Advocates for Education
of Whitefish Bay, Inc.
PO Box 170123
Milwaukee, WI 53217-8011
info
Budget Update - Where are we now?
The public hearings held by the Joint Finance Committee finished last week. The JFC will now take the information they’ve gathered through the hearings, along with the Governor’s recommendations, and create a budget that will go to the Assembly and Senate. Each will probably make changes. After both the Senate and Assembly hold their votes, they compare their versions. If they are very different—and they usually are—a conference committee is formed to work toward a final version. Eventually, they will each hold a yes/no vote on the version agreed to by the conference committee, and the end result is sent to the Governor.
The budget is supposed to be finalized by July 1, but it’s not unusual for it not to be signed until the Fall.
Below is a chart from the Wisconsin Budget Project that does any excellent job of displaying the budget timeline. 
For you, a supporter of Public Education, it’s important to remember that the process isn’t over yet. If you think that a 0% increase in revenue for the district is unsustainable, there is still time to contact your representative. Legislators do keep track of how many people contact them about an issue.
Below is a sample letter prepared by AFE last month for contacting your legislator along with links to our past budget emails and other helpful articles if you need to catch up on the issues:
Sample letter (send as either an email or regular mail.)
Sample Budget Letter
If you are uncertain about who represents your district:
District Representatives
Past Budget Emails:
AFE email Alerts
A great resource for understanding the budget process:
http://www.wisconsinbudgetproject.org/budget-toolkit/the-wisconsin-budget-process
Bi-partisan opposition to Special Needs Vouchers:
http://stopspecialneedsvouchers.blogspot.com/2013/04/ssnv-press-release-fox-valley-listening.html
Article in North Shore NOW 3/27/13 that quotes WFB Business Director Shawn Yde:
http://www.glendalenow.com/news/governors-budget-proposal-has-varying-impacts-on-districts-t5992ie-200257541.html
Budget Alert
It’s state budget time in Wisconsin again. There will be more updates in the next few weeks, but this is the big idea:
If the state budget is approved as it is currently being presented, the School District of Whitefish Bay and every other public school district will have exactly the same amount of money to work with as they did last year.
As the budget was released, AFE contacted Shawn Yde, Business Manager for WFB School District. He said the following:
"The freeze will cause the district to contemplate program reductions that we have never considered in the past."
Remember the “revenue cap”. . . This is a limit set on the amount of money a school district can raise through taxes. The taxes come from both the state and the municipalities, and the combined funds create the budget for the school year. The state is in the process of creating the next two-year budget, and even though more money is designated for schools, it is just a shift in where the money for education will come from. Yes, the state is contributing more money, but the revenue cap has been set at a 0% increase—meaning municipal taxes assessed for schools will go down. In summary, the state will put more money into education, the municipalities will cut taxes, but the school districts are left with attempting to budget with no increase in revenue while costs continue to rise.
In addition, voucher expansion, which has met with some resistance in the legislature, is now being written into the state budget. Voucher programs are to be expanded into more areas, and those schools will be getting a 10% per pupil increase in payments from the state. Also written into the budget are provisions for Special Education Vouchers (Scholarships) SEV. First introduced as legislation last year, SEV did not pass the senate. Currently, no statewide special education advocacy or disability rights organizations support the special needs vouchers.
We’d like to encourage our members to become better educated on how the budget and expansion of vouchers will impact public education. There is a lot to take in. Below are a series of links to additional information. These are different sources with different perspectives on the issue. The links are being provided for additional information, not as endorsements by AFE of the opinions expressed.
The State Budget for Education
Statement from the School Administrators Alliance
Senator Darling's Statement Regarding the Current Budget Proposal
Statement from the Department of Public Instruction – Tony Evers
Statement from Disability Rights Wisconsin
Stop Special Needs Vouchers Website
Press Release from MPS Parent Advocacy Group
Statement from Republican Senator Questioning Voucher Expansion
MacIver Institute Response to Expansion of Vouchers
Update: March 22, Take Action
AFE Series: The School Board Budget
AFE has delivered a series of informational pieces about the budget, starting with information about the budget timeline.
Read our Series:
AFE School Board Budget Series #1: The Timeline [PDF]
AFE School Board Budget Series #2: Enrollment [PDF]
AFE School Board Budget Series #3: Revenues and Expenses [PDF]
AFE School Board Budget Series #4: Annual Budget [PDF]
Please Renew Your Annual Membership
Please renew your Advocates for Education Membership. Your support of $20 dues assists us in promoting high-quality public education to the children of Whitefish Bay through email alerts, forums, open houses, newsletters and our website.
Renew Online
If you would like to renew online, use PayPal here on our website:
Join or Renew
Renew by Mail
If you prefer to renew by mail, print our renewal form and send it to: AFE, PO Box 170123, Whitefish Bay, WI 53217.
Membership Form [PDF]
2011-2013 State Budget Implications:
An AFE Series
The current state budget situation has prompted us to design a series of informational articles. The first in the series is a clear, concise summary of how our school district is funded and its implications for our local schools. Other articles in the series will include an explanation of collective bargaining, a state budget timeline that will include dates for public hearings in the area, and a local budget primer so you know when to advocate and more.
Read our series:
AFE Series Part 1: Wisconsin Budget 2011-2013 Overview [PDF]
AFE Series Part 2: Collective Bargaining [PDF]
AFE Series Part 3: WI State Budget Timeline [PDF]
AFE Series Part 4: Facts, Facts, Facts [PDF]
AFE Series Part 5: WFB School District Enrollment [PDF]
Upcoming Events
Jun 5, 2013 Wednesday
School Board Meeting
7:00pm, Rm. 47, HS
Jun 19, 2013 Wednesday
School Board Meeting
7:00pm, Rm. 47, HS
Jul 10, 2013 Wednesday
School Board Meeting
7:00pm, Rm. 47, HS
Key Dates
Directory of District Administrators and Elected Officials:
District Administrators and Elected Officials Directory [PDF]
Advocates for Education
of Whitefish Bay, Inc.
PO Box 170123
Milwaukee, WI 53217-8011
info
