PROFILE OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH


to fund technical research, labor training programs, and other major economic
development
projects that promise to create jobs and increase capital investment.
  Education. Recognizing education's importance in a democratic society,
the drafters of the
Wisconsin Constitution included Article X specifically relating to education.
Provision was
made establishing local school districts and free education for all children
in the state. Each
town and city was required to support such schools through taxation, and
some state assistance
was provided through a school fund. The constitution further decreed that
provision should be
made by law for the establishment of a state university and colleges throughout
the state as
needed.
  From this groundwork evolved our present educational system. In 1988-89,
774,857 students
attended the public elementary and secondary schools. The 1988 fall enrollment
in the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin System reached 162,567; the vocational school system's
associate degree pro-
grams enrolled 87,940 students. Total expenditures for public education in
the 1987-88 fiscal
year were more than $4.8 billion.
  Wisconsin has 430 school districts that administer the elementary and secondary
programs.
Twelve cooperative educational service agencies (usually referred to as "CESAs")
furnish sup-
port activities to the local districts on a regional basis, and the Department
of Public Instruction,
headed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, provides supervision
and consultation
for the districts. A major function of the department is administration of
state and federal
financial aids to local school districts.
  Although Wisconsin was a pioneer in the establishment of vocational schools,
some areas of
the state lacked access to them for many years. A 1965 law required that
by 1970 the entire state
be divided into vocational, technical and adult educational districts, and
this type of education is
now available to everyone. There are 16 districts, each under a district
board. The state Board of
Vocational, Technical and Adult Education supervises the districts.
  Except for the vocational system, the state is directly responsible for
operating all public post-
secondary institutions in Wisconsin. The 1971 Legislature integrated these
publicly-financed
institutions of higher education into a single University of Wisconsin System.
The system's 2
largest campuses, those at Madison and Milwaukee, offer programs leading
to doctoral degrees.
Eleven other degree-granting institutions provide 4-year courses of baccalaureate
study, and 13
center system campuses provide 2-year courses of study. State funding also
supports Wisconsin
residents enrolled at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. (formerly the
Medical School of
Marquette University).
  Three other agencies are concerned with the state's education function
- the Higher Educa-
tional Aids Board, the Educational Communications Board, and the State Historical
Society.
The aids board administers federal and state student financial assistance
programs. The Educa-
tional Communications Board operates the state educational radio network
and educational
television network. The Historical Society maintains the state historic library,
museum, and
various historical sites.
  Environmental Resources. The environmental resources category covers state
services that
protect, develop, or modify the land, forests, wildlife, waters, air, or
minerals. Two state agen-
cies, the Departments of Transportation and Natural Resources, direct some
of the most impor-
tant state government functions related to this category.
   From a wilderness inhabited by 305,391 people in 1850, the state has evolved
into a complex
society with a 1980 population of 4,705,642. Most of Wisconsin is not densely
populated, and the
state has a comparatively large amount of open space. However, population
growth, improved
living standards, and industrial development have increased environmental
pollution.
  Once, pioneers could come to a wilderness, cut the forests, clear the land,
and hunt and fish
with little thought of damage they might do to the soil, streams, or wildlife.
Now, every state
must take firm steps to protect its resources from destruction or extinction.
The Department of
Natural Resources sets standards for water quality, air pollution, and solid
waste management.
Under state regulations, municipalities and industries cannot dump untreated
sewage or indus-
trial wastes into the lakes and streams; smokestacks and automobiles must
meet air pollution
limits; farmers are encouraged to preserve soil and groundwater quality;
and solid waste disposal
facilities must meet designs, construction, and operation standards. State
parks and forests
preserve the natural environment and provide recreational and educational
opportunities. Own-


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