Ladies and Gentlemen, Place Your Bets

Democratic Leadership (an oxymoron?) just released this press release.

A mix of Wisconsin lawmakers are demanding the Legislature roll up its sleeves and do some homework to meet a Supreme Court requirement that every Wisconsin student receive a equal education. Senator Roger Breske, Representatives Sondy Pope-Roberts, Gary Sherman, Barbara Toles and John Lehman, will introduce a Joint Resolution directing the Legislature to create a new school financing system to meet the mandates in Vincent v. Voight, the Supreme Court decision that blasts the state's current funding formula.

Under the resolution, the school financing system must find a way to provide an adequate education to all pupils in the state regardless of their circumstances or regional differences. The legislation would require the legislature to equalize state aid over 426 school districts by July of 2007.

For the uninitiated, since 1993 or 1995, the dates are fuzzy to its initial genesis, the State of Wisconsin - in the name of "Property Tax Relief" financed schools with a program that was called "The Three-Legged Stool."

It was:

1. Revenue Caps on School Districts that can only be bypassed by local school referendum
2. State Government's "Promise" to pay for 2/3 of all school funding
3. The Qualified Economic Offer; i.e The QEO

It's never was a perfect system. WEAC's been chopping at the QEO leg for years, and 2/3's funding feels more like a blank check than a promise to see results. And as for revenue caps, how's that working out for Racine taxpayers?

The reason I'm asking for wagers is simple. A quick Google search of "Vincent v. Voight" finds a plethora of info as only Google can. But you also find the list of usual "Progressive sources" urging for something "different" - WEAC, Ed Garvey, and others.

Who here honestly thinks these clowns are going to give us something concrete, or just a WEAC wish list?

UPDATE - WEAC's already started the cavalcade early. Complaining about the Revenue Caps is an annual occurrence these days.