Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Legislature is coming to Grant County



There are some important happenings on the horizon that we wanted to make sure you aware of.  First of all is Spring Election Day which is Tuesday April 4th.  This is perhaps the most important spring election in fifty years and we certainly hope you are planning on voting that day.  If you feel there is a chance you will not be able to make it to the polls that day, early voting has begun.  Research the candidates, make sure you are registered, get voter I.D. information and anything else you may need to know is all to be found at in one place by clicking on this link:  http://facebook.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7b1b3bf014f33db1b8503fcb2&id=0a15993c3d&e=e8fefb3b5c

Of course the most important race on the ballot, the one that will determine the fate of our rural, public schools, is the race for State Superintendent.  We sincerely hope that you will cast your ballot for the incumbent candidate, Tony Evers.  
Here is the link to Tony's website:http://facebook.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7b1b3bf014f33db1b8503fcb2&id=8cfeb3cd21&e=e8fefb3b5c

We will be distributing literature door to door across Grant County on the next two Sundays to help turn out all the voters we can for Tony Evers.  This will not involve any door knocking or talking to people, just leaving some literature on their door and moving on to the next house.  It is easy and fun and the weather should be perfect.  
We hope you can join us on Sunday March 26th.  We will be meeting at 1590 W. Golf Drive in Platteville near Smith Park at 10 a.m.  We will distribute literature for about an hour and a half and then meet back on Golf Drive for lunch and conversation & good times.

On Sunday April 2nd, we will be meeting at noon in Platteville at 100 E. Main St. and distribute literature after that.  

On Monday April 3rd (the day before election day) there is a big and rare event in Platteville.  The State Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance (JCOF), including all sixteen members of the legislature, is coming to town to hear from you, the tax payers and voters.  This is your chance to speak directly to the people who decide the state budget which affects all of our lives and how our tax money is spent.

Registration for this event begins at 9 a.m. and will run throughout the day.  The location is Velzy Commons at Ullsvik Hall at U.W. Platteville.  Located at 1 University Plaza in Platteville. Here is a link to a map: http://facebook.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7b1b3bf014f33db1b8503fcb2&id=809a4ac60b&e=e8fefb3b5c

Given the seriousness of this opportunity to address the JCOF, there will be two preparatory sessions available for those interested.   For Wisconsin's Future will be holding a Refresher Meeting in Platteville at Berry Yo's (305 E. HWY 151) on Monday March 27 at 6 p.m. It will be a chance for folks to focus on the budget and learn/remember some of the biggest budget issues. 
We'll be going over the worst of the worst, and having a group discussion on how various things will effect local communities.
Following that, for anyone that can speak at the hearing, we'll be doing some group work on putting that testimony together.
Again the details for the Budget Refresher are:  When: Monday March 27 at 6pm  Where:  Berry Yo's  305 E. Hwy. 151 Platteville, WI 

Also, we are planning on having a people's press conference at 8 a.m. April 3rd, the day of the hearing, and will send more information out about that at a later point. We are going to have a yellow school bus in the parking lot as a gathering spot as well, as a place for people to practice their testimony and get coaching tips. Is your issue public education or other? The public ed folks are going to be wearing distinctive green shirts which will be available as well.  The best source of information is on this page: http://facebook.us13.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=7b1b3bf014f33db1b8503fcb2&id=ab8b3e8982&e=e8fefb3b5c
And an important thing would be for you to register, and we can follow up with you, here is the link for that: http://facebook.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7b1b3bf014f33db1b8503fcb2&id=f846a558b8&e=e8fefb3b5c
Thank you everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon.  And don't forget to go vote and bring a friend with you.

Monday, March 20, 2017

April 3rd in Platteville


There is a special event relating to education which will take place in Platteville on April 3rd, which is the day before Election Day.  If you have any concern for our rural public schools and how they affect the future of our state, we hope you will attend.  And then vote for Tony Evers on April 4th.

