MacIver News Service – The legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) debated portions of the state budget well into Wednesday morning, and its main focus was on a 29-page omnibus education package that passed on a 12-4 vote along party lines. Read More Joint Finance Passes Omnibus Education Package That Increases K-12 Funding
MacIver News Service – A new plan would have the Milwaukee County Executive appoint a commissioner to oversee a takeover of up to five of Milwaukee’s worst schools per year. Each school would be removed from MPS, turned into a private school or independent public charter and all faculty and staff would have to reapply for their positions. If rehired, no staff could be a member of a union. Read More Kooyenga, Darling Seek Major Improvements at Milwaukee Public Schools
Members of the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) have voted for $71.4 million in all fund savings from Gov. Scott Walker’s original budget proposal through seven executive sessions. $48.9 million of the total is precious General Purpose Revenue (GPR), the pot of money that comes directly from Wisconsin taxpayers.
Read More Joint Finance Has Saved Taxpayers $71 Million So Far, Will It Continue?
MacIver News Service – Rep. Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah) discussed two bills at a public hearing of the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit Reform that would implement drug testing for individuals receiving certain public benefits like food stamps and unemployment insurance. During the hearing, Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) said he would be introducing an amendment that would require legislators to go through the same drug testing. Read More Will Lawmakers Agree to be Drug Tested? Decision next week.
Every inch of Walker’s proposal will get scrutinized during the process, and by the time it gets back to his desk, the bill will likely look different than it does now. But, before JFC starts making changes, we put together this short synopsis of the 600-page document. Read More Scott Walker’s 2015-17 Budget Proposal: What You Need to Know
MacIver News Service – Gov. Scott Walker signed 2015 Act 1 on Monday in Brown Deer, making Wisconsin the 25th right-to-work state in the country. Read More Gov. Scott Walker Signs Right-to-Work into Law
MacIver News Service – Fraud and abuse prevention was the theme on Tuesday as officials from Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), Department of Health Services (DHS) and Department. of Workforce Development (DWD) testified in front of the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit Reform. Read More State Agencies Report Progress Fighting Entitlement Fraud, More Efforts To Come
Governor Scott Walker did not shy away from educational reforms in his 2015 State Budget Address. The second-term administration proposed sweeping changes that included a statewide school voucher program, A-F grades for all publicly funded schools, the creation of a statewide independent charter school authorizer, and a $141.9 million per-pupil funding supplement in 2016-17. Read More Gov. Walker Proposes Bold Education Budget
MacIver News Service – Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) laid out some of his workforce development proposals on Thursday that will be a part of his upcoming budget, including a requirement that people receiving benefits from government programs pass drug tests and a plan to make 100 percent of state aid for the Wisconsin’s technical colleges based on performance. Read More Gov. Walker Previews Entitlement Drug Testing, Tech College Funding Plans
No evidence that charters outperform Milwaukee’s public schools? Laughable. Evidence that suggests these schools have had greater success than their peers despite significantly lower funding? Spot on. Read More Teachers’ Union President Ignores Years of Data in False Attack on Charter Schools