Lasee, Ripp to Join Walker Administration
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 29, 2017
From WisPolitics.com …
GOP state Sen. Frank Lasee and Rep. Keith Ripp are joining the Walker administration next week, according to the guv’s office.
The GOP lawmakers, who are expected to resign their seats in the Legislature later today, will double their salaries.
Ripp, R-Lodi, will take over the No. 3 spot at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection as the assistant deputy secretary. He was considered a possible candidate for the secretary’s job before Gov. Scott Walker appointed former GOP Sen. Sheila Harsdorf to the post.
He will make about $105,000 in his new job, compared to a legislator’s salary of $50,950.
Lasee, R-De Pere, will become the administrator for the Department of Workforce Development’s Worker’s Compensation Division. He will make $101,000.
No special elections are expected for either seat, which are up in November. The Legislature is expected to be in only a handful of days before adjourning for the year sometime in March.
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Recap Of Senate Education Committee Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 21, 2017
The Senate Committee on Education held a public hearing on Tuesday, December 19th on the bills listed below. The SAA testified in opposition to three bills and testified for information on one bill, as indicated below.
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
DOE Issues New Guidance Interpreting The Supreme Court’s Endrew F. Holding
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 20, 2017
From the Legal Side . . .
Check out the latest Legal Update from the Strang Patteson Law Firm in which they review the DOE’s new guidance document regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Endrew F. decision.
The SAA regularly receives these legal updates and we believe this is valuable information for SAA members. We are distributing this update to SAA members with the permission of Strang Patteson.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update, SAA Legal Side | No Comments »
Special Election Primary Results
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 20, 2017
From WisPolitics.com …
Adam Jarchow defeated fellow GOP state Rep. Shannon Zimmerman for the Republican nomination in the 10th SD Tuesday, setting up a January matchup with Dem Patty Schachtner, the St. Croix County medical examiner.
The winner of the Jan. 16 special election will fill the seat of Republican Sheila Harsdorf, who was appointed DATCP secretary.
In the 58th AD, Washington County Board Chair Rick Gundrum won a four-way primary with 39 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. He will face Dem Dennis Degenhardt, the former president and CEO of Glacier Hills Credit Union, in January for the heavily GOP seat.
In the 66th AD, final results had not yet been posted to the Racine County Clerk’s office by 10 p.m. But Greta Neubauer has declared victory over Racine Ald. John Tate II. Neubauer worked as an aide to Dem Rep. Cory Mason and will be unopposed on the January ballot to replace him. Mason is resigning after being elected Racine mayor this fall.
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School Funding Commission Holds First Meeting
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 15, 2017
The Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding, chaired by Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) and Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), held its first meeting yesterday in Madison. The meeting consisted of a briefing on Wisconsin’s current school finance system by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), as well as questions and discussion arising on various topics covered in the briefing. The LFB and DPI briefing materials are linked below.
In my estimation, the questions and discussion by Commission members highlighted many of the important issues the Commission is likely to focus on over the next several months – per pupil revenue cap adjustments, per pupil categorical aid, declining enrollment, the low revenue ceiling, children in poverty, special education, English language learners, negative aid , the secondary cost ceiling, open enrollment, voucher funding, and more. Superintendents Joni Burgin (Grantsburg) and Michelle Langenfeld (Green Bay), WASB lobbyist Dan Rossmiller, CESA 6 Administrator Ted Neitzke and UW-Madison professor Julie Underwood all did a fabulous job of questioning the presenters and raising key issues during the discussion.
It was a great start to the Commission’s work, with enthusiasm for the charge and hope for success in abundant supply. But the day was filled with reality checks as well. The Co-chairs noted that previous attempts to reform the Wisconsin school funding system have begun with fanfare only to have the recommendations ignored. They also acknowledged that the only times that Wisconsin has accomplished significant school finance reform is when the state has also invested significant new revenue to help even out any winners and losers that reform inevitably creates. When asked why they believe this time will be different, the Co-chairs responded that this Commission was created by Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald and these legislative leaders understand what is required for the effort to be successful.
The Co-chairs announced that the Commission is likely to have six (and perhaps more) listening sessions around the state, with the first scheduled at the end of January or early February. These listening sessions pose the greatest opportunity for SAA members to engage the Commission members on the issues most important for the children they serve. These sessions are also the best way for members to influence the outcome of the Commission’s recommendations.
Following the listening sessions, the Commission will hear from experts from some national organizations (like the National Conference of State Legislatures or the Education Commission of the States) on the school finance systems in other states. The Co-chairs announced several times during the meeting that it was their intention to have the Commission recommendations finalized in time to be considered during the next biennial state budget process.
Finally, numerous SAA members have inquired about how they can follow the work of the Commission. Commission staff have indicated that a Commission web page will be developed in the next few weeks to share information with the public about the work of the Commission. The SAA will also keep members informed of Commission developments.
Wisconsin State Journal Coverage
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