Evers: Common Core Will Remain
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 24, 2014
Wisconsin State Superintendent Tony Evers said the state is not abandoning the Common Core.
The Common Core State Standards for math and reading are used in 45 states. Evers adopted them in Wisconsin in 2010.
Governor Walker said Friday during a speech at the State Education Convention that he will back legislation creating a commission to review the state’s academic standards and recommend changes. Walker said he believes the state will end up with standards that are tougher than the Common Core.
Evers would chair the commission Walker is proposing. He said Wisconsin is not giving up the Common Core and those standards will still be the basis for standardized tests. He said the commission may recommend additions to those standards that school districts could adopt.
See Evers letter here.
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New Special Needs Voucher Plan Reignites Dispute
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 21, 2014
See the latest Milwaukee Journal Sentinel news article on the revamped special needs voucher bill to be unveiled by proponents at a news conference today in the Capitol.
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GOP Lawmakers to Unveil Special Needs Voucher Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2014
Four GOP lawmakers plan to unveil a revamped version of the special needs scholarship this week after an earlier version was pulled from the state budget.
The scholarship is designed for special needs students to attend voucher students. A version of the bill passed the Assembly last session, but didn’t receive a vote in the Senate. A similar proposal was dropped from the 2013-15 budget prior to passage.
Vukmir and fellow Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, plus Reps. John Jagler, R-Watertown, and Dean Knudson, R-Hudson, are due to introduce the revamped scholarship on Tuesday.
See media advisory here.
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Vinehout Won’t Run for Governor
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2014
Kathleen Vinehout announced late last week she won’t run for guv in 2014, citing the severe injuries suffered in a car crash last month.
The announcement comes after reports yesterday that the western Wisconsin state senator would back off a primary challenge of Mary Burke.
Vinehout, D-Alma, said she splintered the bone in her upper right arm, and “the time required to recover and rehabilitate make it impossible for me to run the intense, grassroots campaign that I want to run and would be necessary to win.”
Vinehout’s decision leaves Burke with a clear path to the Dem guv nomination this fall.
The lawmaker thanked those who had encouraged her to run and promised to continue working for the “grassroots efforts of so many.”
“I wish success to Mary Burke and others who may offer their time and talents in leading our state,” Vinehout said.
The announcement didn’t mention whether she’ll run this fall to retain her Senate seat.
The state GOP seized on the news yesterday to declare, “Democratic party bosses worked in overdrive to push Kathleen Vinehout out of the race in favor of a Madison millionaire who can’t connect with her base. Without a primary, Democrats are left divided with no voice and no choice.”
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Revenue Projections Improve By $911 Million
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 20, 2014
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has released new revenue numbers, increasing the projected ending balance by $911.9 million. The increased projections include all enacted legislation through Act 116. According to the LFB memo, the $911.9 million is the combined result of an increase of $892.7 million in estimated tax collections and a $16.0 million increase in estimated lapses to the general fund.
LFB said the revenue projections and new general fund condition statement do not include any changes to the medical assistance program. The December 2013 quarterly report from DHS projected a potential shortfall of $92.6 million in the 2013-15 biennium.
Under state statutes half of any excess of actual general fund tax revenues in a fiscal year, over the amount included in the biennial budget act, must be placed in the budget stabilization fund after the close of that fiscal year. The LFB memo shows the difference between 2013 ACT 20 levels and today’s estimate create a difference of $386,402,000 in 2013-14 and $499,652,000 in 2014-15. If taxes are not modified and the revenue collections are as projected, $443,027,000 would be transferred to the budget stabilization fund for the biennium.
The LFB memo also says that the transportation ending balance at the end of the 2013-15 biennial budget was estimated to be $1.8 million. DOT has completed a reestimate of transportation fund revenues and the ending balance is now expected to be $84.6 million. According to the memo, while the projected ending balance is higher with the reestimate, there are several factors to consider including: federal highway funds, a structural imbalance going into 2015-17, growth in transportation fund debt service, and costs that may occur in the 2015-17 biennium in excess of the 2014-15 appropriation base.
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