The Wisconsin budget process is underway and the Joint Finance Committee will hold six regional hearings around the state to hear public comment. Our children need you to be their voice in this conversation. Restoring public education funding to ensure thriving communities for all should be the cornerstone of this budget.
We invite you to RSVP today to be part of this effort - whether you intend to testify in person, support others who are testifying at the hearings, or submit written and video testimony outside of the hearings. YOUR story matters, and it needs to be heard by decision-makers.
Wisconsin Public Education Network
(608) 572-1696 • WisconsinNetwork.org
Monday, April 3 – UW-Platteville, Platteville
Wednesday, April 5 – State Fair Park, West Allis (Milwaukee)
Friday, April 7 – Berlin High School, Berlin
Tuesday, April 18 – Spooner High School, Spooner
Wednesday, April 19 – Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth
Friday, April 21 – Marinette High School, Marinette

For more information:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftXvcWGoELvOjDhCJLaVy7IT05ywe_5SV90Jw17kQa_TPU3A/viewform?c=0&w=1
Keep your eye on what is being proposed for our public school system. Have no illusions.. The school voucher system will gut public schools. A voucher does not provide enough money for full tuition. Those who want to put their child in private school, using vouchers, will need to supplement the tuition cost out of pocket. This means those in poverty or working poor will not be able to access private schools. That leaves those who cannot afford private school in the public school system. Public schools will lose a majority of their funding to the vouchers leaving underfunded public schools with a high proportion of children in poverty. This is not equitable education for all. Don't we want ALL our children in America to have a good education?
To those of you not in the education field, you may not understand a lot of the educational jargon and the foundation of the American education system. Having a school voucher system (proposed by Trump's Education secretary, Betsy DeVos) doesn't just mean you can choose any school you want your kid to go to. It also means the public education program will be dismantled. Let me explain...
This bill will effectively start the school voucher system to be used by children ages 5-17 and starts the defunding process of public schools.
The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which is the nation's educational law that provides equal opportunity in education. The ESEA established what are known as title programs, and because these are so important to maintaining free and equitable public education, Congress has reauthorized ESEA every five years since 1965. Under President George W. Bush, ESEA became known as No Child Left Behind; under President Barack Obama, it was rebranded the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and passed Congress with rare bipartisan support.
ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, advanced and gifted kids in AP classes, ESL classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance, and Federal Accountability Programs. Yes, there are all of these programs happening in our education system, in addition to just academics.
House Bill 610 also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfast and lunch.
The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of IDEA, and FAPE.
Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:
-Ensures access to the general education curriculum.
-Ensures access to accommodations on assessments.
-Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning.
-Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups.
-Requires states in Title I plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).
Please call your representative and ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610) introduced by three Republican reps.


Friday, March 17, 2017

Broadband Expansion: Rural Wisconsin Needs the Real Deal

                       Today we are featuring another insightful article from Senator Kathleen Vinehout.

"All we seek is help to get the basic broadband services that you all take for granted,” Justin Fortney from Clifton Township in Pierce County wrote to me. “It has been frustrating for us families to watch the digital revolution pass us by…We often…pack the family into the car and drive to a relative’s house or commercial business to use their Internet.”

According to the federal government’s most recent information, Wisconsin ranks last in the Midwest in both rural and urban broadband access with only 44% of rural folks accessing download speeds of 25 Mbps. 

Both federal and state governments responded with grant programs to expand broadband but there are problems with assuring that residents actually receive the promised services. 

With much fanfare, Governor Walker recently announced his plan to add money for broadband to schools and rural areas. Later, Senator Marklein released a different bill. The Senator’s bill was voted out of his rural affairs committee and is headed for final passage soon.

Sen. Marklein’s bill is false advertising. The bill is neither “rural” nor “broadband.” As now written, nearly every Wisconsin county would be eligible for expansion grants. “Broadband” for awardees is defined at the “turtle-slow” speed of 5 Mbps download and .6 Mbps upload. In addition, such a paltry amount of money is used for grants that would not cover my small rural county with broadband even if we used all the statewide funds. 

More problems exist with the federal grant programs.

Mr. Fortney described the problem in his email. He refers to one federal program known as “CAF-II.”

“Our area is CAF-II Subsidized Area, but still no Internet. These limited funds are being used by the…company to further increase the speed of areas that already have broadband.” Mr. Fortney described how both large companies near him said they have no plans to provide services to him. Yet both companies received large grants to expand broadband.

The two large companied mentioned by Mr. Fortney sent representatives to a community meeting I attended last year. Neither company would commit to expanding service in Pierce County. In the words of one company representative, “I don’t want to promise you fiber where fiber is not going to come…It’s not a great business investment to put in copper or fiber,” and “We’re not going to go trenching through a bluff…[we are looking for] where can we grab the low hanging fruit.”

What can Wisconsin do if these large companies do not intend to use federal dollars to bring the 21st Century to rural Wisconsin? 

First, we should agree on WHAT IS broadband. The federal definition – 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload is a good place to start. Unfortunately, Senate Bill 49 (the bill speeding for hasty passage) will award grants to those providing much less. 

Second, money for “Rural” broadband should go to rural areas. Senate Bill 49 – and the current state grant program – makes nearly the entire state eligible for awards. The Public Service Commission has broad latitude to send the money to just about any county in the state. This should change.

