Sep 18
With the governor likely to act soon on a state budget that includes a funding increase at long last for public schools, WEAC members are pleased elected officials have responded to the public’s call to increase funding for public schools. And while educators are welcoming the positive aspects of the budget document, they are also advocating for several vetoes on provisions that do not serve students well.
Sep 18
The State Senate passed a $76 billion state budget over the weekend, clearing the way for the governor to act – likely this week. The governor has said he will veto some measures, so this is your chance to send a letter asking him to veto bad budget provisions like restrictions on local control of school boards in referendums and the break-apart of the Racine Unified School District.
Sep 14
The State Assembly passed the budget Wednesday, which now goes to the Senate on Friday. Read more and take this opportunity to contact your senators about the education issues that are important to you on WEAC’s Take Action Page.
Sep 06
The state’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee today voted along party lines to expand the Special Needs Voucher Program as part of the state budget bill. With state resources so tight for public schools, and the funding for special needs vouchers coming directly from local school districts, why would the Legislature move to reduce funding for public schools by about $3 million over what it already spends on private school tuition next year, when the governor didn’t even include this move in his original budget proposal?
Aug 24
School districts are wondering about state funding for schools as their doors prepare to open for students, as the budget discussions linger in Madison. Normally, the state budget is completed by the end of June, but this year the budget debate is expected to last well into September. “Some districts may start with substitutes in classrooms that weren’t filled yet or they may choose just to drop a section of a class,” Kim Kaukl, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, told Wisconsin Public Radio, which interviewed several school officials throughout the state.
Aug 16
State Superintendent Tony Evers has sent a memo to members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee warning of “problematic situations” for schools throughout the state if a state budget is not passed soon. “With the state budget not being settled, there’s a lot of uncertainty across all superintendents and people managing the finances of school districts across the state of Wisconsin,” Brad Saron, superintendent of the Sun Prairie School District, said in a follow-up Wisconsin State Journal article. “And what that means is, really, everything is on hold.”
Aug 09
A kindergartener today will be about 37 years old by the time the state would possibly break even on tax breaks and government incentives for Foxconn, the foreign corporation proposing to set up shop in southeastern Wisconsin. Critics are asking whether some of those incentives could instead be used to strengthen community infrastructure across the state, including public schools.
Aug 04
The Foxconn special session bill (AU7 AB1) has been introduced, and Assembly Republicans held a hearing Thursday on legislation that could provide massive incentives for a planned Wisconsin plant. The Washington Post reports that the tax deal/incentives could cost the state $230,700 per worker.
Jul 27
An Assembly bill (AB-452) referred to the education committee would terminate Wisconsin’s voucher program, including special needs vouchers, and replace the achievement gap reduction program with an expansion of the SAGE program. Also, Wisconsin strikes an agreement for a massive Foxconn plant in Wisconsin, with the state providing tax credits totaling up to $3 billion over 15 years.
Jul 26
Taxpayers would see the price tag for school vouchers triple under the Senate budget plan, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has discovered. Instead of siphoning money from public schools, that funding should be restored to the public schools serving all children, no matter where they live or what their family circumstances are, said WEAC President Ron Martin.
Looking for current information about professional development news and programs?
Access professional development video resources and download content for your anytime, anyplace learning needs.
