Evers Rips Assembly Choice Debacle
By John Forester(Don't Use) | June 16, 2011
State Superintendent Tony Evers issued a statement on the Republican-controlled Assembly’s private school voucher plan that was tucked into the state budget early this morning.
The DPI has also produced an analysis of choice eligibility for private school vouchers for the state’s school districts.
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Assembly Tucks Far Reaching Choice Plan in Budget
By John Forester(Don't Use) | June 16, 2011
Sometime between bar time and breakfast early this morning, the Republican-controlled Assembly tucked into the state budget a provision that could expand the state’s private school voucher program to school districts located in 16 second class cities in Wisconsin. Under the proposal, Racine would become eligible for the school choice program right away. It is unclear when or how many other school districts would be eventually folded into the program.
It appears as though the press and the public were deliberately misled by the Republican majority. Assembly Republican leaders had announced that they were removing the Joint Finance Committee’s plan to extend school choice to Green Bay, only to replace it with a more far reaching proposal. The SAA believes that this type of public policy deserves public scrutiny and public hearings. The SAA is also concerned that the Governor could use his extensive partial veto power to reshape the Assembly plan into a statewide private school voucher program.
Pupils in a school district would be eligible to participate in a private school voucher program if the district meets certain criteria regarding equalized value, shared cost and the percentage of the districts’ enrollment eligible for free or reduced–price lunch.
The 16 second class cities are: Appleton, Brookfield, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Oshkosh, Racine, Sheboygan, Superior, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis.
The details of this plan can be found in the Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s summary of the Republican amendment to the state budget. The summary of the school choice provision can be found on pages 26 and 27 of the LFB summary.
Note: Right before this posting the SAA found out that Republican Senators were not on board with the proposed Assembly changes to the private school voucher program. More information to follow.
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DPI Analyzes Revenue Limit Reductions
By John Forester(Don't Use) | June 15, 2011
In response to a request for more detailed information, the DPI has posted a district by district analysis of the $1.6 billion reduction in revenue limits as compared to current law. The links below should take you directly to the information.
By Senate, Assembly, and School District
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WiscNet Tweaked, Green Bay Choice Out
By John Forester(Don't Use) | June 15, 2011
From WisPolitics:
Joint Finance Co-chair Robin Vos said Republicans have made more changes for WiscNet that will leave the service in place for those who now receive it and dropped the expansion of school choice to Green Bay as part of final negotiations in the state budget.
Vos and Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald announced yesterday the end to WiscNet services the Joint Finance Committee put into the budget would be delayed by two years.
Under the latest deal, the service would be allowed to continue and the UW System could still receive the $30 million in federal funding to install infrastructure.
But future expansions would be subject to JFC review. Vos said the JFC provision ending WiscNet would kick in July 31, 2013, unless all parties involved could reach an agreement on how the system would operate going forward.
Vos, R-Rochester, said the parties involved indicated that would be done within a month and said he expected JFC to hold a 13.10 hearing in July to address the program.
UW System officials were unhappy with the JFC moves to end the program, while private sector providers have complained that the system encroaches on their territory.
“No one is pleased, but everyone is satisfied,” Vos said.
Vos said the Green Bay expansion was pulled out because it lacked the needed support, but said it could come back in future legislation or the next budget if supporters build support in the community and the Legislature.
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Secretary of State Will Follow Normal Procedure
By John Forester(Don't Use) | June 15, 2011
From WisPolitics:
Secretary of State Doug La Follette says his office will likely “follow our normal procedure” in publishing the collective bargaining changes following yesterday’s Supreme Court decision.
He said that process would likely start today, but that full publication, as with other bills, probably wouldn’t happen until the end of the 10-day statutory limit for doing so. He said his staff will contact the Legislative Reference Bureau and the Wisconsin State Journal about finalizing publication of the law.
The secretary was enjoined from publishing the law through a temporary restraining order by Judge Maryann Sumi in the original Dane County court case, though the Walker administration briefly mainintained that publication by the LRB was the only action needed for the law to take effect. That was negated by another order from Judge Sumi.
“We want to make sure we do it just exactly like we do hundreds of other times,” La Follette told WisPolitics this morning.
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