Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle is proposing some big changes for schools across the state.

Longer school days and the option to pay teachers based on how well their students are doing are both part of the proposal.

Locally...the Superior School District says they'd like proof these tactics would benefit students – before the rules actually take affect as LeAnn Wallace reports.

For decades Wisconsin students have hit the books 9–months out of the year in anticipation of summer break.

But that might change as Governor Doyle aims to make statewide alterations in an effort to be eligible for a 4.5 billion dollar federal grant.

"I believe these are things we should do whether we get the race to the top funding or not if they are the right things to do we should be doing them."

The program provides stimulus money to encourage states to toughen academic standards, find better ways to recruit and keep effective teachers, track student performance and have a plan to turn around failing schools.

In order to be eligible for the funding, the state must change its law to allow student test results to be used to evaluate teachers.

"I would want it to be that we look at where the kids come in at, that first day of school and the growth they make to the end of the year. Comparing all of the kids equally when all kids aren't equal would not be fair to our teachers," says Superior Superintendent Janna Stevens.

Doyle is also encouraging failing districts to make their school days and years longer to help narrow the achievement gap.

"When families have things organized their start time and their end time, they adjust their work schedules based on that, they get baby sitters based on that, so to simply just make it year round would have to have huge changes," says Stevens.

The Superior School District says they're not against the proposals, but they'd like to see what the benefits would be for students before any of these changes be enforced.

"We should be accountable for making our kids achieve at a higher level; however we have to be careful what data we use," says Stevens.

Doyle also wants to change state assessments for students... And recruit more science and math teachers.

Much of the proposal has yet to go in front of the state legislature for consideration.