If recent citizen meetings in Madison, Milwaukee and Stoughton are any indication, likely voters in Wisconsin’s April 3 election for state Superintendent of Public Instruction don’t want this campaign to disintegrate into a smear campaign. They want the candidates to talk about how the state’s next public education leader can improve the quality of education in Wisconsin and help produce graduates able to compete in a changing world.

Sixty-five people attended five “focus group” meetings sponsored by We the People/Wisconsin, a statewide media coalition that includes the Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Public Television, Wisconsin Public Radio, WISC-TV (CBS, Madison) and Wood Communications Groups. Three groups were held for business leaders (Feb. 27), public school teachers (March 3) and school board members (March 14), and two for a combination of parents and students (March 17 and March 18).

In no case was “school funding” or “high taxes” the first subject to be raised by participants. In every group, citizens wanted to talk first about the quality of the schools, the need for parents and community leaders to become more involved in their children’s lives, ways to improve school accountability, and the relationship between the state Department of Public Instruction with Wisconsin’s 425 local school districts.

To be sure, each group had different priorities. The business group wanted to talk about the urgent need for young workers who have the skills and attitudes necessary to learn. They also wondered if DPI serves a relevant purpose. The school board members wanted to talk about infringements on local control, special education and the need to re-examine state aid formulas. Teachers worried about the future of their profession, about getting more training, and about instilling a sense of community and civic participation in their students. Parents and students were critical of “basic skills” instruction in reading, writing and mathematics, but they were just as often critical of parents and students who don’t make the most of educational opportunities.