Capitol chaos
Walker expects quick move on collective bargaining
WAUKESHA - Governor Scott Walker says that a move on the now-voided collective bargaining law will happen either this week in courts, or very soon in the legislature.
Walker joined Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News" and TODAY'S TMJ4's "Live at Daybreak," to promote his run with the Special Olympics torch in Waukesha on Thursday.
He said he expects, one way or another, to get action on the law very quickly.
"It's likely that if the (Supreme) Court's going to take any substantial action, it would probably be by the end of this week. If they don't, the State Assembly and State Senate are likely to take up the budget starting later next week," said Walker.
"My guess is, having talked to legislators, that in the end, if the court hasn't acted by then, they will probably put something into the budget."
According to Walker, having what he calls "the tools" involving collective bargaining limits at local officials' disposal will allow municipalities and school districts to balance budgets.
"The budget's dependent on it," claimed Walker.
"The (Waukesha) suprerintendent, like superintendents across the state, was very concerned about whether it was going to be enforced through the courts or the legislature by the time school starts, because they need those things. They can balance their budgets, places that don't have contract in place."
Additionally, Walker says Milwaukee Public Schools can avoid nearly 1,000 job losses if the district uses such methods.
"Places like MIlwaukee need the flexibility of being able to change or modify their contract. What the Milwaukee Public School system's board is proposing to offer to their staff, they can avoid the massive layoffs by making some very modest adjustments."
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PhilEngageAmerica - Jun 09, 2011 2:36 PM
As Steven Malanga from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research writes:
Walker’s proposals to severely limit government union prerogatives are simply a recognition of something that political leaders and union officials across the ideological spectrum recognized for decades in America before the 1960s, which was that, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote, “the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.”
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/miarticle.htm?id=6931
Once the legislation becomes law, the Wisconsin economy will see an instant and long-lasting impact.
Kunta - Jun 09, 2011 6:01 PM
You are in need of a few basic school and public finance lessons:
1. You seem to be confused by the terms debt and deficit. Schools pay for employees out of an operational fund. If the actual revenues exceed expenditures, they must use any remaining fund balance to make up the difference. They cannot borrow, or take on debt long-term for operations--although many borrow for cash flow purposes because the timing of receipts of state money and local money doesn't match their payroll and AP. This type of borrowing must have less than a one-year term. Unlike the federal government, they need to resolve repeated deficit years to avoid using up all their fund falance.
2. Economic change does not happen INSTANTLY.
3. Walker's proposal maintains the trend Scott Fitzgerald started when he was the Senate Chair of the Joint Finance Committee by diverting $$ from income and sales taxes that was in Doyle's proposed budget for General School aid. From 2005-06 to 2009-10 the levy credit increased 91% from about $450 million to almost $900 million. At the same time General aid increased only 1.2% overall for the entire period remaining around $4.6 Billion. This money garnered from sales and income tax goes to the most property wealth taxpayers and not school. It causes school districts to set artificially higher levies and not look good to taxpayers who don't have the sophistication to understand (a Fitzgerald setup to get an ill-informed Republican leaning in the state--and then desperately ram his stuff through?) It shifts money from the less poor areas to the more wealthy areas of the state. It does not lend itself to transparency. About 1/2 of this $900 million does not go to primary property owners--some goes to 2nd home owners and out-of-state owners. Walker, of course, maintained the same appropriate amount in his proposed budget while cutting aid--hurting average property owners and maintain the perk on $750,0000 lake homes.
B1024 - Jun 09, 2011 10:58 PM
If it doesn't go his way he looks for another way to force the issue!
pistolpk - Jun 10, 2011 8:41 AM
You are obviously either a school employee or financially knowledgeable. Your comments are DEAD ON! People hear the words "Tax Credit" and think it is a good thing, which it can be, but not at the expense of schools. School aid is also a property tax credit, as it allows schools to not have to raise their mill rate to fund education. So much of the levy credit goes to non-Wisconsin residents and owners of second and third homes that most people don't realize how much money we are actually losing in this state.
According to the Association for Equity in Schools, 70% of districts would be able to lower their tax rate if the money in the levy credit would be applied to the aid formula. The other 30% would either be even or would need to minimally raise their rate due to their property wealth. These are districts that have lake homes or housing developments with houses over a million dollars each.
Keep up the good work of trying to educate everyone!
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