Pursuing educational excellence is long journey. If we are to persevere and stay the course, we must be child-centered. We need to work as a community, and we need to be aware of the successes and the problems we will confront along the way. Hopefully, the School Performance Report will help illuminate that journey.
Sincerely,
John T. Benson
State Superintendent, DPI
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
October 13, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report presents statements of fund condition and operations (budgetary basis) of the State of Wisconsin for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995. This satisfies the requirements of sec. 16.40(3), Wisconsin Statutes. Displayed are major sources of revenues and major categories of expenditures for the General Fund and other funds compared to the prior year.
The General Fund has an undesignated balance of $400.9 million as of the end of the fiscal year. This is $307.5 million higher than the $93.4 million estimate that was projected in the final Chapter
20 fund condition statement compiled in July of 1994, and $63.7 million higher than the $337.2 million estimate that was projected in the fund condition statement compiled in July of 1995 at the time
1995 Wisconsin Act 27 (the biennial state budget bill) was passed.
General purpose revenue taxes were $7.807 billion compared to $7.288 billion in the prior year, an increase of $519 million or 7.1 percent. General purpose revenue expenditures were $7.818 billion compared to $7.287 billion in the prior year, an increase of $531 million or 7.3 percent. This increase is primarily attributable to increased school and local assistance.
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General purpose revenue spending increases in fiscal year 1995 were largely driven by increases in four areas: school aids increased by $275.5 million, Corrections increased by $45.8 million, shared revenues increased by $43.6 million and the UW System increased by $39.7 million. These increases accounted for over 78 percent of the total increase in general purpose revenue spending.
In fiscal year 1995, the State of Wisconsin continued to devote the major share of state tax collections to assistance to local school districts, municipalities and counties. Local assistance accounted for 57.4 percent of total general purpose revenue spending. Aid payments to individuals and organizations represented 19.1 percent of total general purpose revenue expenditures. The University of Wisconsin accounted for 10.8 percent of total general purpose revenue spending and state operations spending for all other state agencies accounted for 12.7 percent of the total.
The State of Wisconsin expects to publish its comprehensive annual financial report in March of 1996. The report will be prepared under generally accepted accounting principles.
Sincerely,
James R. Klauser
Secretary, DOA
William J. Raftery, CPA
State Controller
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
Madison
December 4, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed in an Order of the Department of Revenue Adopting an Emergency Rule relating to the assessment of agricultural property as affected by
1995 Act 27. A copy of this emergency rule is being sent to you pursuant to the requirements specified in s.
227.24(3), Stats. A certified copy of the order has been filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and the Office of the Revisor of Statutes as required by s.
227.20, Stats.
This emergency rule will become effective on December 6, 1995 upon publication in the official state newspaper. It will remain in effect for 150 days after publication, when a permanent rule should be in place.
Copies of this letter and the emergency rule order are also hereby being transmitted to the Chief Clerk of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly with the request that the order, or a notice of it, be published in the Journal of each House to make the rule known to persons who will be affected by it.
The Department's fiscal estimate of the rule is also enclosed.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Bugher
Secretary of Revenue
