Oklahoma Just Dumped the Common Core . . .
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 9, 2014
. . . and it could cost the state millions, just like dumping the Common Core in Indiana is costing that state millions of dollars!! Read the article from The Huffington Post here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
DPI Seeks Viewpoint on Fund 80
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 3, 2014
Since Senate Bill 478 (Fund 80) was signed into law by Governor Walker as 2013 Wisconsin Act 306, SAA members have expressed concern about the requirement that DPI create administrative rules defining eligible/ineligible expenditures from the Community Programs and Services Fund (Fund 80). SAA members have openly wondered how the viewpoint of school administrators in the field could be heard on the issue of defining eligible/ineligible Fund 80 expenditures.
Well, I am writing to remind you that DPI is seeking your viewpoint. You see, under s. 227.13, Wis. Stats., the Department of Public Instruction may use informal conferences and consultations to obtain the viewpoint and advice of interested persons with respect to contemplated rule making. Last month the DPI School Financial Services (SFS) Team, in School Finance Bulletin #551, asked for your viewpoint and advice regarding 2013 Act 306, summarized below:
2013 ACT 306 – Community Programs and Services Fund (Fund 80)
- Requires DPI to create administrative rules defining ineligible/eligible expenditures from the Community Programs and Services (CPS) Fund (Fund 80).
- Requires DPI to determine if ineligible CPS expenditures exist and if so, reduce the district’s allowable revenue limit authority the following year by the amount of the ineligible CPS expenditures; structured as a negative exemption rather than a reduction to the district’s base (first applies to Revenue Limit calculation for 2015-16 school year, based on 2014-15 expenditures).
- Requires that Fund 80 expenditures be audited by the school district’s auditor.
- NOTE: Current law already directs DPI to exclude from Shared Costs (for General Aid purposes) any CPS expenditures. If an audit of the CPS expenditures were to determine that a district had inappropriately coded CPS expenditures to Fund 10, those expenditures would have to be removed from Fund 10 and would decrease the district’s Shared Costs for General Aid purposes.
Please send the SFS Team your viewpoints and advice regarding your district’s community programs and services (Fund 80) and 2013 Act 306 to the following mailbox: dpifund80@dpi.wi.gov.
Please take advantage of this opportunity to share your viewpoint. Thanks for listening and, as always, thank you for all your efforts on behalf of Wisconsin school children.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Boardman & Clark Analyzes Repeal of 180 Day Requirement
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 2, 2014
The Boardman & Clark law firm recently posted an analysis of 2013 Wisconsin Act 257 which, among other things, repealed the 180 day attendance requirement. You might recall that the SAA strongly supported this legislation. The SAA believes this is valuable information for SAA members. We regularly receive these updates and have chosen to distribute this information to the SAA membership with the permission of the Boardman & Clark law firm.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Wisconsin Rated a Leader in School Accountability Report
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 29, 2014
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced today that Wisconsin’s school and school district report cards were ranked in the top six in the nation by parents for their ease of reading and usefulness in a recent report by the Education Commission of the States. Additionally, that report put the state in the top nine for overall public school accountability systems.
For more information, see DPI News Release here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Is Walker Seeking John Doe Settlement?
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 29, 2014
Beginning with a Wall Street Journal editorial earlier this week, this issue is generating considerable attention from the media, campaign watchers and Walker’s conservative allies. See the latest Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »