SAA Advocates for Federal Education Stabilization Funding
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 22, 2020
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Governor Announces Additional Agency Budget Cuts
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 22, 2020
From The Wheeler Report . . .
Governor Evers announced he has directed the Department of Administration to work with agencies to identify another $250 million in cost savings for FY20-21. The cuts are needed to offset the impact of Covid-19 on Wisconsin’s economy. Evers said, “All state and local governments are now experiencing the difficult balance of providing vital services to residents in crisis while also managing tough fiscal realities. While I am still hopeful that the federal government will adopt further bipartisan proposals to stabilize funding for state and local services, in the face of continued inaction and uncertainty, the unfortunate reality is that we must take these steps and make more significant cuts.”
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Senate Committee to Hold Hearing on Virtual Education
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 16, 2020
From The Wheeler Report . . .
The Senate Committee On Government Operations, Technology, & Consumer Protection will hold an informational hearing on virtual education at 10:00 am, Thursday, July 23rd, in Room 412 East, State Capitol.
The Committee will hear invited testimony from:
- Wisconsin Virtual Academy
- Department of Public Instruction
- Wisconsin Association of School Boards
- School Administrators Alliance
- School Choice Wisconsin
The committee will hear testimony from invited speakers only. Other organizations or persons, as invited by the Chair, may also appear.
The committee will meet, pursuant to s. 13.42, Stats. Due to the utilization of social distancing guidelines, seating in room 412 East may be limited.
Members of the public may also observe the hearing in the State Capitol Rotunda or through WisconsinEye coverage available at https://wiseye.org/live/.
An overflow room will be available in Room 400 SE.
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AASA Letter on School COVID-19 Liability Relief
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 15, 2020
On July 8th, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, joined other national school leadership groups in a letter to Congressional leaders in support of temporary and targeted liability relief legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SAA continues to work on this important issue at the state level as well.
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State Revenues Lagging by $749 Million
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | July 9, 2020
From WisPolitics.com …
State revenues for 2019-20 collected so far are $749 million behind what Wisconsin took in during the previous fiscal year, according to a new Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Still, LFB Director Bob Lang noted it will be late August before the agency has a clear picture on how the economic fallout from COVID-19 has impacted the 2019-20 fiscal year. That’s because while the state pushed back the tax filing deadline to July 15, collections will still apply to the 2019-20 fiscal year.
Today’s memo lays out the latest snapshot of tax collections amid the pandemic.
For June alone, general fund tax collections were down $370 million compared to the same month in 2019. That was largely driven by a reduction in estimated payments for income and franchise taxes, reflecting the delayed filing deadline. The second was a drop in tax withholding payments, reflecting the “severe decline” in employment.
Meanwhile, sales tax collections last month were down $9 million compared to June 2019. LFB noted the drop of 1.7 percent was an improvement of the declines of 10.1 percent in May and 9.9 percent in April. The June collections largely reflect activity in May and reflect an uptick in activity after the state Supreme Court’s ruling in the middle of the month lifted the extended stay-at-home order. LFB also noted federal stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits also likely helped allow consumers to make purchases they otherwise would’ve put off.
Read the memo here.
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