Nearly a third of Wisconsin’s public schools are going to get less money from the state for the next school year. The state’s Department of Public Instruction on Monday announced the general state aid estimates for July. “Estimated general school aids for 2024-25 total $5.58 billion, representing an increase of 4.2% from 2023-24,” DPI stated. “Payments to districts will increase an estimated $234.3 million because of two factors: 1) an increase of $224.9 million per the state budget as passed by...
Jul 05, 2024•7 min•Ep. 251
A new audit raises questions as to whether Wisconsin's attorney general will be able to meet a new state requirement to get sexual assault kits tested within six months. The Legislative Audit Bureau released its new report on the state’s crime recently, saying there are fewer requests for sexual assault DNA kits at the crime labs, but it is taking the labs longer to process each kit. A state law, that went into effect Monday, requires the state’s crime labs to be able to turn around those tests ...
Jul 04, 2024•8 min•Ep. 250
There are questions about the plan from public schools in Madison to raise taxes by more than half-a-billion dollars this fall after the Madison Metropolitan School Board recently approved two tax increase questions for the fall. The $600 million requests come after MMSD got a $350 million tax increase in 2020. Will Flanders, an education expert at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said there’s hardly any evidence Madison Metropolitan Schools deserve an extra half-billion dollars. Sup...
Jun 29, 2024•9 min•Ep. 249
There aren’t any fears about running short on money for Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention. Former Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman, and current chairman of the RNC Host Committee, Reince Priebus said Tuesday the “money is solid” for next month’s convention. Priebus did not say just how money has been raised, or just how much the 2024 RNC will cost. The last in-person convention, in Cleveland in 2016, cost an estimated $114 million. About $50 million of that came from the federal gove...
Jun 28, 2024•8 min•Ep. 248
Most voters in Wisconsin say they are struggling or just getting by, and more than half don’t think the state’s economy is in great shape. The latest Marquette Law School Poll asked voters in the state about both the state’s economy and their personal finances. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_9093d544-33f2-11ef-8976-373066cec9fe.html...
Jun 27, 2024•8 min•Ep. 247
One of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen who is in one of the state’s competitive districts says Republicans have to be willing to go as far as Democrats to win the 2024 elections. Congressman Bryan Steil said on News Talk 1130 WISN that Republicans have to turn out their votes this November. To do that, he said, the party has to embrace every tool that’s available. “You got to play by the rules as they're written. So, where Wisconsin law allows us to vote early, to vote absentee, to do other t...
Jun 22, 2024•6 min•Ep. 246
Wisconsin’s public health managers don’t want the bird flu to ruin fair season this summer. The state’s Department of Health Services and Department of Agriculture announced plans to monitor fairs across the state this year for the bird flu. “Obviously it is a concern for us having had the avian flu going from mammals to people, and from poultry to mammals to people as well. Right now, the risk is still being said to be very low. We've only had three cases in the United States so far this year,”...
Jun 21, 2024•6 min•Ep. 245
Lawmakers at the Wisconsin Capitol say Milwaukee Public School’s financial crisis will cost their schools as well. Republican Rep. Jerry O’Connor, R-Fond du Lac, said MPS’ recently approved property tax increase will shift the way that state school aid dollars are spent. “Under Wisconsin’s equalization aid formula, state tax dollars are distributed to school districts inversely based on property value per student, aiming to ‘equalize’ aid. This formula is expenditure-based, meaning that as Milwa...
Jun 20, 2024•6 min•Ep. 244
There are calls for hearings and action at the Wisconsin Capitol after the state’s public school managers announced a plan to change student reading and math scores. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recently updated the asset-based performance levels that are used to see how well students are reading, writing and doing math. Kids who are thriving in reading, writing and math will continue to be rated in the advanced category. But the other terms for performance are changing. That m...
Jun 15, 2024•9 min•Ep. 243
The new free speech lessons for the University of Wisconsin’s next freshman class will not just be about speaking your mind. UW President Jay Rothman told regents during meeting in Milwaukee he is planning a new curriculum for new students about both sides of the right to freedom of speech. “This fall, all incoming freshmen students will learn more about freedom of expression and about the rights and responsibilities associated with the First Amendment,” Rothman said. “This provides the foundati...
