Tax collections are projected to rise sharply in Wisconsin, giving the state government an unexpected windfall. What can they do with the money—and what should they do? The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently released a report about this called “A Golden Opportunity for Wisconsin.” In it, they write that Wisconsin has a “once-in-a-generation chance to address […]
What’s In the 2021-23 State Budget?
In March of 2020, Wisconsin Policy Forum’s Jason Stein appeared on WORT’s Evening News to talk about a Policy Forum report on Wisconsin State Government’s ability to weather an economic recession. The report rated the state’s financial resiliency as “about average” among U.S. states. With the global pandemic still in its early stages, the word […]
Reviewing Wisconsin’s 2021 State Budget + Legislature Updates
In their latest report, Wisconsin Policy Forum finds that next year, Gov. Tony Evers and lawmakers will likely confront the state’s toughest budget challenge in a decade. On today’s first segment, we learn more about the 2021–2022 state budget with Wisconsin Policy Forum’s research director, Jason Stein. Then, state representative Dianne Hesselbein joins us to […]
Analyzing Madison’s 2021 Proposed Budget
The city of Madison has entered the dead heat of budget season, as Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and members of the city council debate her proposed 2021 Operating and Capital budgets. This year has proven an exceptionally difficult one for the city to navigate — as the COVID-19 pandemic has mired the budgeting process in economic […]
Madison Metropolitan School Board Approves Referenda
Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash. Yesterday, the Madison School Board approved two referendum questions that will now be on the ballot for the November election: one to help the district improve school facilities, one to maintain operating expenses and invest in the school system. The Capital Referendum would allow the school district to issue […]
MMSD preparing for turbulent financial year
COVID-19 has forced schools throughout the state to haphazardly adjust their budgets to account for unforeseen operations costs. Now, while still tangling with the uncertainty the future holds, the Madison School District has released its 2020-21 draft budget. Last week, WORT producer Jonah Chester spoke with Jason Stein, research director for the Wisconsin Policy Forum. […]