Third, Wisconsin must invest enough money to actually make a difference in the problem. To date, the state awarded 42 grants totaling approximately $3.9 million. This money is not enough to provide broadband for just my small home county. In comparison, Minnesota appropriated $65.5 million and Governor Dayton is proposing spending another $100 million.

Finally, Wisconsin should independently verify that companies keep their promises to the state (in their grant applications) and to consumers. I frequently hear of companies promising one speed and delivering another, of broadband maps that show an area as served and it is not, and of companies using poor service in an area to apply for a grant and then not delivering services to the neighbors.

Broadband is the 21st Century equivalent of electricity. Someday most of us may plan a visit to a rural area or are going to need to contact someone in a rural area. All of us are going to eat something grown in a rural area and these days you need broadband for farming. We need to make sure the promised “Rural Broadband” bill is the Real Deal for rural Wisconsin.


Thursday, March 2, 2017

Audit Hearing Highlights Problems and Way Forward with Transportation


From Senator Kathleen Vinehout

"Deputies are trying to figure out what caused a bridge on a rural road west of Arcadia to collapse.” The WEAU-TV story broke the same morning as a recent Legislative Audit Committee hearing on the State Highways Program.

As horrifying as the bridge collapse was, the story highlighted problems locals, others and I warned about for some time. Summer storms and floodwaters weakened older roads and bridges. State funds for local construction and maintenance did not kept pace with costs.

The recent audit, conducted by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB), shined a light on long-standing problems with the Department of Transportation (DOT). Many lawmakers, including myself, advocated for this audit because an analysis of DOT programs has not been conducted for many years.

Road conditions have gotten worse over five years (2010-2015). Using information from the audit, I calculated 38 Wisconsin counties have less than 5% of local (concrete or asphalt) roads rated “good”. Using the “International Roughness Index” measure of road conditions, Wisconsin ranked lower than six Midwestern states and the national average.

Sixty percent of Pepin County’s state highways rated “poor” or worse than “poor”. The state road through the village of Pepin is so bad that dandelions sprouted in the cracks. Village officials asked me for help after they were told the DOT could not help with paving – even though this state road is slated for repair.

I met with DOT officials and requested money for Pepin and over a dozen other road projects in western Wisconsin. I received the same answer I often hear, that it is a “local decision” and assistance to deal with the “local problem” was not forthcoming.

Highway commissioners and town supervisors tell me that pushing blame onto local officials without sending additional local resources is a problem that got much worse in recent years.

Auditors reported similar findings. For example, 70% of county highway commissioners who responded to an LAB survey indicated roadway maintenance funds for state highways in 2015 were “less than adequate”.

The audit contains two very interesting charts of county road conditions. I reviewed the proportion of state highways in “poor or worse” condition. I discovered half of the counties ranked in the top twenty-five percent as worst in the state were in the western Wisconsin and included EVERY county that touched the Mississippi River.

When I raised the issue of how money was spent by region of the state, newly appointed DOT Secretary David Ross could not answer me.

The audit did highlight solvable problems within DOT. Secretary Ross shared his willingness to accept all the audit recommendations and to work on fixing what he could right away.

But many of the problems are serious institutional issues related to the way DOT does its work and will not be resolved by the time the Legislature passes the 2017-19 state budget.

Our transportation fund has an imbalance that worsened in recent years. Projections show by the end of the next budget, nearly one in four dollars spend on transportation will go to pay debt – leaving less money available for roads and bridges. Delaying some projects is inevitable but every delay only drives up costs.

Governors of both political stripes paid for this transportation debt from the general fund. Governor Walker used more than $900 million of the General Fund – over three budgets – to pay for transportation projects and debt. This transfer left less money in the general fund to pay for needs like schools, the UW System and local government.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul should no longer be an option. Spending more and adding unsustainable debt cannot be the ‘go-to’ option again.

To fix the transportation fund we should improve efficiencies. The Audit Committee introduced a bill to adopt the legislative considerations in the audit. We will keep careful watch on the progress of the department and its new secretary and require periodic written reports.

However, efficiencies alone will not provide all the help needed to fix the deteriorating roads, bridges and other transportation needs of the state. Lawmakers should revisit the revenue options detailed by former DOT Secretary Gottlieb and figure out how to fix the long-term problems we face.


Related story, paved roads returning to gravel in Wisconsin as Travis Tranel, Scott Walker and their Tea Party bosses lead Wisconsin backward.  http://www.wpr.org/small-wisconsin-towns-paved-roads-return-gravel