Madison: Gov. Doyle says he wants high school students to take another year of math and science. Doyle says the move will make students better prepared for the future.

The announcement came when Gov. Jim Doyle released his Grow Wisconsin agenda last week.

"Part of my 2005 agenda is to require a 3rd year of math and science for all high school graduates."

Currently, high school students only need two years of math and science to graduate. But colleges often require at least three years, so most kids are already above the requirements.

"Our class of 2005 70 percent of our graduates took three or more years of math and science," says Joe Quick, spokesman for the Madison School District.

While Quick says this is a great idea on the surface, he says schools would have to add more math and science teachers and classes.

"It could be offset by dropping other classes. A kid who wanted to take a fine arts class– that might be something that gets dropped from the curriculum."

The kids that don't voluntarily take the extra math and science classes are not going to college, but Cora Marrett says one day, they might.

"One of the problems is that a number of students who think they might not go on to college find later that they do need the college experience."

Marrett works in Academic Affairs for the UW System, and she says many people who want to attend college later in life have even more work to do if they don't have the requirements in hand. Sometimes they just give up.

"The more limited the background in math and science the fewer the options."

Quick says there are definite pros and cons to the proposal, "Is three years of math and science necessary for every child who graduates from high school in Wisconsin? There will have to be a public discussion about that."