The Milwaukee Post

By LAUREN ANDERSON Conley News Service WAUKESHA — Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch touted the prioritization of Wisconsin's workforce development needs in Gov. Scott Walker's proposed biennial budget as the num- bers came in March 9 show- ing the state's unemploy- ment rate has fallen to its lowest point in 16 years. Kleefisch said employers are facing the challenge of finding skilled workers across the state. "Frankly, this is Wisconsin's biggest chal- lenge — meeting employer needs," she said. Walker's spending plan includes a more substantial investment in K-12 educa- tion than previous budgets, which Kleefisch said is part of the effort to narrow the gap between available jobs and qualified workers, Kleefisch said. "The governor is really committed ... to ensuring that we have the workforce that Wisconsin needs," Kleefisch said. "Not just today, but well into the future." Under Walker's plan, K-12 schools would see $649 mil- lion more in state money. The funding would be directed to increase a per- pupil payment that all schools receive. Currently, the per-student payment is $250, but it would rise to $450 in the first budget year and to $650 in the second year. Kleefisch touted the fund- ing increase, saying it would go directly to students' class- room experience. "It's a huge investment," she said. "We think this will yield tremendous dividends because the more you invest in the classroom, the more prepared our young people are going to be to go on to be college- and career-ready." The funding comes with a contingency, however, requiring that school dis- tricts be in compliance with Act 10 to receive any of the new funds. Relatively few school districts would be ineligible in light of that requirement, Kleefisch said, but could include the Oconomowoc, Madison, Beloit, Monona Grove and Verona districts. Meanwhile, Kleefisch said, Walker's budget pro- poses freezing tuition at both the state's technical colleges and University of Wisconsin System schools. "We know 50 percent of new Wisconsin jobs created will require something more than a high school diploma, yet less than a bachelor's degree — technical college," Kleefisch said. In the second year of the biennium, the plan calls for cutting UW tuition by 5 per- cent. The proposed budget also calls for a $10 million invest- ment in financial aid. "We want to make sure college is affordable for everyone," Kleefisch said. Democrats: No long-term solutions in budget Opponents of Walker's proposed budget, however, say it amounts to a re-elec- tion bid and fails to offer long-term solutions. "This budget is full of great talking points for (Walker) and the Republican Legislature that don't address the long-term issues facing everyday Wisconsinites," said Matt Lowe, chairman of the Waukesha County Democrats. "They're going to talk about investing in K- 12, the tuition freezes — this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the massive cuts they have put our pub- lic schools through in the last eight years. It's drops in a bucket compared to what is needed to really reinvest in our public schools." He said the budget plan also fails to address the state's transportation issues. "Our transportation issues, which have been dominating headlines recently for the out-of-con- trol costs that have been coming with them and unprecedented delays in our construction projects — there's no solution in this budget for that," said Lowe. Meanwhile, he said, another priority should be the state's student loan debt crisis. Democratic legislators have put forward various propos- als to help residents saddled with debt, but they have been shot down in commit- tee without a hearing, he said. "I'm not seeing the things out of the budget that would really put Wisconsin on the path to stop trailing the rest of the Midwest in job cre- ation," said Lowe. March 17, 2017 • Milwaukee County Post • 3 PACKARD PLAZA MALL - In Cudahy 5656 S. Packard • 414-897-7737 254372100 Hours: Tues-Fri 9-6pm Saturday 9-5pm SALE ENDS 3-24-17 SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE SPECIAL SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE SPECIAL SPECIAL DEAL WEEK SPECIAL DEAL WEEK OF THE OF THE SALE ENDS 3-24-17 With Ad Easter Baskets $1.00 Kites $1.00 Flower Planter/Pot 25¢ 3pk Black Markers 90¢ 400 Garage Sale Stickers $1.00 Biker Wallets $2.00 Tire Gauges 25¢ Syphon Pumps 50¢ Socks 50¢ Children's 7oz. 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