Report Card Time for State, Too


Report Card Time for State, Too


WISTAX Grades State on “Competitiveness”


MADISON—School children across the state are receiving report cards, and the state of Wisconsin is


getting one, too, thanks to a “competitiveness benchmarking” project at the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance


(WISTAX), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to public-policy research and citizen education. The


goal of the project, done on behalf of Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. (a consortium of state business, farm, and


labor leaders), has been to gauge the change in the state’s competitive position over time and to compare it to


surrounding states and the U.S.


In a new twist on that effort, WISTAX researchers converted statistics generated by the project to


letter grades for the latest issue of its Focus newsletter. Grading was done in 33 “subjects” in six categories—


economic health, business climate, environmental quality, quality of life, workforce excellence, and public sector


performance.


Of the 33 measures, Wisconsin had four grades in the A range, 12 each in the B and C ranges, and five


in the D range. The average grade over all measures was just below 2.5, or a B-/C+. The two areas with the


strongest grades were quality of life (averaging about a B) and workforce excellence (B- average).


“A” grades included those for health insurance coverage (A-), student test scores, highway conditions


(A-), and air emissions (pounds per capita). Wisconsin has one of the highest insured rates in the nation and is


still improving. Wisconsin K-12 students have had for a number of years, at least statewide, some of the highest


standardized test scores of any state.


Among the lowest grades were those for new business creation (D+), venture capital per worker (D),


state bond ratings (D+), and water pollution (D-).


“The weak business creation and venture capital grades are of particular concern,” Todd A. Berry,


WISTAX president, noted, “because they impact the economic future of the state.”


The analysis represented the first attempt by WISTAX to translate tables and charts contained in a


more extensive report, Measuring Success: Benchmarks for a Competitive Wisconsin, into simple letter


grades for the public and press. To eliminate subjectivity, arithmetic scoring rules were used.


For a free copy of the Focus newsletter titled “Report card time . . . for state, too,” contact WISTAX at


wistax@wistax.org; 608.241.9789; or WISTAX, 401 North Lawn Ave., Madison, WI 53704. Copies of the


larger report, Measuring Success: Benchmarks for a Competitive Wisconsin, may be ordered from WISTAX


($3.00 plus tax). The larger report presents competitive measures numerically but does not offer letter grades.