DOR: Wisconsin Personal Income Growth Will Lag the Nation
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 14, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …
The state Department of Revenue predicts personal income growth in Wisconsin will lag the national rate this year and the next.That’s according to the latest economic forecast report from DOR, which shows personal income in Wisconsin is expected to rise 2.3 percent this year and 4.8 percent in 2023. That’s compared to 2.7 percent this year and 5 percent next year at the national level.But when adjusted for rising prices, real personal income in Wisconsin is forecasted to fall 3.3 percent this year before rising 2.2 percent in 2023, the report shows.Meanwhile, the agency says the tight labor market and inflation will “keep wage growth strong” this year. Wage and salary income this year is expected to see growth of 8.2 percent in the state and 9.4 percent nationwide.“However, inflation is biting into those wage gains, leaving workers with real wage income growth in the range of 2% to 3%,” report authors wrote.Drawing on federal data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report shows total employment grew 2.1 percent in Wisconsin and 2.8 percent nationwide during 2021. And over the first four months of this year, employment in the state increased 2 percent year-over-year, falling behind the national rate of 4.6 percent.State employment is projected to increase 2.3 percent this year and 1.1 percent next year, “reaching its pre-pandemic levels of employment by the third quarter of 2023.”DOR’s report shows Wisconsin’s service sector “continues its strong recovery” after employment in leisure and hospitality fell 20.8 percent in 2020. It then rose 10.2 percent last year, and is expected to increase another 11.3 percent this year, per the report.And while employment in the trade, transportation and utility sector has “recovered its pre-recession employment level” in the third quarter of 2021 both in Wisconsin and nationally, the education and health services sector has yet to do so.By comparison, manufacturing and construction in the state has “fared better during the decline and the recovery,” report authors note, with continued growth projected for this year.See the report here.
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SAA Names Dee Pettack Next Executive Director
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 6, 2022
The SAA has named Dee Pettack as its next executive director, replacing current SAA Executive Director John Forester, who is retiring after more than 20 years of leading the SAA. Pettack currently serves as senior policy initiatives advisor for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
See the SAA news release here.
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School Officials’ Role in Parental Disputes
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 6, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent Legal Update, the Renning, Lewis & Lacy Law Firm discusses a few of the common circumstances in which school staff are forced to encounter child custody and related matters, often as part of ongoing parental disputes.
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 Renning, Lewis & Lacy. The information in this update is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
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Knudson Announces Resignation from Elections Commission
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 26, 2022
In my estimation, this entire episode (see the news story below) surrounding Dean Knudson’s resignation from the Elections Commission is yet another sad illustration of the dysfunction in Madison. When he was in the Legislature and a member of the powerful Joint Finance Committee, we often disagreed on education policy issues. However, I always believed that we could have a thoughtful conversation about those issues. I greatly appreciate Dean Knudson’s service to the citizens of Wisconsin. We need many more public servants like him in Madison.
From WisPolitics.com …
Former GOP state Rep. Dean Knudson defended his conservative record as he announced his resignation from the Elections Commission because he no longer believes he can be effective as a Republican member of the body.Knudson has repeatedly said there wasn’t widespread fraud in Wisconsin’s 2020 election and defended how the Elections Commission administered the race.He said that’s led to charges he’s a RINO — Republican In Name Only — for his willingness to tell the truth about Donald Trump’s loss.Knudson’s departure once a replacement is in place upended the process to pick a new chair of the body, pushing off a decision until next month.Fellow Republican appointee Bob Spindell, who has been openly campaigning to become chair, pushed the commission yesterday to move ahead with a vote. But the commission voted 5-1 to put off a vote until its June 10 hearing.“It really comes because my two core values are to practice service above self and to display personal integrity,” Knudson said. “To me, that integrity means telling the truth even when that truth is painful.”Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who appointed Knudson and will pick his replacement, didn’t immediately return a call after yesterday’s late afternoon meeting seeking comment.Under commission rules, the next chair must be a Republican after Dem Ann Jacobs served in the role for the past two years. The clerks who serve on the six-member commission aren’t eligible. That leaves Spindell or Knudson’s replacement as the only two who could serve in the role.Spindell again said yesterday he wants the job. After Knudson announced his resignation, Spindell read a statement laying out his case for why he believes he should be the next chair, including his contention that his leadership would restore confidence in the commission and clear up doubts about its work.Appointing a new chair requires four votes from the commission, which is split evenly between Dem and GOP appointees. Spindell has often clashed with Dem appointees. He also was one of 10 electors who signed papers falsely claiming Trump won Wisconsin instead of Joe Biden. Spindell has defended the move as part of a legal strategy to keep Trump’s options open as he sought unsuccessfully to overturn the election results.That could make it difficult for Spindell to win the support of one of the commission’s Dems. That would leave Vos’ new appointee as the only other option. State law is silent on what would happen if the commission deadlocked on a new chair.Spindell noted last night on Twitter that Knudson sided with Dems in pushing back the chair election.“But Repub of WI not going to stand for any Fake Repub Chair selected by Dems. Still running for Chair of Elec Comm! #BobSled,” Spindell tweeted.Knudson helped author the law abolishing the Government Accountability Board and creating the Elections and Ethics commissions. He’s also become the focus of ire for some Republicans over his vocal defense of the commission and administration of the 2020 election. That includes his various statements refuting the false claims by Trump of widespread fraud in Wisconsin.He also is one of five commissioners that the Racine County sheriff recommended face felony charges after the body voted to suspend a requirement that local clerks send special voting deputies to nursing homes before sending absentee ballots to residents who request them. The move was taken during the COVID-19 pandemic as various nursing homes declined to allow various people inside the facilities for fear of spreading the virus among their elderly populations.Knudson said he wasn’t interested in becoming chair after serving in the role previously. He also suggested Republicans had made clear they didn’t want him to serve in the role.“It’s been made clear to me from the highest level of the Republican Party of Wisconsin that there’s a deep desire that I not be the chair. That’s fine,” Knudson said without offering specifics.See Spindell’s tweet here.
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Wisconsin Falls Further Below National Average on Per-Pupil Spending
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 25, 2022
In September 2020, you might recall that the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) released a report in which it used 2018 U.S. Census Bureau data (the most recent available at the time) to conclude the following regarding Wisconsin’s K-12 spending trends in comparison to the rest of the nation:
- In 2002, Wisconsin state and local per-pupil spending ranked 12th highest in the nation; 11% above the national average.
- In 2018, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 24th highest in the nation; 2.6% below the national average. (Subsequently, these figures were modified up, with Wisconsin ranking 23rd highest; and 2.2% below the national average).
Subsequently, the SAA reviewed 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and found (with WPF staff corroborating the accuracy):
- In 2019, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 25th highest in the nation; 4.5% below the national average.
This week, the SAA reviewed the just-released 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and found (again with WPF staff verifying the accuracy):
- In 2020, Wisconsin per-pupil spending ranked 26th highest in the nation; 5.6% below the national average.
In our estimation, Wisconsin’s continued decline below the national average is significant. More to come.
2020 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data (census.gov)
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