Larson Weekly Report - September 29, 2011

Senator Chris Larson - 7th District/Wisconsin

Ensuring Truth on Our Property Tax Bill

Earlier this week my Milwaukee colleagues and I sent a letter to the Milwaukee Common Council, Mayor Barrett, Treasurer Whittow and Comptroller Morics requesting that they make our annual tax documents more transparent by separating the tax levy associated with the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) from the tax levy for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Milwaukee’s taxpayers deserve to know exactly how much of their money is going to fund private and religious schools through the MPCP. Inclusion of the information requested would amount to a simple act of truth in advertising and transparency in government.

In 2010, state law compelled MPS to levy over $50 million in taxes to subsidize the private and religious schools that make up the voucher program, over which MPS has no authority or control. This amounts to 17% of the total MPS tax levy going to non-MPS schools. New legislation at the state level has expanded the voucher program in Milwaukee to allow private schools outside Milwaukee to participate, while also removing all enrollment caps on the program and raising the income limits on participants. Due to these policy changes in the state’s 2011-2013 biennial budget, the cost of the MPCP will rise significantly and likely exceed the state’s official 2012 estimate of $53.4 million.

All of these changes come at a time when our public schools statewide are forced to make do with $1.6 billion less in state aide over the next two years, while spending on programs like the MPCP continues to balloon. In truth, Milwaukee taxpayers are now being billed for both the largest school district in the state, MPS, and the sixth largest, which is what the MPCP has grown to be with more than 21,000 students. The tax levy for the MPCP already exceeds the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) by nearly $10 million and is expected to exceed that of Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in the next few years.

Milwaukee's taxpayers deserve to know which programs are being funded with their hard-earned money. This is matter of public accountability, transparency and good government, which is why I remain committed to the request that local government separately displays the tax levy associated with the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program separately from the tax levy for Milwaukee Public Schools on all annual tax documents sent to tax payers.

To view a copy of the letter on property tax transparency submitted to the City of Milwaukee, please CLICK HERE.

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Fairness for All Students
I am supporting legislation that was introduced this week to make instructional materials available to all students attending our universities, colleges or technical schools. Currently many students enrolled in Wisconsin's higher education institutions who are blind, visually impaired or have a learning or reading disability do not have access to the textbooks and written materials needed to complete their coursework. This places many of these students at a disadvantage to their classmates.

This bill would enable schools within the UW System or Technical College System to request that a publisher provide textbooks and other materials in electronic format at no additional cost to the school or student. These digital texts can then be converted into a variety of additional formats, such as Braille, large print texts, audio recordings, digital texts, or any other format needed to meet the needs of our students. This service is in place for K-12 students and would simply be expanded to include continuing education students.

This legislation will empower students with disabilities by ensuring they have the same opportunity to succeed in their academic pursuits as their classmates. It will also help keep costs down at schools within the UW and Technical College Systems, while also enabling these educational institutions to better serve their students.

To view a copy of this bill, please CLICK HERE.
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Wisconsin Voter Rights Targeted Again
This past Tuesday, Republicans set the stage to roll back the ability of Wisconsin Students to use their college ID to vote and prohibit the use of certain technologies in recall elections. Click on the video below for more information.

While Scott Walker and his rubberstamp legislators have been working to silence Wisconsin's voters, I have been working hard to keep Wisconsin's voters informed of their rights. I have created a simple handout answering some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding Wisconsin's new voter restrictions. To view this handout