WEAC Analysis of the state budget

Here is WEAC's take on the completed state budget:

Governor signs 2007-09 state budget

The following summary of provisions was compiled by the WEAC
Government Relations Division:

K-12

Provides $76.8 million in general school aids in 2008-09.
Adds $53.6 million to special education categorical aid, which would
represent increases of 5.2% in 2007-08 and 5.4% in 2008-09. In
addition, provides $1.8 million in supplemental special education aid.
Increases the annual reimbursement rate for pupils transported over 12
miles from home and school from $180 to $220 beginning in 2007-08.
Provides $3.3 million over the biennium to increase the school
breakfast reimbursement rate from 10 cents to 15 cents per breakfast
served.
Makes no changes to the current-law inflationary adjustment to the
per-pupil adjustment, resulting in a per-pupil adjustment of $264 in
2007-08 and $270 in 2008-09.
Increases the low-revenue ceiling from $8,400 to $8,700 in 2007-08 and
to $9,000 in 2008-09.
Provides for 100% hold harmless for declining enrollment school
districts and allows the prior year's base to serve as a revenue limit
floor.
Provides $21 million over the biennium in a new aid program to
high-poverty school districts. The aid to Milwaukee Public Schools
would be used to ease the property tax burden for picking up 45% of
cost of the Milwaukee private school voucher program.
Invests $10 million in 2008-09 to boost student achievement in
Milwaukee Public Schools.
Provides $3 million for 4-year-old kindergarten start-up grants.
Expands the national teacher certification program to provide grants
to master educator licensees and award higher grants to those board
certified teachers and master educators who teach in high-poverty
schools.
Provides $3.6 million in 2008-09 in aid to small rural schools districts.
Provides $27 million to fully fund the state's commitment to increase
the SAGE per-pupil amount from $2,000 to $2,250.
Provides $500,000 over the biennium for grants to school districts for
nursing services.
Increases funding for gifted and talented by $182,000 over the biennium.
Provides $123,000 over the biennium for grants to promote education in
science, technology, engineering and math.
Provides $76,000 over the biennium for international education activities.
Creates an Office of the Wisconsin Covenant and associated positions.
Provides $500,000 for Project Lead the Way.
Increases the current school levy tax credit distribution for the
2007(08) property tax year by $79,350,000. Increases the distribution
for the 2008(09) property tax year by a further $75,000,000. Creates a
property tax credit called the "first dollar credit" with a funding
level of $75,000,000 annually beginning in the 2008(09) property tax
year, and modifies the existing school levy tax credit appropriation
to include payments for the first dollar credit.
WTCS

Provides $3 million over the biennium for the Workforce Training Grant Program.
Provides $1.25 million over the biennium to increase funding for the
Wisconsin Higher Education Grant program for need-based financial aid
to technical college students.
Provides $12 million over the biennium to help defray the cost of the
new veteran's remission by the UW Board of Regents and the Wisconsin
Technical College District Boards.
Requires a lapse of $1 million of existing WTCS general and/or
categorical aid funding in each of the 2007-09 and 2009-11 biennia.
Prohibits any technical college district from increasing its tax levy
by more than 4% annually in 2007 and 2008. Repeals this provision on
November 30, 2009. (This provision was vetoed by the governor.)
Compensation Reserves

Provides total compensation reserves of $131,197,500 in 2007-08 and
$328,026,800 in 2008-09 for the increased cost of state employee
salaries and fringe benefits.
Miscellaneous

Implements BadgerCare Plus to help ensure that 98% of Wisconsin's
citizens have access to health care coverage.
According to the governor's office, the agreement ensures quality
education for Wisconsin students. The governor's office said the bill:

Meets Wisconsin's commitment to fund two-thirds the cost of every
child's education … protecting schools while taking the burden off of
property taxpayers.
Moves forward on the Wisconsin Covenant – the promise to 8th graders
that if they work hard, maintain a B average, and take the classes
they need to go to college, there will be a spot for them in the
state's universities or colleges.
Makes sure kids get off to the right start, by investing $3 million in
4-year-old kindergarten, $3.2 million in school breakfast, and $27
million to create smaller class sizes in the early grades.
Includes reforms in the school financing system that help rural
districts with transportation costs, and treat districts with
declining enrollment more fairly.
Invests $32 million in financial aid so talented students who have
earned their way into our states universities have the resources they
need to help them succeed. The funding puts the state on pace to
triple financial aid by the end of this fiscal term.
Keeps a promise to provide free college tuition to all Wisconsin
veterans by investing $12 million.
Fully funds the University's Growth Agenda to expand enrollment and
train the next generation of nurses, engineers, chemists, biologists
and skilled workers that our economy needs.


Posted October 19, 2007; Updated October 26, 2007