The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program as directed by
1989 Wisconsin Act 336. The choice program provides public funding for low-income students from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to attend private schools. In the 1994-95 school year, 830 program participants are attending 12 private schools that will receive $3,209 for each student enrolled. In the first five years of the program, 1,636 students have attended choice schools at a cost of approximately $8.4 million.
Although scores on academic achievement tests have been collected for choice students and two comparison groups of MPS students each year, too few students have taken the tests or have participated in the program for enough years to draw meaningful conclusions about the program's effect on academic achievement. In the 1993-94 school year, only 145 of 733 participants had participated since the program's second year or earlier, participants had been in the program an average of 1.8 years, and the average annual rate of attrition (participants not returning) was 30.3 percent. However, surveys show that parents of participants are more satisfied with choice schools than they were with MPS schools.
The Legislature will need to consider how the various proposals to modify or expand the choice program will address numerous questions, including whether additional children will be permitted to participate; how MPS program offerings and finances will be affected; to what extent more seats in existing or potentially new private schools, including sectarian schools, will be available to choice students; and whether adequate accountability for the use of public funds can be provided without creating unnecessary administrative burdens.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by officials of all the participating schools; other private schools in the Milwaukee area; the Department of Public Instruction; Milwaukee Public Schools; and University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor John Witte and his staff.
Sincerely,
dale cattanach
Sate Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
February 7, 1995
To the Honorable the Senate:
At the direction of s.
13.685(7), Wisconsin Statutes, I am furnishing you with the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board that employ one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules, and notifying you of changes in the Ethics Board's records of licensed lobbyists and their employers. For each recently registered organization I have included the organization's description of the general area of legislative or administrative action that it attempts to influence and the name of each licensed lobbyist that the organization has authorized to act on its behalf.
Organizations recently registered:
Below are the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board as employing one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules.
Academic Staff Public Representation Organization (ASPRO)
Subjects: Any legislative or administrative rule that may affect academic staff in the University of Wisconsin system.
Coenen, Tom
Swandby, Janet
AFLAC
Subjects: Any matters relating to health insurance.
Christianson, Pete
Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc
Subjects: All matters pertaining to corporate business practices, including business development, transportation, environmental regulations, and employment relations.
Gerrard, Bill
Tenuta, James
Brewers Assn, Wisconsin State
Subjects: All areas affecting the brewing industry.
Krajewski, Thomas
McDowell, Kelly
Schreiber, Martin
Brown County
Subjects: Brown County will attempt to influence legislation and administrative rules in the following areas: administration, public safety; transportation; health and human services; education, culture and recreation; and planning and development. A further breakdown of these major areas is provided on Exhibit A.
Grondin, Jennifer
Building Owners & Managers Assn of Milwaukee, Inc
Subjects: Energy conservation, rental practices, taxation of leases and other property.
Driessen, Tony
CARE CPA
Subjects: State regulations which unnecessarily restrict entry into the Certified Public Accounting profession, commonly referred to as the '150 Hour Law'.
Earl, Anthony
Theo, Peter
S67
Center for Public Representation, Inc
Subjects: The Center will work on behalf of consumers, families and the low income community in the areas of access to health care, privacy, telecommunication policy, open government and on issues of public benefits and family support before the legislature, the courts and various administrative agencies.
Meili, Steve
Pritchard, Michael Gregg
Trubek, Louise
Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Inc, American
Subjects: All subject areas concerning civil liberties and civil rights.
Ahmuty, Christopher
Clinical & Consulting Psychologists, Inc, Society of
Subjects: Delivery of and access to behavioral health services of psychologists. Qualifications of providers and protection of consumers of psychological services. Regulation of the health care industry and third party payers.
Bowen, Sarah
Gundermann, Robert
Hilbert, Lisa
Wagner, Burton
Dairyland Greyhound Park, Inc
Subjects: All areas pertaining to pari-mutuel Greyhound racing and betting.
Hanson, Thomas
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
Subjects: Any legislation or regulation concerning alcoholic beverages, including but not limited to, sales tax, alcohol beverage trade practices, drunk driving, and excise taxes.
Essie, Patrick
Envirotest Systems Corp
Subjects: Matters relating to ozone regulations and Clean Air Act issues.
Cook, Sharon
Mitchell, Brian
FMN Management Services
Subjects: Same as above [IIA].
