Capitol Updates 10-21-24
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | October 21, 2024
2023 Act 20
Today, Dr. Jill Underly, State Superintendent, sent a letter to the Joint Committee on Finance chairs regarding a statutorily required report that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction sent last week. The report is about a statewide literacy coaching program, which the DPI has been unable to implement due to the JCF not releasing nearly the $50 million intended to support 2023 Wisconsin Act 20
Dr. Underly’s full letter can be viewed on the DPI’s website. This news release can also be found on the DPI’s website.
General Fund Tax Collection Update
Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) issued their memo on the preliminary 2023-24 General Fund tax collections. Preliminary information regarding general fund tax collections for the 2023-24 fiscal year is now available. According to the Department of Revenue (DOR), collections totaled $21,329.6 million in 2023-24, 1.7% higher than the previous year.
You can view the full memo here: doc_66921867366cf926a6d3687.10878794.pdf (wheeler-files.s3.amazonaws.com)
DPI releases 2024-25 school aids:
Last week, the Department of Public Instruction posted state general school aids that school districts will receive during the current school year.
This release of certified financial figures is based on data from the previous school year, including student counts and year-end financial data. The information published today includes certified general school aid amounts for each school district, as well as, 2024-25 student enrollment numbers for independent charter schools and private schools participating in the Private School Choice Programs (PSCP) and the Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP).
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Capitol Update October 9, 2024
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | October 9, 2024
The state Supreme Court heard a challenge to Governor Evers’ veto in the 2023-25 state budget that pushed out by 400 years the end date for annual increases in per-pupil spending limits.
From WisPolitics …
The language lawmakers sent to Evers included a $325 per pupil increase for the 2023-24 school year with another $325 increase in the 2024-25. Evers used his partial veto authority to strike out a hyphen and “20” to change the end date to 2425 rather than 2025.
Two taxpayers filed the suit. The court will weigh whether the state Constitution bars Governors from deleting digits in a spending bill to create a new year and whether Evers exceeded his authority by deleting language to create a longer duration than the one the Legislature approved.
Former GOP Gov. Scott Walker used his veto power to create a 1,000-year veto in the 2017-19 budget to extend a deadline to 3018 rather than 2018 as lawmakers wrote in the budget. A challenge was filed to that veto, but the court declined to rule on the merits, deciding it had been filed too late.
If you wish to watch the oral arguments it can be viewed on WisconsinEye.
State Report Card Release:
As a reminder, districts have received their report cards which will reflect the most recent assessment scores. If your district has any questions about your report card, please contact DPI to start a help ticket. You can find more information about accountability/report cards here. DPI will provide a communications tool kit on Friday.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
DPI to release Spring Exam Results
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | October 7, 2024
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will release updated state test scores tomorrow. Below is a description from DPI on the standard-setting process to update the Forward exam:
The update to the Forward test design also required the department to reestablish achievement benchmarks. In June 2024, a diverse group of 88 educators participated in a standard-setting meeting. This group included mathematics and reading specialists, classroom teachers, school principals, curriculum and instruction coordinators and specialists, interventionists, instructional coaches, gifted and advanced coordinators, and CESA staff. Those who participated in this meeting represented all areas of the state – representatives from all 12 of Wisconsin’s CESAs, the five largest school districts, private Choice schools, and rural, suburban, and urban school districts. A similar process last took place in June 2016 after the previous Forward ELA and mathematics assessments were administered for the first time
To review the previous press release please visit: Standard-setting process, Forward Exam improvements complete | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Additional information from DPI can be found here: 2024 Wisconsin Forward Exam Performance Level Standard Setting
DPI will publicly release the results of the exams tomorrow at 9:30. It is important to note that it will be difficult to make year-to-year comparisons of your school’s data due to these changes. The spring exam is a snapshot of student achievement and it is important to highlight that schools use multiple metrics to determine students’ success. Additional information will be forthcoming, following the official release by DPI.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
DPI 2025-27 Budget Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 17, 2024
Yesterday was the submission deadline for state agencies to submit their budget requests to the Governor for consideration in his 2025-27 biennial budget. The Department of Public Instruction received an extension until mid-November to submit the bulk of the budget request including funding for schools.
Below are links to the education related submissions, additional agency budget requests can be found on the DOA website.
Education
- Educational Communications Board
- Higher Educational Aids Board
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Public Instruction
- University of Wisconsin System
- Wisconsin Technical College System
In the meantime, SAA will soon begin sharing information and discussing our collective budget priorities, focusing on the critical needs of our school communities.
Topics: SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
SAA Update Sept 13, 2024
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 13, 2024
November Ballot
There are 137 school referendum questions on the November 2024 ballot in Wisconsin. Due to rising costs and limited state funding for education, we continue to see an increasing number of school districts relying on referenda to meet their financial needs. The type of referendums is listed below:
| Issue Debt | 57 |
| Non-Recurring Referendum | 59 |
| Recurring Referendum | 21 |
GIS Mapping
DPI has updated its GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping for schools and legislative districts, integrating spatial data to visualize and analyze the geographic locations of schools within specific political boundaries. This mapping allows users to overlay various datasets, such as school locations, district boundaries, and legislative districts.It can identify districts with overlapping legislators and facilitate more targeted and coordinated advocacy efforts.
This webpage offers the following mapping capabilities:
Page 1: View all the School Districts in selected Legislative districts.
Page 2: Senate and Assembly Legislative Districts by School District
Page 3: School Districts overlapped by selected Legislative District
Page 4: Legislative Districts that overlap selected School District
Page 5: Wisconsin School Districts by Legislative Committee (Assembly/Senate Committee on Education | Joint Finance Committee)
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »