Reminder: Review Directory Data Pupil Record Notices
By Dee Pettack | August 23, 2022
From the Legal Side . . .
In its most recent Legal Update, the Renning, Lewis & Lacy Law Firm reminds school districts to review directory data pupil record notices before school starts.
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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Evers Proposes $600 Million in Tax Cuts; Suggests Projected Budget Surplus Has Grown to Over $5 Billion
By Dee Pettack | August 23, 2022
From WisPolitics.com . . .
Gov. Tony Evers, two months out from his reelection bid, called for using a portion of the state’s projected $5 billion surplus to cut taxes by $600 million a year.
The plan also includes a call to repeal the minimum markup on fuel and cap at $35 the co-pay an insurer could charge for insulin.
Evers said the state Department of Revenue will release a new projection in the coming days that will put the state’s budget surplus by mid-2023 at more than $5 billion, up from previous projections of $3.8 billion. (emphasis added)
The new tax cut call comes after Republicans earlier this year rejected Evers’ proposal to give tax rebates of $150 per person, calling it an election year gimmick. GOP leaders have said they want to use the projected surplus for a tax package in the 2023-25 budget.
At an event in Milwaukee, Evers argued there was no reason for the state to continue holding onto the money rather than returning it to taxpayers.
“I know leaders on the other side of the aisle say that they want to give taxpayers money back for tax breaks, but I have yet to see it,” Evers said.
The biggest component of the package is a $441 million cut starting in fiscal year 2022-23. It would impact single filers with adjusted gross incomes at or below $100,000 and married joint filers at or below $150,000. It would phase out for both classes of filers, with a cutoff of $120,000 for individuals and $175,000 for married couples. Evers’ office estimated the impact at $221 per year for individuals and $375 annually for the median family of four.
The plan also calls for:
- increasing the income limit for the Homestead Credit to $35,000 from current law of $24,680. The call also would restore indexing income cutoffs for claimants.
- expanding eligibility for the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit by including those with a disability rating of at least 70 percent instead of the current law of 100 percent. The impact would be $16 million.
- creating a caregiver tax credit for expenses incurred while caring for a loved one, with an impact of $100 million.
- expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit to 100 percent of the federal credit from the current 50 percent, with an estimated impact of $30 million.
Evers’ proposal to repeal the state’s minimum markup law on fuel comes as Republicans have hit the guv for a past proposal to couple ending the Depression-era law with an increase in the gas tax. The law requires stations to set their prices at least 9.18 percent over what they pay for it wholesale.
Evers in January proposed a $1.7 billion package that included the $150 per-person rebates and other proposals such as the income tax credit for caregivers that the guv called for today.
That package included $749 million for education to keep the state in compliance with federal rules to qualify for COVID-19 aid directed to K-12 schools. Those rules require states to maintain the proportion of their spending on K-12 and higher ed to qualify for the aid.
Today’s proposal doesn’t include any additional funding for education. The guv’s office said that’s because the package of tax cuts wouldn’t impact the maintenance of effort requirements imposed by the federal government.
See the release here.
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FAQ: Rehiring WRS Annuitants for the 2022-23 School Year
By Dee Pettack | August 8, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent School Law FYI, the BoardmanClark Law Firm focuses on frequently asked questions regarding rehiring WRS annuitants for the 2022-23 school year.
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 the BoardmanClark Law Firm. 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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News Story: Schools Face Fiscal Cliff, Inflation, Frozen Funding
By Dee Pettack | August 8, 2022
Check out this strong news article by Danielle DuClos (Green Bay Press Gazette) as it appears in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Great quotes by several school superintendents and business officials.
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Gableman Records Robocall Backing Vos’ Primary Opponent
By Dee Pettack | August 8, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman recorded a robocall urging voters to support Adam Steen in tomorrow’s GOP primary, saying Assembly Speaker Robin Vos “never wanted a real investigation into the 2020 election in Wisconsin.”Vos, R-Rochester, said the call shows how desperate Gableman is to remain relevant.Former President Trump revealed during Friday’s rally for GOP guv candidate Tim Michels that Gableman was joining him in endorsing Steen, a self-employed investor who lives in Sturtevant. Trump also took shots at Vos for not trying to decertify the 2020 election results. Vos has said repeatedly that isn’t an option under the law.In the call, shared with WisPolitics.com by a source and authenticated by Steen, Gableman urges voters to join him in supporting Steen.He said “everything that my office and I have been able to do to expose, all the corruption that took place, has been in spite of Robin and not because of him.”Vos approved a $676,000 taxpayer-financed budget for Gableman’s review, which was supposed to be wrapped up last fall. Vos also signed contract extensions to allow Gableman to continue his work and to have taxpayers cover the legal bills that have emerged due to several lawsuits filed seeking records from the probe.By mid-June, the tab for the probe had already exceeded $1 million between the costs of the investigation and legal bills. Since then, two Dane County judges have ordered taxpayers to cover more than $260,000 in legal bills for the Washington, D.C.-based group that sued to obtain the records.Gableman, who has been paid more than $100,000 for his work on the review over the past year, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.“Justice Gableman knows overturning the election is both unconstitutional and impossible,” Vos said. “His attempts to lie to voters and gain favor with Adam Steen are sad and show how desperate he is to remain relevant.”Listen to the call here.
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The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Coaches
By Dee Pettack | August 2, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent Legal Update, the Renning, Lewis & Lacy Law Firm focuses on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) and the compensation of coaches.
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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More on the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Decision
By Dee Pettack | July 14, 2022
From the Legal Side…
The von Briesen & Roper Law Firm, in its most recent Legal Update, focuses on the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District decision. We believe this decision is important for SAA member consideration. Therefore we have posted the perspectives of more than one firm on the decision in the past ten days.
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 the von Briesen & Roper Law Firm. 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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Federal Judge Must Re-Evaluate Student Ban On T-Shirts With Gun Images
By Dee Pettack | July 6, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent Legal Update, the Renning, Lewis & Lacy Law Firm reviews an important recent U.S. Court of Appeals decision concerning the ability of school officials to restrict the First Amendment rights of students as to speech and expression.
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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FMLA Reminders
By Dee Pettack | July 6, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent School Law FYI, the BoardmanClark Law Firm focuses on reminders and clarifications for school districts regarding the Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
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 the BoardmanClark Law Firm. 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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Legal Updates from Buelow Vetter
By Dee Pettack | July 6, 2022
From the Legal Side…
In the past week, the Buelow Vetter Law Firm has released important legal updates including:
- The U.S. Supreme Court Rendered a 6-3 Decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 U.S.
- U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Proposed Amendments to Title IX Regulations
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 the Buelow Vetter Law Firm. The information in these updates is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update, SAA Legal Side | No Comments »