• Wisconsin
• Gov. James E. Doyle
Gov. James E. Doyle focused in his Jan. 17 State of the State Address on programs he says would help Wisconsin’s middle-class families afford better educational and health-care opportunities.
Higher Education: The Democrat announced his plans for a Wisconsin Covenant, which would provide qualifying students with strong academic and conduct records with free tuition to University of Wisconsin campuses.
The plan would provide tuition grants for students who finished high school, met income requirements, took challenging high school courses, applied for federal and state financial aid, and earned a B average. Students who met the same criteria and came from higher-earning families might qualify for limited aid, Mr. Doyle said.
Read a complete transcript of Gov. James E. Doyle’s 2006 State of the State Address. Posted by Wisconsin’s Office of the Governor.
“It is an historic commitment to make college more affordable for hard-working Wisconsin families, while giving our high school students an incentive to succeed in the classroom,” the governor said.
Businesses and private foundations could help pay for the program, he said. He gave no specifics on how many students might qualify or how much it would cost the state.
Vouchers: The governor also mentioned the possibility of raising the enrollment cap for the Milwaukee voucher program, but only if more accountability is required of the schools that use the state-funded tuition aid, most of which goes to private schools. About 14,700 students use the $6,000-a-year vouchers.
