What a mess. Wisconsin’s last budget increased spending by $3.6 billion. Wisconsin’s last budget included more than $2 billion in new taxes and increased bonding to $3.58 billion. Wisconsin’s last budget left the door open for $1.5 billion in local… Read More The MacIver Principles to Guide Wisconsin’s Budget
MacIver News Service | November 3, 2010 [Madison, Wisc…] Voters across the Wisconsin want to stop the raids on the State Transportation Fund. Voters in 53 counties passed advisory referenda that read: “Should the Wisconsin Constitution be amended to prohibit… Read More Wisconsin Voters Sound Off on Transportation Fund Raids
MacIver News Service | October 27, 2010 [Milwaukee, Wisc…] Milwaukee’s public schools racked up a $10.7 million dollar operating deficit in 2010 as several individual schools overspent their budgets, MacIver News Service has learned. A school-by-school breakdown showed that 93… Read More 19 Individual Public Schools in Milwaukee Run up Deficits in Excess of $200,000
MacIver News Service | October 26, 2010 12:01 pm [Madison, Wisc…] The State of Wisconsin has the 11th worst business tax climate in the nation according to the results of a just-released study. Wisconsin ranked 40th in the 2011 State… Read More Wisconsin’s Business Tax Climate Remains Among Nation’s Worst
MacIver News Service | September 29, 2010 [Milwaukee, Wisc…] Milwaukee is now the fourth poorest city in the United States according to new figures just released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The news comes as one Milwaukee alderman worries about… Read More Milwaukee’s Rank as 4th Poorest City in Nation Comes Amidst Concerns Over City’s Schools, Public Safety
After months of lauding the state’s improvement in the second round of the federal Race to the Top competition, an analysis of the grant reviewers’ scorecards shows Wisconsin actually performed worse in the national rankings. Wisconsin’s application finished 27th out… Read More Scorecards Reveal Cause for Wisconsin’s Race to the Top Failure
Milwaukee taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $2.4 billion in unfunded liabilities thanks to their school district’s retirement programs – and that doesn’t even include the cost of providing pensions for MPS retirees. In 2004, the Government Accounting Standards… Read More MI Analysis of Milwaukee Public Schools’ Retiree Health Care Obligations
Wisconsin is a consistent leader when it comes to the achievement gap between black and white students, according to the “Nation’s Report Card.” Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) highlights the state’s deficiency when it comes to… Read More Analyzing Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap Data
MacIver News Service | August 18, 2010 [Madison, Wisc…] Virtual school advocates in Wisconsin say this year’s lockout of would-be online public charter students continues to anguish hundreds of families across the state. So they will be pleading with the… Read More Advocates Say Virtual School Lockout Still in Effect, Harming Families
President Barack Obama is coming to Milwaukee today to raise money for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s campaign for governor. When the president arrives, he also will be carrying a bag full of borrowed federal money. Last week, Obama signed a… Read More About President Obama’s Visit