Governor Evers 2023 State of the State Address
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 25, 2023
On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Governor Evers gave the 2023 State of the State Address. Below is a summary from The Wheeler Report:
GOVERNOR EVERS GIVES 2023 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
His speech he highlighted education, environment, childcare, business development and workforce issues, and tax provisions.
Excerpts of the speech are listed below.
Education:
- We’re going to invest $20 million to increase literacy-related programming and implement evidence-based reading practices across Wisconsin.
- I’m proposing a pathway to get experienced educators back into our workforce by making it easier for school districts to hire retired teachers and staff. And we’re going to invest over $20 million into recruiting, developing, and retaining teachers and student teachers, including $10 million for our local, homegrown educators, to bolster our educator pipeline and ensure it’s sustainable for the future.
- I’m announcing we’re going to make “Get Kids Ahead” a permanent state program, and we’re investing more than $270 million to ensure every student has access to mental health services.
Mental Health:
- Together with our “Get Kids Ahead” initiative investment, we’ll be making an overall investment of about $500 million to expand access to mental and behavioral health services for folks across our state.
- We’re going to invest in developing robust prevention strategies to reduce suicide, self-harm, and other mental and behavioral health-related injuries. And that includes state resources to support 988, the new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Taxes:
- But I also want to be clear tonight: splurging $3.5 billion to hand out big breaks to the wealthiest 20 percent of earners isn’t responsible, folks; it’s reckless.
- When we deliver tax relief—and we will deliver tax relief—we’re going to do it responsibly by ensuring we can keep taxes low now and into the future, and we’ll do it without driving our state into debt or causing devastating cuts to priorities like public schools and public safety.
- Spending billions on a flat tax isn’t a workforce plan or an economic development plan.
Childcare:
- The first thing I’m going to do is deliver on my promise to expand the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which will provide nearly $30 million in tax relief to more than 100,000 Wisconsinites.
- Through our Partner Up! Program,…and…monthly Child Care Counts Program…These two programs made a big difference in the lives of kids and working families across Wisconsin. But the reality is that the federal funds that support them won’t last forever. So, we’ll be continuing these programs to keep childcare affordable and accessible in my budget. We’re going to provide more than $340 million for Child Care Counts so providers can have the financial stability they need to keep the lights on, pay their workers fair, competitive wages, and continue to provide high-quality care to kids across the state.
- We’ll also be investing more than $22 million into the Partner Up! program to expand partnerships between employers and childcare providers.
The governor’s address is available to watch here. The full text is available here.
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Evers Announces Budget Listening Sessions
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 9, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …
Gov. Tony Evers this morning announced three budget listening sessions before year’s end with more planned into 2023.The first in-person event will be Tuesday in Kenosha as part of what Evers is calling the “Doing the Right Thing” listening session tour. That reflects one of the main themes of Evers’ successful reelection bid.That will be followed by a virtual listening session Wednesday with an in-person event Dec. 20 in Green Bay.Evers’ office said more locations and dates will be announced in the new year.See the release here.
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Assembly Joint Finance Committee Members Announced
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 5, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has elevated Rep. Terry Katsma, R-Oostburg, to vice-chair of the Joint Finance Committee.He’s also added Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Green Lake, to fill the open Assembly GOP spot on the committee.Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, served as the Assembly vice-chair this session. But she opted against seeking reelection to run for secretary of state.Vos previously announced Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, would return as co-chair.The rest of the Assembly Finance team remains the same as this past session: Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc; Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek; and Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Fall.See Vos’ release here.
See Dallman’s here.
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Budget Surplus Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | November 23, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …
WI GOP leaders to push for ‘long term’ tax cuts
[Vos and LeMahieu] at a WisPolitics.com event … [pitched] “transformational tax changes in Wisconsin,” LeMahieu said. “We definitely need to drive down our top rates.” … something Evers reiterated last week he opposes. … Vos said he wanted to cut taxes “as much as we possibly can” and “it needs to be long term and permanent.” That includes eliminating [personal] property tax … [which] Evers last session vetoed … Vos and LeMahieu said they were open to increasing funding for K-12 public schools, if it’s paired with also expanding school choice programs. [which Evers doubts is possible. He opposes expanding choice]. … said they hoped to work better with Evers in his second term. … LeMahieu said working together … “can get some things done.” … Evers reached out to both lawmakers recently, and Vos said he spoke with the governor for about five minutes. “That was five minutes more than the past two years,” Vos said. … Vos said he hoped to reach some kind of agreement [on abortion ban exemptions] before the April 4 Wisconsin Supreme Court election so that race doesn’t become all about abortion [which favored Dems in Nov. election].
* Minority Leader Agard said a flat tax “would benefit the wealthy and well-connected” and Democrats will oppose it.* LeMahieu, after the event: “We’re going to do income tax cuts across the board to make sure everybody receives tax cuts in Wisconsin.” By Bauer, AP
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Legislative Council Study on Shared School District Services Committee Notice/Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | November 23, 2022
The Joint Legislative Council Study Committee on Shared School District Services will meet November 30, 2022 at 10:00 am. The agenda can be found here.
The following proposals will be discussed:
· LRB-0561/P2, relating to state aid for school district consolidation.
· LRB-0572/P2, relating to aid for transporting pupils between school districts that share services.
· LRB-0590/P2, relating to calculating a consolidated school district’s revenue limit.
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