Nygren Aims to Boost K-12 Funding, Open to Voucher Plan
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 19, 2015
From WisPolitics . . .
JFC Co-chair John Nygren says in addition to wiping out the guv’s $127 million cut to categorical aids in the first year of the budget, he’s also aiming to boost K-12 funding in the second year beyond what Walker proposed.
Speaking ahead of this week’s JFC deliberations on school aids, Nygren said he’s also open to Speaker Robin Vos’ plan to expand school choice.
Republicans have already indicated plans to delay by a month payment of a school levy credit Walker had proposed making in June 2017 to July 2017, which would move it into the next biennium. The move wouldn’t impact school funding or property taxes, while freeing up $105.6 million in this budget to help eliminate the $127 million cut in categorical aids.
Nygren said Republicans have also cut almost $50 million in GPR so far compared to Walker’s budget plan and could grab the $55 million in WEDC loan money. The guv on Friday called on lawmakers to drop the agency’s loan program and instead direct the money toward performance-based tax incentives.
Some of that could help provide a boost in the second year of $75 per student, Nygren said.
Nygren also indicated support for Vos’ proposal to expand the choice program. It would pattern vouchers after the open enrollment program with state aid following the student.
The guv proposed lifting caps on the statewide choice program. The state aid for students who leave a district would be pooled and the each voucher handed out would be the same size. Choice advocates have been unhappy with the funding formula, saying it would fall short of the costs to educate those students.
Nygren noted the districts that lose the students to the choice program under Vos’ proposal would still retain some money.
Still, he said the committee will still likely look at some limits on the expansion. That could include something like a 1 percent cap on the number of students a district could lose or a gradual increase in the number of kids who could participate statewide.
“His concept is about as easy to understand as you can possibly can for funding school choice,” Nygren said.
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State Budget Video Alert II: Please Respond Today!
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 18, 2015
SAA members please watch this important 3 minute video alert on late breaking state budget developments. Portions of the video alert, including legislator contact information, appear below in text form.
This alert is a follow-up to the SAA Legislative Alert that went out on Friday, May 15th.
In the last three days, the SAA has been quoted extensively in two major news articles:
- One on Wisconsin dropping below the national average in per pupil spending and
- Another one on legislative plans to roll voucher and charter expansion into the budget.
We still expect that the Joint Finance Committee will take up K-12 education issues tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19th. We hear that committee members are planning on tomorrow’s session going very late.
We understand JFC members will be meeting off and on all day today in negotiations on the K-12 education package. That’s why it is so vitally important that SAA members contact Joint Finance Committee members and your own legislators today.
I am getting a steady stream of emails from SAA members who have copied me on their communications to legislators. I want to thank all of you that have already made those contacts and implore those of you that haven’t to do so; and to do it soon.
For your convenience we have provided the contact information for the JFC members. Here are the links to the Senate Directory, Assembly Directory as well as Who Are My Legislators.
Here are your talking points:
Vouchers
- LFB estimates the voucher expansion plan could cost school districts $48 million in aid deductions over the biennium for new voucher students.
-Voucher expansion will siphon resources away from public school students.
-Voucher expansion = diminishing educational opportunities for Wisconsin public school children.
- With lawmakers likely to remove voucher enrollment caps in the budget, the next logical step for voucher proponents is to remove income requirements and bring the remaining 90,000+ private school students into the voucher program at an ultimate taxpayer cost of approximately $700 million.
-Wisconsin taxpayers cannot afford this growing voucher entitlement.
- Wisconsin currently spends an estimated $212 million on private school vouchers. Yet, numerous studies have shown that voucher students perform no better than students in public schools.
Charters
- Independent charter school expansion will siphon additional resources away from public school students and will likely raise property taxes.
- Per pupil payments to independent charter schools are funded as a draw on general school aids. Therefore, no matter where a new independent charter school is located, public school students will feel an aid reduction.
- Charter school expansion will likely result in property tax increases.
School Funding
- With the expected per pupil revenue freeze, this budget will drive Wisconsin below the national average in per pupil spending. Voucher and charter expansion will only exacerbate this trend.
- Still encourage legislators to restore the $127 million cut to the per pupil categorical aid.
- Emphasize that restoring that cut still only gets public schools back to a freeze in allowable revenues. We need an inflationary increase in per pupil revenues to meet the needs of students.
- Share with legislators the cuts in educational opportunities for children you will be required to make if they stick with the per pupil revenue freeze for public schools.
I know you are all so very busy, but Joint Finance will act tomorrow and I need you to make these contacts as soon as possible.
Let’s get it done everyone! Thank you.
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Voucher Expansion Plan and More
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 18, 2015
Check out Erin Richards new article on the GOP voucher expansion plan and more. SAA’s John Forester is quoted.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Borsuk: Darienne Driver’s Profile is on the Rise
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 17, 2015
?Check out Borsuk’s latest column. In it, he discusses the MPS Superintendent, her rising profile in the community at a key political moment and what role she could play in the GOP “turnaround” plan for some low-performing MPS schools.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Wisconsin Dropping Below National Average in Per Pupil Spending
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 17, 2015
Check out the article from Erin Richards of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. SAA’s John Forester is quoted. See also the SAA’s news release on the subject.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »