SAA Supports School Accountability Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 13, 2013
Yesterday, at a public hearing before the Senate Education Committee, the SAA testified in support of Senate Bill 286, relating to school and school district accountability. The SAA’s testimony is self-explanatory. In a nutshell, the SAA message was, “We don’t love the bill. Accountability is hard. But, we need to do it. So let’s get this new accountability system in place.” Private school voucher advocates continue to oppose the bill.
If you have any questions regarding the SAA’s testimony on this bill, please contact me.
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
WRS Shows Strong Performance
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 13, 2013
The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds has released preliminary Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) performance returns. The Core Trust Fund had a benchmark of 4.8%, but preliminary returns show 5.1%. The Variable Trust Fund had a benchmark of 12.7%, but preliminary returns show 13.3%. The returns are calendar year to date as of August 31, 2013.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Wisconsin’s School Funding Cuts Among the Nation’s Deepest
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 13, 2013
Wisconsin’s cuts to education since the start of the recession are the 7th largest in the country, according to a new report. These cuts deepened the recession, slowed the recovery, and have the potential to make Wisconsin less prosperous in the future.
Wisconsin has cut state investment in K-12 schools by 15.3% since 2008, a deeper cut than 43 other states, according to a report released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan policy research organization.
When cuts in state aid for education are measured in dollar amounts rather than percentage terms, Wisconsin’s cuts to education since the recession rank second in the nation, trailing only Alabama’s cuts. In 2014, Wisconsin will spend $1,038 less per student in state aid for K-12 education than it did in 2008, after adjusting for inflation.
– See more here.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
AASA: Comment on Proposed E-Rate Changes
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 10, 2013
Call to Action: Comment on Changes to E-Rate Program
AASA, The School Superintendent’s Association, has urged all of its members to respond to the FCC’s latest proposed changes to the E-rate program. We are encouraging SAA members to do the same. We have posted AASA’s Call to Action below for your information:
“AASA filed comments in response to the FCC’s latest proposed changes to the E-Rate program. The way to truly get the attention of the FCC, however, is to inundate them with voices from the field. We are urging all AASA Legislative Corps members to respond to the proposed changes. All comments are due by September 16.
To support AASA members in submitting their own comments, AASA has created a set of tools:
- Step-by-step directions on how to file comments
- AASA’s comments to guide your response
- A summary of the entire set of proposed changes
- A template response that you can revise and customize to reflect your district’s experiences with E-Rate as well as your thoughts on the proposed changes
- AASA’s Back to School Toolkit: E-Rate, which is an excellent overview of the program and includes talking points you may want to include in your comments”
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »
Video: Recent Middleton Education Forum
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 9, 2013
Below you will find a link to the recent Education Forum in Middleton that featured Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), UW-Madison College of Education Dean Julie Underwood, and Jeff Pertl from DPI. This video is lengthy, but it includes the type of discussion that is vitally important for the future of public education in Wisconsin. I recommend that all SAA members review it.
See the video here. Click on the t.v.(watch) button.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »