GOP senators have elected New Berlin's Mary Lazich as president of the state Senate - the first woman to hold the position.
Republican Sen. Scott Fitzgerald will again serve as majority leader.
Fitzgerald mentioned several education-related issues he wants the Senate to consider in 2015. They include expanding Wisconsin's school voucher program to perhaps 9,000 students. The cap is currently 1,000, except in Milwaukee and Racine where participation is not limited.
The Majority Leader also wants the Legislature to examine the state's Common Core academic standards. They are benchmarks for what skills students should possess by certain grade levels. Each school district adopts its own standards, but Common Core will be the basis for state testing and college entrance exams.
Also on Fitzgerald's agenda is reviewing the composition of the Government Accountability Board, the state agency that oversees elections and political ethics. The Senator says perhaps Wisconsin should return to the days when elected leaders appointed board members. Currently, retired judges serve. Some people have accused the board, both in its past and current forms, of partisanship.
State Republicans will hold a 19 to 14 majority, heading into the 2015 legislative session. They picked up a couple seats in Tuesday's election.
Incoming Senate President Mary Lazich will succeed Sen. Mike Ellis, who did not seek re-election. The president presides over Senate debates and is among those who determine which bills Senate committees will consider.
