Education

Recognizing that high quality schools are critical to developing educated citizens and a strong future workforce, the Alliance is focused on fostering effective business-education partnerships at all levels. We support Waukesha County students in being both college and career ready and help families and educators understand job opportunities in the marketplace today and in the future.

Areas of support

Support regional and state programs that help students, parents and educators better understand career opportunities and pathways.
Promote expansion of youth apprenticeship, dual enrollment and other programs that help students obtain career skills and experience and/or receive higher education credits that reduce the time and cost of obtaining a post-secondary degree.
Expand school accountability beyond traditional measures to include workforce development outcomes.
Advocate for increasing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education at the K-12 level.
Support expansion of innovative post-secondary academic offerings in Waukesha County and the region.
Support policies that encourage collaboration among Waukesha County K-12 institutions to maximize course offerings and replicate best practices.
Support transferable credits among higher education institutions.
Advocate for effective and flexible programs to address the teacher shortage.

Talking points

The Alliance continues to support schools in the effective implementation of Academic and Career Plans (ACPs) by providing career awareness and exposure to students and fostering strong business/education partnerships.
The recent merger between the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin-Waukesha provides the opportunity for expanded post-secondary offerings in Waukesha County that align with the needs of local employers.
Innovative programs, such as micro-credentialing and certificates are of increasing interest to employers as they work to fill the talent pipeline quickly.
Initiatives such as the state’s FabLab and Advanced Manufacturing Technical Education Equipment grant programs provide valuable opportunities for Waukesha County students to learn on real-world equipment and prepare them for success in the workplace.

Alliance supports higher education credit transfer bill now on Evers’ desk

November 8, 2019

The Wisconsin State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 189, led by State Rep. Scott Allen, (R-Waukesha), on Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Tony Evers for signing. The bill is intended to streamline credit transfer between the University of Wisconsin system, Wisconsin technical colleges, private colleges and universities, and tribal schools. Currently there are two credit transfer […]

Alliance advocates to expand youth apprenticeship opportunities

September 30, 2019

The Waukesha County Business Alliance supports Assembly Bill 72, which would expand Youth Apprenticeship opportunities to students and employers in the areas of education/training, public safety, human services, business administration and government administration. Adding these occupations would mean that the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development would be offering curriculum in all 16 career clusters for Youth Apprenticeship.

Alliance advocated to improve credit transfer among higher ed

September 12, 2019

The Alliance’s Education Policy Committee has long supported improving the transfer of credits among higher education institutions. On Thursday, September 12, the Alliance testified at the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities in support of two Assembly bills that advance these efforts: AB 189 and AB 371. Click here to watch the testimony from Robyn […]

2019-21 Wisconsin state budget passes

July 16, 2019

With 78 partial vetoes, Governor Evers officially passed the Wisconsin 2019-21 state budget on July 2. The $82-billion budget included important priorities for Alliance members, including investments in transportation funding and K-12 education, as well as the proposed cuts to income taxes. The approved budget included a moderate income tax decrease, property tax levy limits […]

Alliance outlines priorities in state budget

July 1, 2019

Now that the Wisconsin legislature has sent the state budget to Governor Evers, he has six days (not including Sunday, but including the Fourth of July) to either approve the budget as-is, line-item veto portions of it or veto it entirely.

School is out for summer

June 12, 2019

Waukesha County schools wrapped up the school this month. Click to read about the Alliance’s work over the 2018-19 school year to develop our future workforce by connecting businesses and educational institutions.

Education Policy Committee

Susan Marshall

Chair
Backbone Institute, LLC

Francis Bauer

ITU AbsorbTech, Inc.

Nate Butt

Quad/Graphics

Jerry Fons

Executive Power LLC

Michael Frohna

Junior Achievement

Kat Goetz

TLX Technologies, LLC

Holly Hawkins

Tri-North Builders Inc

Nate Hoffman

Carrus Group

Ildiko Huppertz

ProHealth Care

Rick Kalscheuer

R&R Insurance Services, Inc.

David Kane

The Gund Company

Reginald Newson

Ascension WI

Kevin Scott

DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC

Anna Stern