Ellis Introduces School Choice Trailer Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | September 1, 2011
Sen. Mike Ellis is the lead sponsor on a bipartisan bill to close down future expansion of the Choice Program into school districts outside of Milwaukee and Racine. The Ellis proposal SB 174 would prohibit any school district which has not already qualified for the program from qualifying after the effective date of the bill. So far, only Racine has qualified and will be opening its Choice Program this week.
Language was put into the biennial budget (Act 32) to allow creation of parental choice programs for eligible school districts, which were defined as a district located in whole or in part in a city of the second class eligible to receive state aid as a high-poverty school district and satisfied other requirements related to equalized value per member and shared cost per member. Participation in the program was limited to residents with a family income not exceeding 300% of the poverty level.
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WEAC Leads Lobby Spending For First Half of 2011
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 24, 2011
From WisPolitics:
The Wisconsin Education Association Council led the state in overall lobbying in the last legislative session.
And it doubled down in the first half of this year.
In the first six months of the current session — with a budget repair bill casting doubt on the future of public sector unions and a Republican spending plan in the works — the state’s largest teachers union more than doubled its lobbying spending compared to the first six months of 2009.
WEAC spent $2.06 million lobbying in the first half of 2011, according to the latest totals from the Government Accountability Board — up from just more than $1 million during the first quarter of the 2009-2010 session.
According to its GAB report, more than three-quarters of the group’s lobbying effort was spent on either the budget repair bill or the state budget bill. Forty percent of its effort was spent on the collective bargaining bill alone, while its most-lobbied budget bill topics were categorical aids, choice and charter schools, and general school aids and revenue limits.
For the full 2009-2010 session, WEAC had nearly $2.5 million in lobbying expenses. Although the union is well on its way to exceeding that level, there are signs of trouble in the aftermath of the state’s collective bargaining changes.
WEAC announced the layoffs of about 40 percent of its staff this week, and Executive Director Dan Burkhalter said those notices were based on a reduction in school staff alone. Burkhalter said any projections of lost members in now-annual recertification votes weren’t considered in the latest staffing decision.
WisPolitics reviewed the January-June 2011 lobbying expenses of the top-spending groups from the last session. The second-highest spending group this year among the top 10 from last session — the Wisconsin Medical Society — spent $253,770 in the first six months of 2011. While that’s ahead of its 2009 pace, it was less than one-eighth of WEAC’s spending during the same span.
The Medical Society’s largest lobbying efforts went toward health care reform and the state’s health information organization. It spent 16 percent of its effort on Medical Assistance programs in the budget, and 7 percent on a bill that would prohibit apologies by health care providers from being admissible in medical malpractice cases.
This session’s efforts from other top groups included:
– Wisconsin Counties Association: $233,081 spent lobbying between January and June.
The group didn’t disclose targeting individual bills or topics, reporting to the GAB that no single topic took up more than 10 percent of its total effort for the session so far.
– Wisconsin Energy Corp.: $219,506
Twenty percent of the group’s effort went toward the Administration Department budget, while another 20 percent went toward a bill allowing the Public Service Commission to approve temporary electric rates for the purposes of promoting economic development.
– Wisconsin Hospital Association: $218,334
Forty percent of the group’s lobbying effort was reported under Medical Assistance programs in the state budget.
– Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce: $193,244
The state’s top business lobbying group spent 21 percent of its overall effort this year on the issue of mining regulation. A bill that’s expected to expedite the state’s mining approval process wasn’t introduced in the spring, but is a top GOP priority for the fall floor session.
WMC reported 19 percent of its effort spent in support of legislation to overhaul the state’s administrative rules process.
– Altria Client Services Inc. : $191,319
More than 90 percent of the company’s effort was spent lobbying general fund taxes in the budget.
A provision that would have altered the tax rates for chewing tobacco moved through the Legislature but was vetoed out of the budget by Gov. Walker.
– Wisconsin Insurance Alliance: $112,981
The group’s largest lobbying effort went toward supporting an overhaul of the state’s auto insurance standards.
– Forest County Potawatomi: $83,937
The tribe, which recorded the second-largest lobbying total in the past session, spent 15 percent of its effort on each of three topics: the state’s renewable energy standard, use of race-based mascots in schools, and voter ID.
– Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation: $76,848
The farm group also didn’t report any individual effort that comprised more than 10 percent of the group’s total lobbying activity.
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More Info on UC Special Assessment
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 24, 2011
Attorney Daniel Vliet of the Buelow Vetter law firm has given permission for the SAA to distribute his recent legal update on the repayment of interest on outstanding federal loans incurred by the state of Wisconsin to pay unemployment claims. Thanks Dan.
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Republicans Hold Control of Wisconsin Senate
By John Forester(Don't Use) | August 10, 2011
Wisconsin has been in the national spotlight leading up to yesterday’s recall elections. Besides the six Republicans on yesterday’s ballot, two Democratic incumbents face recalls next week. A third Democrat survived a recall attempt last month. Below are the results of the races for six incumbent Republican senators.
The Republicans will continue to control the Wisconsin Senate, losing only two seats to the Democrats. Six Republican Senators faced unprecedented recall elections as a result of voting for Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill which contained numerous changes affecting public employee unions, including the controversial provision removing collective bargaining for most public employees.
Democrats needed to gain three seats in order to regain control of the Senate. The Republican win is significant for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Republicans will continue to hold complete control of the Legislature and the Governor’s office. Second, the likelihood of recalling Gov. Walker has been reduced significantly. While it is likely public union activists will move forward with a recall attempt against Gov. Walker, their failure to help the Democrats regain control of the Senate is likely to diminish this effort.
Two Democratic Senators face recall elections next Tuesday, August 16. Republicans could potentially add to their lead. The closest race is between incumbent Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) and challenger Kim Simac (R-Eagle River).
While incumbent Sen. Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) faces challenger Jonathan Seitz (R-Pleasant Prairie), election observers predict Sen. Wirch will hold on and win that seat.
There are estimates that spending by third party groups and campaigns reached $30 million thus far on the nine recall elections. Wisconsin earlier this year made national headlines as result of Gov. Walker’s budget repair bill containing significant public employee union reforms.
Below is a district by district snapshot of last night’s election results.
32nd Senate District – Challenger Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) defeats incumbent Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) (Shilling wins 55/45%)
Many considered Sen. Kapanke the most vulnerable, and this held true with State Rep. Jennifer Shilling winning handily, 55 percent to 45 percent. The district has a high concentration of public employees and typically is a swing district.
18th Senate District – Challenger Jessica King (D-Oshkosh) defeats incumbent Randy Hopper (Fond du Lac) (King wins 51/49%)
Sen. Hopper was also considered vulnerable given the high concentration of public employees in his district and personal issues that made headlines. Hopper narrowly defeated King in 2008 in the general election, only to lose to King in the recall election. King has a law degree, owns a business, and currently is Deputy Mayor of Oshkosh.
14th Senate District – Incumbent Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) defeats challenger Fred Clark (D- Baraboo) (Olsen wins 52/48%)
Many observers were surprised when this race became close given the more conservative makeup of the district. Sen. Olsen was able to hold on despite a spirited and close race run by Rep. Clark and considerable third party spending.
8th Senate District – Incumbent Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) defeats challenger Sandy Pasch (Whitefish Bay) (Darling wins 54/46%)
Sen. Darling has represented the 8th Senate District for nearly 19 years, and before that served for two years in the State Assembly. Rep. Pasch was elected to the State Assembly in 2008. This race became one of the more heated campaigns, with both candidates trading jabs and third party groups flooding the airwaves with negative ads.
2nd Senate District – Incumbent Robert Cowles (R-Allouez) defeats challenger Nancy Nusbaum (D- De Pere) (Cowles wins 60/40%)
Sen. Cowles was able to hold off and defeat his first opponent in three election cycles. Nusbaum is a former Brown County Board Executive and De Pere Mayor.
10th Senate District – Incumbent Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) defeats Shelly Moore (D-River Falls) (Harsdorf wins 58/42%)
Sen. Harsdorf was also considered likely to hold on to victory and the race gained less attention than the other recall elections. Sen. Harsdorf’s opponent, Shelly Moore, is a high school English teacher and union activist.
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SAA Website
By John Forester(Don't Use) | August 2, 2011
The SAA website has had some difficulties today. We are working to get the site back to the way it was. If you need anything please call the office. Thank you for your patience.
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