Jun 14, 2024•9 min•Ep. 242
There is now a recall effort to replace Milwaukee’s school board. A group of parents and activists said they are looking to recall half of MPS’ board of directors, including President Marva Herndon, Vice President Jilly Gokalgandhi, Erica Siemsen and Missy Zomber. Tamika Johnson, who spoke for the group, said those four mislead Milwaukee voters about April’s quarter-billion dollar MPS referendum and failed to tell parents and taxpayers about the persistent financial problems inside Milwaukee’s s...
Jun 13, 2024•9 min•Ep. 241
None of the Republicans who signed on as one of former President Donald Trump’s Wisconsin electors is being charged in a new fraud case, but three former Trump advisers are. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced forgery charges Tuesday against attorneys Jim Troupis and Kenneth Chesebro. Kaul also filed charges against former Trump campaign aide Michael Roman, who was also indicted in Georgia. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945...
Jun 07, 2024•8 min•Ep. 240
Wisconsin’s former governor says Milwaukee Public Schools must be “saved” for the students. Former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson told a crowd at the Milwaukee Press Club on Wednesday that there is a clear emergency in Milwaukee schools, and he said he’s “damn serious” about solving it. Thompson said he pushed for school choice in Wisconsin in the 1990s because of the poor performance of Milwaukee Public Schools, and he said MPS is not much different today. Full story: https://www.thecentersquar...
Jun 06, 2024•8 min•Ep. 239
The latest argument against Act 10 has been tried before, but some think this time it could work. Lawyers for the teachers’ union in Abbotsford on Tuesday tried to once again make an equal protection claim in the latest effort to strike down Act 10. Specifically, Karabell says the public safety carve out creates two classes of public employees. But Jacob Curtis, an attorney with the Institute for Reforming Government, told The Center Square the argument has been tested in court once before to no...
Jun 01, 2024•8 min•Ep. 238
Wisconsin is putting $50 million towards startups and entrepreneurs in hopes that a lot more companies come to the state to grow. Gov. Tony Evers and WEDC CEO Missy Hughes announced the Wisconsin Investment Fund. Evers said the Wisconsin Investment Fund is using $50 million from the federal government’s State Small Business Credit Initiative. Private investors are kicking in another $50 million, for a total of $100 million fund. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_8d411...
May 31, 2024•8 min•Ep. 237
Milwaukee Public Schools are facing a second possible funding suspension, this time over missing state financial reports. MPS Superintendent Keith Posley said Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is threatening to withhold millions of dollars in general state aid and special education money because the city’s school district has not yet turned in financial reports that were due as far back as September. Milwaukee’s school board issued a statement Wednesday that said board members are awa...
May 30, 2024•9 min•Ep. 236
At least one Republican lawmaker wants changes after a new report exposed Wisconsin’s attorney general hired an environmental prosecutor thanks to a grant from Michael Bloomberg’s environmental non-profit. Rep. Jerry O’Connor, R-Fond du Lac, accused Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul of “selling the Department of Justice to the highest bidder.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke the story that Kaul hired special assistant attorney general Karen Heineman with a grant from the SEEIC. She’s bei...
May 25, 2024•9 min•Ep. 235
The Human Rights Campaign wants to spend millions of dollars to connect with equality voters in Wisconsin this election season. The Human Rights Campaign bills itself as the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. It says equality voters are people who share their LGBTQ focus and agenda. In all, the Human Rights Campaign says it is planning to spend $15 million in Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pen...
May 24, 2024•8 min•Ep. 234
Wisconsin’s uninstructed, or uncommitted, voters are out with a new poll that says they could keep President Joe Biden from winning the state in November. The Americans for Justice in Palestine-Action group commissioned the poll from YouGov. It says 1-in-5 Democrats and Independents in Wisconsin say they are less likely to vote for the president because of how he’s handled the war in Gaza. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_ff96e478-1902-11ef-ba30-b38b6e73392a.html...
May 23, 2024•9 min•Ep. 233
Just days after University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s chancellor finalized an agreement with campus protesters, the head of the UW is expressing his disappointment in that deal. University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman took to social media to explain how the university moves forward after weeks of campus protest camps. “Maintaining viewpoint neutrality on challenging public issues is critically important, especially in situations where students and other university stakeholders on multiple si...
