Joint Finance Committee Action on Wisconsin Technical College System
The Joint Committee on Finance took the following action on the Wisconsin
Technical College System (WTCS) recently:
General Aid
The Committee adopted an alternative to the Governor's recommendation
regarding general aid which provides an additional 0.5% per year in
general aids for a total increase of 1.5% per year. This alternative
adds $1,666,800 GPR to the general aid appropriation over the biennium
which is in addition to the Governor's recommendation of $3,317,000
biennially. Therefore, under Joint finance, general aids would increase
from $110,199,200 in 1996-97 to $111,852,200 in 1997-98 and $113,530,000
in 1998-99. The vote on this motion was 10-5-1 (Senator George was absent).
Legislators voting for the motion were Representatives Ourada, Harsdorf,
Albers, Linton, and Coggs; and Senators Burke, Decker, Wineke, Jauch
and Shibilski. Representative Ourada made the motion.
Faculty Development Grants
The committee adopted three changes to the Governor's faculty development
grant (teaching innovation centers) proposal:
- Each WTCS district receiving a grant will be required to
provide local matching funds equal to at least 50% of the grant amount.
- The grant program and appropriation will sunset at the
end of the 1997-99 biennium (thus, there will be only two years of
funding).
- The WTCS Board will be required to submit a report by March
1, 1999, to the Legislature regarding the activities funded by the
grants and the effectiveness of teaching innovation centers.
These changes were outlined in Alternative #2 of Fiscal Bureau Paper
#946. We are seeking clarification on the actual vote for this alternative,
but there were at least 12 affirmative votes and perhaps 13. The funding
level proposed by the Governor for the 1997-99 biennium ($832,000 GPR
per year) did not change, except that the program will terminate after
two years.
Youth Apprenticeship Contracts
The Committee adopted, by a vote of 11-4-1, Alternative #3 described
in Fiscal Bureau Paper #947. Under this alternative, the Governor's
proposal (which would limit a WTCS district's contract with a school
districts for youth apprenticeship instruction to no more than the school
district's average instructional cost per pupil) was replaced by a provision
specifying that a WTCS district may not charge the school district an
amount greater than the WTCS district's direct instructional costs associated
with providing the youth apprenticeship instruction.
Transitional Services for Handicapped Students
The Committee defeated, on a vote of 7-8-1, a motion by Senator Decker
to increase funding for grants to WTCS districts for transitional services
by $200,000 GPR annually and to distribute the additional funds to the
eight districts which do not currently receive transitional services
grants.
Incentive Grants Program
The Committee adopted, on a vote of 14-1-1, a motion by Representative
Ourada to create a new incentive grant category for grants to WTCS districts,
or consortia of districts, to create or expand vocational and technical
programming at secured juvenile correctional facilities. The WTCS Board
would be allowed to award up to $150,000 annually under this category,
beginning in 1997-98. No additional funding would be appropriated to
fund this change. According to the Fiscal Bureau, There are four juvenile
correctional facilities currently operating in Wisconsin:
- Lincoln Hills School in Lincoln County;
- Ethan Allen School in Waukesha County;
- Southern Oaks Girls School in Racine County; and
- Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center in Dane County.
An additional facility in Prairie du Chien in Crawford County would
begin operations in 1998-99 under the budget bill.
Posted May 9, 1997