Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., Friday, Gov. Scott Walker indicated he has major tax and education reforms planned for Wisconsin in the second half of his four-year term, including performance-based funding for schools in the UW System.
The Wisconsin governor, who has been mentioned by some as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, was invited to speak at the Reagan Presidential Library after his victory in June’s historic recall election.
Walker told the packed room he wants to continue Wisconsin’s economic success by giving more money to small businesses and entrepreneurs, cutting property taxes and implementing an “aggressive” income tax reduction, according to video footage of the event.
“We believe we can continue to be one of the leaders in the country not just in reform but ultimately in results,” Walker said.
Walker also said he wants to reform education to encourage students to study in fields like manufacturing, health care and information technology, which are areas he said lack skilled workers.
The audience laughed when Walker quoted Jeb Bush, who said, “We shouldn’t be paying for butts in seats, we should be paying for results.”
Walker said the reforms would tie additional state education funding to performance, motivating technical colleges and universities to implement and improve programs in these areas.
The Walker administration began issuing evaluations this year to K-12 schools to assess their performance and wants to expand to technical colleges and universities as well to hold them similarly accountable.
He also said the state will continue to make private and charter schools more easily accessible for children regardless of their background because every child deserves a “world-class education.”