May 18, 2024•8 min•Ep. 232
Most of the argument for again allowing ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin hinges on what the state’s absentee voter law did and did not say. The new liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on whether it should overturn a 2022 decision from the then conservative-majority court that outlawed ballot drop boxes. “[The 2022 court] read a restriction into the statute that simply is not there and in doing so made it harder for municipal clerks to carry out their duties and for...
May 17, 2024•8 min•Ep. 231
It doesn’t look like the Secret Service is going to change the security plan for the Milwaukee Republican National Convention. Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson met with Secret Service officials Tuesday to press for a new protest zone and other security changes. Johnson said there are fears in Milwaukee that protesters will not only disrupt the convention, but they could threaten RNC attendees and delegates. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_15cd43d4-12b6-...
May 16, 2024•9 min•Ep. 230
The head of the University of Wisconsin says there will be an end to part of the protests on campuses across the state, but he’s not saying how or when. UW President Jay Rothman was a guest on UpFront over the weekend. He said the tent communities that have popped up on the campuses in Madison and Milwaukee "will ultimately be gone.” Monday marks a week since the pro-Palestinian protests began. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_84d7bca6-0ba3-11ef-b55c-c758d3758d94.htm...
May 11, 2024•9 min•Ep. 229
President Joe Biden’s latest campaign stop in Wisconsin came with more than just a quick speech and some pictures. The president was in Racine on Wednesday to help announce Microsoft’s latest data center expansion. Last fall, Microsoft announced plans for a $1.4 billion data center site. The $3.3 billion site announced Wednesday would build on that original investment. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_3075f282-0d64-11ef-8fab-8bb3a110c620.html Support this podcast: ht...
May 10, 2024•9 min•Ep. 228
Wisconsin Republican lawmakers want to know exactly what diversity, equity and inclusion is doing in state government and what it is costing. The Joint Legislative Audit Commission on Tuesday began an audit of DEI programs throughout the state’s executive agencies. Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, opened the first audit hearing with a blistering rebuke of DEI, which he says is nothing more than a fancy term for discrimination. Full story: Wisconsin legislature launches DEI audit Support this po...
May 09, 2024•8 min•Ep. 227
Milwaukee Public Schools are proposing a new budget that would cut nearly 300 positions and spend hundreds of millions of dollars less. MPS’s superintendent unveiled his budget for the 2024-2025 school year recently. The proposed 288 position cuts are getting most of the headlines. Nearly half of those positions are teaching positions. But those announced cuts are for positions, not necessarily people. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_91a0f7d4-065a-11ef-b8f4-271e790f...
May 04, 2024•8 min•Ep. 226
Former President Trump isn’t saying much about his Wisconsin strategy, but he is talking about one potential rival. Trump appeared on News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber show Wednesday morning to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The former president said some Republicans see Kennedy as a possible alternative because of his stance on the COVID vaccine. Trump said that’s a mistake. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_8848a4d6-07d4-11ef-8535-2f4f8c30d3cf.html Support this podc...
May 03, 2024•10 min•Ep. 225
The University of Wisconsin says protesters are more than welcome to continue their pro-Palestinain demonstrations, but they will do so without their tents. UW-Madison Police removed dozens of tents from the University’s Library Mall early Wednesday morning. Officers also arrested about a dozen people. UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told the university in a letter Wednesday that protesters were reminded for days that camping on campus is illegal. Mnookin said protesters were also warned ...
May 02, 2024•9 min•Ep. 224
High school athletes in Wisconsin will not be paid to play their sport, at least not yet. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association, the group that manages high school sports in the state, on Wednesday voted down a name, image and likeness proposal. Brent Jacobson, the WIAA’s legal counsel, said NIL is coming to high school sports and suggested allowing for some payments now could head off either a state law or a wave of lawsuits. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/a...
Apr 27, 2024•10 min•Ep. 223
Homes keep selling in Wisconsin but prices and the cost to get a mortgage are keeping some from being able to afford a new home. The Wisconsin Realtors Association is out with its latest look at the state’s housing market. Their report says home prices jumped in March by 3.2% compared to March of last year. Meanwhile, the median price of a home rose 10%. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_b5d32a7c-02ff-11ef-97a2-97ee4954c11e.html Support this podcast: https://podcaster...
Apr 26, 2024•9 min•Ep. 222
