GOP school cuts continue to hurt students, communities and taxpayers.

MADISON, WI – After cutting $1 billion from Wisconsin’s K-12 schools since 2011, Republicans continue to prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy over funding for local schools. Several recent reports have highlighted massive tax breaks that have ballooned out of proportion which largely benefit individuals making over $1 million a year.

“Students are being denied a quality education and Wisconsin schools are falling further behind because Gov. Walker continues to prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy,” said Sen. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse). “Gov. Walker’s decision to cut $1 billion from our local schools and force families to pay higher school property taxes has been devastating for many communities.”

“Public schools are the heart of every community and Democrats are committed to restoring state funding, lowering property taxes and giving Wisconsin children the education opportunities they deserve,” added Shilling. “We need to restore the $1 billion in state aid that has been cut from our schools and put an end to Gov. Walker’s tax breaks that benefit millionaires and companies that outsource Wisconsin jobs.”

In most Wisconsin communities, state aid for local schools remains below funding levels from 2010-11. The three communities Gov. Walker is visiting today have been particularly hurt by Republican school cuts. Over the last five years, the Wauzeka-Steuben School District has seen a 12.4% state funding cut, the Hilbert School District has seen a 16% state funding cut and the Crandon School District has seen a 33.9% state funding cut.

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Tony Palese contributed to this story.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/construction-traffic-i35-s5.jpgThe recent Legislative Audit Bureau audit of State Highway Program showed the estimated costs at the time of a highway project approval were much less than costs at completion. The LAB makes many recommendations to DOT to improve their practices.

About innocent people, families who waited months for their visas, Iraqis who risked their lives helping U.S. troops, permanent residents who've lived in the U.S. for years who were detained in airports, or worse, deported.

MADISON - Millions of us watched in horror this weekend as Donald Trump's reckless Muslim ban went into effect.

Innocent people--families who waited months for their visas, Iraqis who risked their lives helping U.S. troops, permanent residents who've lived in the U.S. for years--were detained in airports, or worse, deported.¹

From coast to coast, massive, spontaneous protests showed that Americans won't stand for this. It's critical that we continue to speak out and show Trump that was only the beginning. Here are three things you can do today:

1. Call your member of congress and both of your senators. Our elected officials work for us, not Trump. They need to know that we are demanding they take action now to stop the draconian immigration actions by president Trump.

• Rep. Gallagher - (202) 225-5665
• Sen. Johnson - (202) 224-5323
• Sen. Baldwin - (202) 224-5653

2. Donate to the National Immigration Law Center. There are a lot of great groups working to stop the Trump's actions and help those who have been detained and the National Immigration Law Center is one that you don't hear about enough. They're leading the legal resistance to the Muslim ban now and will be there to protect immigrants in the months to come. 

3. Find a protest near you! One of the rays of hope this weekend was seeing thousands pour into the streets and into airports to speak out for our values. But protesting can't be someone else's job, it's up to all of us.

These are dark times for sure, but we will get through this together.

Thanks for taking action,

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Holly, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Anathea, Audine, Shannon, Megan, Libby, Emma, PaKou, and Pilar, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. Judge Blocks Trump Order on Refugees Amid Chaos and Outcry Worldwide, New York Times, January 28, 2017.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/construction-jobs-s5.jpgProject Labor Agreements (PLA’s) are one of the few tools that local governments have left to put “Wisconsin first” when it comes to public construction projects, but Madison legislators want to eliminate it as part of the bidding process.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voting-right-s5.jpgJudges rule today in GOP Election Rigging Lawsuit that districts must be redrawn and in place for November elections in 2018. Given their track record, the people have good reason to be concerned that Republicans may not follow the spirit and intent of the ruling.

$1 billion budget deficit looms as GOP opposes long-term funding solution.

MADISON, WI – Wisconsin’s unsafe roads are costing drivers more in repairs, delaying commute times and resulting in additional traffic accidents. A new audit reveals that Wisconsin roads, ranked 4th worst in the nation, are deteriorating at a rapid pace due to Republican budget cuts and project delays. According to the report, “The proportion of state highways rated in good condition decreased steadily from 53.5 percent in 2010 to 41.0 percent in 2015.”

“It’s undeniable that one of our state’s core responsibilities is maintaining safe roads that ensure families can get where they’re going and products can be transported efficiently,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse). “Instead of solutions, Gov. Walker and Legislative Republicans have created a crisis that is jeopardizing thousands of jobs and putting the safety of Wisconsin drivers at risk.”

“Democrats will continue to stand with Wisconsin families, farmers and small businesses who support safe roads and a responsible, long-term transportation funding fix,” added Shilling. “With a $1 billion transportation deficit just months away, it’s time for the majority party to take a hard look at the facts and start working toward solutions. Wisconsin can’t afford to lose more jobs to Republican budget deficits and project delays.”

A report in 2016 estimated that Wisconsin’s deteriorating roads cost drivers $6 billion a year in increased vehicle maintenance costs, repairs and lost time. While Democrats have backed several long-term transportation funding solutions, Gov. Walker and Legislative Republicans have refused to adopt these measures and are demanding additional road project delays and construction layoffs in the 2017-19 state budget.

“The Republican leadership’s neglect of our roads is as inexcusable as it is unacceptable," added Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). "Our crumbling infrastructure is costing taxpayers and hurting our economy. This is yet another hurdle for our struggling middle class and our slow job creation."

“The GOP has let the taxpayers of Wisconsin down. We are in a crisis state, and we need to take immediate action,” Barca concluded.