Swandby, Janet
Gas Co, Wisconsin
Subjects: All issues of potential impact to utility customers, employees or stockholders, including but not limited to human resource, tax, environmental, tort and regulatory issues. Company is particularly interested in pending utility deregulation proposals and WISDOT rules and policies related to utility facilities, rights of way issues and erosion control requirements in construction projects.
Lemmer, Carl
Lundgren, Jon
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Subjects: Tort reform, economic development, education, environmental issues, labor issues, health care and issues affecting small business. Other issues may include taxation, the state budget, telecommunications and all other issues of interest to Green Bay area businesses.
Herner, Dianne
Schillinger, Patrick
Swift, Duanne
GTE Telephone Operations North Area
Subjects: State legislation and administrative rules that would impact GTE North's ability to do business as a telecommunications utility, primarily taxation, Workers' Compensation, labor regulation, insurance, transportation, regulation of utilities, environment.
Bohling, Richard
Insurers, Alliance of American
Subjects: All legislation and regulations affecting property/casualty insurance.
Hauke, Thomas
Local Union 2150, IBEW
Subjects: All matters having to do with the above checked items related to labor issues, employment and workers' rights.
Sharp, Glen
May, Roy
Subjects: Obscenity.
Sicula, Paul
Midwest Security Insurance Companies
Subjects: Health reform legislation or rules; tort reform; all laws and regulations affecting insurance.
Engel, Michael
Milwaukee Public Schools Administrators & Supervisors Council, Inc
Subjects: DPI, aging and long-term care, Employee Trust Fund Board, child abuse and neglect.
Gobel, C.A.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
Subjects: Matters relating to transportation, law enforcement, safety, registration issues and registration plates.
Hough, James
Motion Picture Assn of America, Inc
Subjects: The focus of the MPAA, Inc., is to do all that is required to make sure US films/television programs/home video material can move freely and unhobbled throughout the U.S. Areas of legislation that we are involved with are correctly identified in Section IIA.
Christianson, Peter
Motorcycle Industry Council
Subjects: Matters relating to manufacture, distribution, sale and use of motorcycles, ATVs, their parts and accessories.
Broydrick, Bill
Muck Farmers Assn, Wisconsin
Subjects: All areas related to agriculture with special emphasis on legislation and rules relating to wetlands and drainage.
Vaughan, Michael
Pharmacists Assn, Wisconsin
Subjects: All matters affecting the products and services involved in rendering pharmacy care.
Decker, Christopher
Driessen, Tony
Theo, Peter
Pre-Need Coalition, Wisconsin
Subjects: The group was organized to promote the use of insurance as a funding source for funeral services.
Bablitch, Stephen
Jentz, Robert
Klauser, David
Psychological Assn, Wisconsin
Subjects: Current primary interests focus on Psychology Licensure.
Bowen, Sarah
S68
R. L. Polk & Co
Subjects: As a purchaser of Wisconsin motor vehicle title and registration data, the Polk Company is concerned with any state legislation or administrative rules regarding access to and use of this public record information.
Vaughan, Michael
Retail Lumber Assn, Inc, Wisconsin
Subjects: Any matters pertaining to our retail members and the lumber industry in general.
Coenen, Tom
Swandby, Janet
Retarded Citizens, Inc, Wisconsin Assn for
Subjects: Any legislation or rules affecting persons with disabilities and the services and supports they need - especially in community-based settings.
Nelson, Jon
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Inc.
Subjects: Areas relating to prescription drugs.
Schreier, David
Rifle Assn Institute for Legislative Action, National
Subjects: Matters related to firearms, ammunition, hunting & wildlife management and criminal justice reform.
Hosford, John
Robert W. Baird and Co, Inc
Subjects: Any matter affecting the company in any way by any state agency or the legislature.
Broydrick, Bill
Fitzgerald, Moira
Rural Development Center, Wisconsin
Subjects: Agriculture: food labeling, animal waste, university research policy.Natural resources: soil and water protection policies.Land use: local and regional land use planning and zoning policies.Banking: implementation of Reigel-Neal Interstate Banking Act.
Caneff, Dennis
Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp
Subjects: Mental health issues, Welfare, health care reform, drug pricing issues, access, coverage, budgets.
Peacock, Christine
Service Employees International Union, Joint Council 4
Subjects: We represent several thousand members who work in nursing homes across Wisconsin. Therefore, the Aging and Long Term Health Committee will be a focus of ours. We also represent several hundred school district employers so we care deeply about legislation dealing with education. Because we are a labor organization we will deal with Workers' Comp., employment, labor and job training. Also health care and human services.
Baxter, Robert
