The Wisconsin Covenant, championed by Governor Doyle, was launched in 2006. It was seen as a way to inspire young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to plan early for successful high school careers that would lead to higher education.
Eighth graders, beginning in the spring of 2007, were invited to sign a Wisconsin Covenant Pledge, in which they commit to achieve good grades and display good citizenship. In return for keeping their pledge, they were guaranteed spots in the University of Wisconsin System, the state technical college system, or one of the state’s private colleges. The program also provided financial aid packages based on family need.
The 2011-13 state budget begins a phase-out of the Wisconsin Covenant program. Students who previously signed and kept their pledge will still get their spot in higher education facilities and financial aid package for the first two years of their program. High school freshmen will be able to sign the pledge by September of this year. After this wave of students, the program will be eliminated. The program started in 2006, so the first class of Wisconsin Covenant scholars has yet to enroll in higher education. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (Paper 385), it is unclear how successful the program will be. So it would make sense to delay the elimination of the program until its effectiveness can be evaluated. The Fiscal Bureau paper noted that delaying the elimination of the program would have no fiscal effects over the next two budget cycles.
It is shortsighted to phase out the Wisconsin Covenant program before we even know how well it works. The program was designed to get Wisconsin’s youth on the right path to higher education and long-term economic security. With tuition rates continuing to rise and fewer resources available to help students cover the growing cost of education, we should be seeking to eliminate obstacles to higher education, not creating new ones.
Allan Goetsch
Tomorrow—Way #12: Restricting A Cost-Saving and Publicly Supported Program – Family Planning
About the series: “31 Ways in 31 Days” is a series of posts to the WCCF blog exploring the recently-passed biennial budget’s impact on children and families in Wisconsin. Each day in July, we are posting a description of one way the budget will affect kids and families, with an eye toward what should be done going forward to help improve outcomes and move us closer to the goal of making Wisconsin a place where every child has the opportunity to grow up, learn, and thrive in a safe, healthy, economically secure home and community.
