Sincerely,
richard g. chandler
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 14, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Under the open enrollment program, pupils may apply to attend public schools outside of the school districts where they reside. For each participating pupil, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) transfers state aid from the district where the pupil resides to the district where the pupil attends school. This per pupil transfer amount is based on the statewide average of all districts' direct educational costs, which include such costs as teacher salaries and fringe benefits but exclude such costs as those related to administration and building operations. As required by
2011 Wisconsin Act 32, the 2011-13 Biennial Budget Act, we have reported on the amounts transferred since the program began in the 1998-99 school year, as well as on alternatives that could be considered for modifying the per pupil amount of state aid that is transferred between districts.
In the 2010-11 school year, 34,450 pupils participated in the program, and the amount transferred per pupil was $6,665. A total of 224 districts lost more pupils than they gained through the program, 199 gained more than they lost, and 1 did not gain or lose any pupils. Most of the state's 424 districts either had a net gain or a net loss of 50 pupils or fewer, but 39 had a net gain or net loss of more than 100 pupils.
To illustrate a range of options, our report identifies five transfer amount alternatives that the Legislature could consider. To describe the potential financial effects of the five alternatives, we determined the amount of open enrollment funding each district would have gained or lost if any one of the alternatives had been in effect for the 2010-11 school year and compared the results to the amounts each district actually received in that school year.
We appreciate the assistance DPI extended to us in preparing this report.
Sincerely,
joe chrisman
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
December 14, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue respectfully submits its 2009-2011 biennial report. This report provides an overview of the agency's operations, accomplishments during the biennium, and goals for the 2011-2013 biennium.
In the upcoming biennium, my goals for the agency are to:
• Implement good tax policy, with a particular emphasis on policies that will promote job growth
• Deliver excellent customer service to individuals and businesses
• Operate the department efficiently and effectively
• Maintain a positive work environment
We want to lower the overall tax burden, make the taxpaying process easier for our customers, and wisely use taxpayer dollars in operating the agency.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Chandler
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
December 15, 2011
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2011-2012 session of the legislature, visit the Government Accountability Board's web site at
http://gab.wi.gov/.
Bauknecht, Jason Concerned Auto Recyclers of Wisconsin
Bauknecht, Jason J P Morgan Chase & Co.
Bauknecht, Jason Milwaukee Area Technical
College
Bauknecht, Jason Milwaukee Public Schools
Bauknecht, Jason Plumbers Local 75
Bauknecht, Jason Waste Management
Berken, Nathan Cottonwood Financial Ltd.
Berken, Nathan NextEra Energy Resources
Berken, Nathan Wisconsin Academy of
Family Physicians
Hoven, Timothy Element Power US, LLC
McIntosh, Forbes ATI
McIntosh, Forbes Goff Public for Polaris
Industries
Myers, Timothy Gogebic Taconite LLC
Schoenfeldt, Jeffrey ATI
Schoenfeldt, Jeffrey Goff Public for Polaris
Industries
Williams, William Gogebic Taconite LLC
Also available from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
kevin kennedy
Director and General Counsel
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The joint committee for review of Administrative Rules reports and recommends:
Relating to renewable resource credits.
No action taken.
Leah Vukmir
Senate Chairperson