Gov. Scott Walker
As work begins on his next state budget proposal, Governor Scott Walker says he will consider options that provide more funding to the University of Wisconsin and Technical College systems.
The governor said Thursday that both are areas his administration plans to look at, and one possibility is to explore the use of “performance-driven components” in determining where additional aid goes. “As we’ve done with the technical colleges, we’ve tied previous increases in the past couple of years to performance. If we do anything additional for the University of Wisconsin System, we’re interested in looking at it,” Walker said.
Walker’s office declined to list any details of what criteria could be included in a performance-based system for the UW. The tech college incentives implemented after the 2013 state budget considers factors such as job placement and degrees awarded in high-demand fields.
Another issue that could come up during the next state budget is the revival of a plan to give UW System campuses more autonomy. “I’d love to do that,” Walker said. “The question is whether or not it has any chances of happening in the Legislature.”
The governor included an autonomy proposal in his last state budget, which he says would give campuses more flexibility. It was removed by Republicans amid concerns about accountability.