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Meeting Date:
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10/29/2020 - 6:30 PM
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Category:
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Reports and Communications from the Board Clerk/Chief Officer, Office of Board Governance
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Type:
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Info
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Subject:
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2. Update on Legislative Matters or Related Issues Concerning Milwaukee Public Schools
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Strategic Plan Compatibility Statement:
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Goal 1 Academic Achievement Goal 2 Student, Family and Community Engagement Goal 3 Effective and Efficient Operations
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Attachments
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File Attachment:
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Background:
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The updates here in writing are being provided on the morning of Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Given the rapid speed with which policy is changing in the midst of the COVID pandemic, revisions and/or further updates will be provided at the convening of the MPS Board of Directors meeting at the end of October.
Two weeks from the election and with Covid-19 infection rates spiking in the state and across the country, negotiations over the next round of needed federal stimulus funding continue to be stalled. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has stated that October 20, is the final deadline date to come to terms on a fiscal package before the general election.
The Wisconsin State Legislature has not met since April 15, 2020.
It is anticipated that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will introduce its public instruction budget request for the upcoming biennium in the first weeks of November. The funding situation for education and for the state in general is highly fluid and will change significantly if federal stimulus funds are secured. It is clear that near term, significant federal stimulus policy will be needed to support the economy and K-12 education. The Department of Public Instruction budget proposal will likely be introduced in a context where federal dollars have not been secured. That context, and the potential budget for K-12 education could significantly change by February, 2021.
Over the past few months the Evers Administration has done significant work to limit spending and reduce costs in order to avoid the need for a budget repair bill. Those efforts have helped to protect school districts from cuts that could have otherwise occurred with a budget repair bill. Revenue updates will continue to provide information as to whether a repair bill will be needed as we enter the last half of the fiscal year.
Due in large part to the influence of the pandemic, public school enrollment levels are down by roughly 21,000 students compared to what would otherwise have been expected when compared to data from prior years. Over the next several years the fiscal consequences of this undercount will be massive and it is anticipated that a large majority of those students will in fact return to school. 21,000 students suddenly absent from count records is the rough equivalent of the entire school district of Green Bay (21,865 students - FY19), Kenosha (21,404 students – FY19) or Racine (19,590 students – FY19) simply disappearing for an entire year. In blunt, revenue limit financial terms, 21,000 students multiplied by an average revenue limit per pupil of $10,677 (FY19) equals $224,217,000. The reverberations of the precise financial impact will play out over the next several years if not attended to by the state. Wisconsin’s school finance system is simply not designed to the overwhelming impact of a pandemic and state assistance will be needed.
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Fiscal Impact Statement:
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This item does not authorize expenditures.
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Implementation and Assessment Plan
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The district will continue to pursue appropriate support for students as part of the MPS Legislative Agenda.
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Recommendation:
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Approvals:
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Recommended By:
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Signed By:
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Chris Thiel - Legislative Policy Specialist
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Signed By:
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Jacqueline M. Mann, Ph.D. - Board Clerk/Chief Officer
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