Category: State budget

A provision put into the state budget bill late last week could have wide-ranging affects for the University of Wisconsin and public schools around the state.

The state budget package approved last week at the committee level contains no plan to split the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the UW System, a wise move at this juncture.

The University of Wisconsin System would be forced to return about $37 million in federal funds intended to extend broadband Internet across Wisconsin, under a provision passed by the Legislature?s budget committee Friday. The legislation would also prohibit UW System campuses from supporting WiscNet, a cooperative that brings high-speed Internet to most schools and libraries across the state. Campus leaders say they fear the change could cripple the network.

The state supreme court had a long day, nearly 7 hours of questions, answers and arguments about the collective bargaining bill.

The state Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether to take up a lawsuit over the state?s polarizing collective bargaining law.

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday morning on whether to take up a lawsuit over the collective bargaining law.

The Legislature?s powerful budget committee has finished its work on Gov. Scott Walker?s two-year spending plan. The budget now heads to the full Legislature, where debates in the state Assembly and Senate are expected to begin in about a week. The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee finished soon after midnight Saturday morning. The budget balances a projected $3 billion budget hole. It does not raise taxes overall, but makes sharp cuts to public schools and the University of Wisconsin.

Wrapping up its work Friday amid more protests, the Legislature?s budget committee voted to cut taxes for manufacturers, keep the state?s flagship university as part of the University of Wisconsin System and open up a possible Milwaukee-style school voucher program in Green Bay.

The state has also been home to a highly charged fight — now reaching its climax — over whether to grant autonomy and administrative flexibility to the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The debate has been closely watched in other states where college officials and lawmakers are questioning assumptions about the relationship between state governments and their public institutions of higher education, particularly flagships, as public funding continues to dry up.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus remains part of the entire UW System, under the budget passed through the Joint Finance Committee early this morning. Amid several disruptions by protesters, the Republican-controlled panel continued its work, opting against consideration of Governor Scott Walker?s proposal to split the system and give the flagship campus individual authority.

The University of Wisconsin?s flagship Madison campus would receive more flexibility in how it operates but it would also remain part of the university system under changes to Gov. Scott Walker?s budget approved by a legislative committee Friday. Funding to all campuses would be cut 11 percent, the same level Walker proposed.

The Legislature?s budget committee re-opened the fight over collective bargaining rights shortly after midnight on Friday, proposing that newly hired police and firefighters be forced to pay more for their health insurance and pension benefits. The change, approved by the Republican-controlled committee on an 11-4 party line vote, would force police and firefighters to make the same level of contributions as other public workers as required under a bill pushed by Gov. Scott Walker and passed by the Legislature in March.

Quoted: Peter Rickman, a leader in the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Teaching Assistants Association.

Now that an ill-conceived plan to cleave the Madison campus from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System is dead, state lawmakers need to take a deep breath and carefully consider the best options for UW. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a rush to make changes as part of the state budget.

A better idea: Consider these matters as a separate bill.

When the Legislature?s Joint Finance Committee finally gets around to taking up the University of Wisconsin System?s budget, faculty, staff and administrators at campuses across the state will be holding their collective breath. Leaders within both UW-Madison and the UW System have been spending seemingly every waking moment since mid-February pushing their proposals for how to break public higher education free from state oversight so campuses can operate more efficiently and effectively. The problem is that UW-Madison and UW System officials have been unable to get on the same page to pitch a unified message.

Yet another budget battle is looming in Madison. The Joint Finance Committee is finishing up its work on the two-year budget.

Recent events in Wisconsin draw into sharp relief the dilemmas faced by systems — particularly where land grant institutions are involved. While independence for the University of Wisconsin at Madison is now unlikely, a key fact has been overlooked. Whether the current structures in Wisconsin and elsewhere are ideal or seriously flawed, they have not been historically set in stone, and in fact reflect significant changes in mission and governance in most states.

Protesters disrupted a meeting of the Legislature?s budget writing committee, shouting down lawmakers and chanting “Shame!”

It was chaos at the Capitol Thursday night when protesters erupted as lawmakers worked on final changes to the budget they?ll start debating next week.

With lawmakers gearing up for a vote on the state budget, a ?Walkerville? camp similar to the one that sprang up during the protests at the state Capitol earlier this year may be returning this weekend ? this time to the terraces of Mifflin and Carroll streets.

We Are Wisconsin, an alliance of community groups, labor unions and others, has asked the city for a permit to set up the camp across from the Capitol to provide information about Gov. Scott Walker?s budget proposals and efforts to recall Republican legislators who voted to eliminate bargaining rights for most public employees.

Gov. Scott Walker?s priorities of balancing Wisconsin?s budget without raising taxes while also buying down the state?s debt remain largely intact under the two-year state spending plan expected to be forwarded to the full Legislature by the end of the week. Republicans who control the Joint Finance Committee have agreed with Walker?s general approach to eliminating the state?s $3 billion budget shortfall. Republicans have signed off on a roughly $800 million cut in aid to public schools and are expected to approve a $250 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System later this week.

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, wins the most unsurprising quote of the week this week for voicing his skepticism about UW-Madison splitting from the UW System. “I don?t think there?s a lot of support for the split and I think the Legislature should take their time before allowing these academicians any more responsibility in business dealings,” he said.

UW-Madison will not be splitting from the rest of the UW System, according to lawmakers. But a similar plan could be in the works.

MADISON – Wisconsin legislative leaders are considering a task force to study the idea of letting U-W Madison run itself, separate from the rest of the university system.

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells is in no mood to celebrate the demise Friday of Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to break off the Madison campus from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System.

A Wisconsin circuit court judge has invalidated a controversial law designed to limit the power of public-sector unions in the state ? legislation that prompted massive protests in Madison, the state capital and brought international attention to Wisconsin earlier this year.

Quoted: ?Some state senators who were involved in passing the legislation have to be wondering whether or not taking action in June is the right thing or wrong thing politically, a month before facing voters,? says Barry Burden, who teaches political science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

In yet another twist in Wisconsin?s bitter fight over the unions, a judge Thursday struck down the Republican-sponsored bill to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, moving the battle to the state Supreme Court. Quoted: Charles Franklin, professor of political science.

A judge has struck down the collective bargaining bill, ruling that the state?s open meetings law was violated.

In a decision issued this morning, Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi ruled that Republican lawmakers violated the Open Meetings Law when they scheduled a conference committee meeting to advance a stripped down version of the Governor?s collective bargaining bill with less than two hours notice.

Gov. Scott Walker?s controversial proposal to split UW-Madison from the UW System and grant the university public authority status through Chancellor Biddy Martin?s New Badger Partnership is dead, Republican officials said Thursday.

Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to award the University of Wisconsin-Madison public authority status is dead, Republican officials confirmed Thursday.

Union supporters were handed a huge ? although possibily temporary ? victory Thursday morning, when a Dane County judge struck down a controversial bill that stripped most collective bargaining rights from public employees.

MADISON, Wis. — A Dane County judge has struck down a law taking away nearly all collective bargaining rights from most state workers. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled on Thursday that Republican legislators violated Wisconsin?s open meetings law during the run up passing the controversial measure. She said that renders the law void.

In her ruling, Sumi said that there was “no conflicting Senate, Assembly or joint rule in effect on March 9, 2011, that would have excused compliance with the public notice requirement” of 24 hours notice. She went on to say, “The evidence also demonstrated a failure to obey even the two-hour notice allowed for good cause if 24-hour notice is impossible or impractical.”