WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1985-1986


   There are 432 school districts in the state, which administer the elementary
and secondary
schools within those districts. Twelve cooperative educational service agencies
furnish support
activities to the districts. A 1965 law required that by 1970 the entire
state be divided into
vocational, technical and adult education districts. Although Wisconsin was
a pioneer in the
establishment of vocational schools, some areas of the state did not have
access to them. Under
the 1965 law this changed, and such education is now available to everyone.
There are 16 such
districts. The elementary and secondary schools and the schools of vocational,
technical and
adult education are operated by district boards, but a state level agency
functions in each case to
supervise the system. The state Department of Public Instruction, headed
by the state superin-
tendent, supervises the former; the state Board of Vocational, Technical
and Adult Education
supervises the latter.
   Except for the vocational system, the state directly operates the institutions
in the field of
higher education. The 1971 Legislature, by Chapter 100, Laws of 1971, integrated
Wisconsin's
publicly financed institutions of higher education into a single University
of Wisconsin System.
These comprise the former University of Wisconsin and the State Universities.
In addition to its
central campuses in Madison -  the largest campus in the state - and Milwaukee,
the system
includes the 11 other degree-granting institutions providing 4-year courses
of study, and 13 cen-
ter system campuses providing 2-year courses. State monies also contribute
to the support of the
Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. (formerly the Medical School of Marquette
University).
   Three other agencies are concerned with the education function of the
state - the Higher
Educational Aids Board, the Educational Communications Board and the State
Historical Soci-
ety. The first-named administers federal and state programs for student financial
assistance. The
Communications Board operates the state FM radio network and educational
television net-
work. The Historical Society maintains the state historical library, museum
and various histori-
cal sites.

   Environmental Resources. Another array of state functions is brought together
under the cate-
 gory of environmental resources. Just what is meant by this? In the context
used here, environ-
 mental resources refer to the functions of those state agencies that affect
the natural resources of
 the state; that is, they may protect, develop, or modify in some way the
land, forests, waters, air
 or minerals of the state. As we said at the beginning of our presentation,
there is a certain
 amount of arbitrariness in assigning an agency to a category. The Department
of Agriculture,
 Trade and Consumer Protection, for example, which is certainly concerned
with the conditions
 of the soil and water, has been placed in the commerce category, while the
Department of Trans-
 portation, which also relates to commerce, has been placed in environmental
resources.
   Only 2 state agencies - Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources
- are
discussed in this category, but these are concerned with some of the most
important functions of
state government.
   From a wilderness inhabited by 305,391 people in 1850 the state has grown
into a complex
society with a 1980 population of 4,705,642. People are responsible for vast
changes in a land-
scape. Although most of Wisconsin is not densely populated and the state
has a comparatively
large amount of open space, even here we encounter serious problems of environmental
pollu-
tion, and such problems seem to increase with population growth and improved
living
standards.
  Once, pioneers could come to a wilderness, clear the land, cut the forests,
and hunt and fish
with little thought of any damage they might be doing to the soil, the streams,
or the wildlife.
Now, every state must take firm steps to protect its resources from destruction
or, indeed, from
extinction. Municipalities and industries must be prevented from dumping
untreated sewage or
industrial wastes into the lakes and streams; smokestacks and automobile
exhausts must be pre-
vented from polluting the air; parks and forests must be maintained both
to preserve unusual
phenomena of nature and to provide the public with recreational and educational
opportunities;
private forest owners must observe scientific conservation practices so that
new growth may
replace cut timber; hunting and fishing limits must be set and hunters and
fishermen licensed to
preserve the fish and wildlife from extinctive practices; farming procedures
must be such as to
preserve the quality and stability of the soil and the quality of groundwater.
  Governmental activities for preserving and protecting our natural resources
are largely the
province of the Department of Natural Resources, but the Department of Agriculture,
Trade


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