JFC to Begin Taking Budget Votes Monday
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 26, 2017
From WisPolitics.com …
The Joint Finance Committee will take up the court system, Insurance and Employment Relations when it meets Monday for its first executive session on the budget.
That includes the Judicial Commission, which Gov. Scott Walker wants to put under the control of the state Supreme Court, and the Judicial Council, which he wants to eliminate. The commission oversees discipline for the court system, including the justices, while the council advises the guv, Supreme Court and Legislature on matters pertaining to the court. He proposed similar moves in the 2015-17 budget, but JFC rejected them.
The 11 agencies on the agenda are:
*Judicial Commission
*Judicial Council
*Circuit Courts
*Court of Appeals
*Supreme Court
*Employment Relations Commission
*DOA — Division of Gaming
*Insurance
*Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
*Board on Aging and Long-Term Care
*Environmental Improvement Fund
The committee will convene at 2 p.m.
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Notes From Final JFC Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 24, 2017
Last Friday, the Joint Finance Committee held it’s last public hearing on the 2017-19 state budget bill in Marinette. The SAA was well-represented with the following school superintendents providing testimony: Todd Carlson (Gillett), Wendy Dzurick (Marinette), Kim Eparvier (Peshtigo), Bec Kurzynske (Pulaski), Michelle Langenfeld (Green Bay), Aaron Malczewski (Oconto), Patrick Rau (Bonduel) and Mike Richie (Northland Pines). The following business mangers delivering testimony were: Jacob Holtz (Sturgeon Bay) and Brian Walters (Marinette). Other administrative team members from Green Bay and Pulaski joined their superintendents in testimony as well. In addition, John Forester delivered testimony on the “ACT 10 Compliance” provision. Many thanks to these SAA members for their leadership. See the news coverage here.
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Borsuk: No Time to Lose on Education
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 24, 2017
Check out Alan Borsuk’s latest column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The event referred to was hosted by the SAA on April 3rd in collaboration with Senator Luther Olsen and the National Conference of State Legislatures. It was framed around the recommendations from the NCSL study, No Time to Lose.
You can access videos of major presentations from the event here.
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Notes From JFC Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 20, 2017
Yesterday, the Joint Finance Committee held it’s fifth of six public hearings on the 2017-19 state budget bill in Ellsworth. The SAA was well-represented with the following school superintendents providing testimony: Barry Cain (Ellsworth), Mary Ann Hardebeck (Eau Claire), James Kuchta (Amery), Mark Luebker (Osceola), Patrick Olson (New Richmond), Bruce Quinton (Pepin), Eric Russell (Baldwin-Woodville), Cathleen Shimon (Clayton), Rick Spicuzza (Prescott), Jerry Walters (CESA 11), and Joe Zydowsky (Menomonie). Many thanks to these SAA members for their leadership.
For those of you planning to testify at the Marinette hearing, here are my suggestions:
Get there early. I know the hearing does not start until 10:00 a.m., but if you wish to speak before 1:00 p.m. get there by 7:30 a.m.
- You will only have 2 minutes to testify. There will likely be no questions from legislators.
- Bring 1 hard copy of your testimony with your full contact information on it for the committee members. (This is a change from previous years when I suggested 20 hard copies. JFC staff has changed their process.)
- Use the information in the SAA’s recent Budget Alert to stay on message. It is very important for us to stay focused.
We need a strong showing at this final JFC budget hearing. If you have questions about testifying please call me.
Here is the final hearing location and time:
10 am – 5 pm: Friday, April 21, Marinette High School Auditorium, Marinette
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Notes from JFC Hearing
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 19, 2017
Yesterday, the Joint Finance Committee held it’s fourth of six public hearings on the 2017-19 state budget bill in Spooner. The SAA was well-represented with the following school superintendents providing testimony: John Burnett (Spooner), David Bridenhagen (Shell Lake), Randy Drost (Rice Lake), Paul Uhren (Ladysmith), Kent Kindschy (Turtle Lake) and Kevin Shetler (Siren). The following Minoqua-area superintendents also provided testimony in support of the Governor’s school funding provisions and requested state support for a pilot school largely designed to meet the needs of the area’s autistic students: Jim Ellis (Minoqua J1), Larry Ouimette (Lac du Flambeau), Jim Bouche (Lakeland UHS), Brent Jelinski (North Lakeland) and Jocelyn Smith (Arbor Vitae-Woodruff). Many thanks to these SAA members for their leadership.
For those of you planning to testify at one of the remaining hearings, here are my suggestions:
Get there early. I know the hearings don’t start until 10:00 a.m., but if you wish to speak before 1:00 p.m. get there by 7:30 a.m.
- You will only have 2 minutes to testify. There will likely be no questions from legislators.
- Bring 1 hard copy of your testimony with your full contact information on it for the committee members. (This is a change from previous years when I suggested 20 hard copies. JFC staff has changed their process.)
- Use the information in the SAA’s recent Budget Alert to stay on message. It is very important for us to stay focused.
We need a strong showing at the remaining JFC budget hearings. If you have questions about testifying please call me.
Here are the upcoming hearing locations and times:
- 10 am – 5 pm: Wednesday, April 19, Ellsworth High School Gymnasium, Ellsworth
- 10 am – 5 pm: Friday, April 21, Marinette High School Auditorium, Marinette
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