members are appointed for three years and receive no pay. (1) Moreover, prospective MATC board members are interviewed on Saturdays (there is no alternative day), so Sabbath-observers (Jews or Adventists) have no chance of being chosen.
Apparently the present method was devised so that both employers and employees would be represented. But an employer need not be a CEO of a big factory; a lawyer with a secretary qualifies. Since unions are virtually guaranteed a voice on each board, Democratic legislators have been unwilling to change the current process.
But publicity about high salaries at MATC, which have led to a major financial problem for the school, has drawn attention to the fact that the board is not directly answerable to voters. Faculty at MATC (where I taught part-time for several years in the 1980's) are paid more than at any UW campus except Madison, even though their academic credentials are far lower (2). But, unlike university professors, MATC teachers are covered by a contract with a union affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Since most people would like to have some say in how the tech schools are run, I contend that Darling's bill would enjoy massive support, if the public even knew about the issue. This is an opportunity for the Republican Party to offer the voters a clear choice between accountability to the people through direct elections and the present cozy arrangement between management, labor and school officials.
I urge readers who attend candidate forums during the next few weeks to ask office-seekers if they support Senator Darling's bill. I do!
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(1) " Legislator calls for tech board elections " by Karen Hertzog in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 25, page 1B.
(2) Nearly all tenured university faculty must have PhD, JD or MD. while tenured faculty at tech colleges need only a bachelor's degree or trade certification.
Labels: elections, technical colleges
posted by Gerald S Glazer at 3:51 PM
1 comments
