After digging into detailed budget papers and talking to key players in developing budget
options for the Legislature, it looks like $5.84 million may be available for increasing child care payment rates under the Wisconsin Shares program. The final negotiations of the Joint Finance Committee as they completed their work on the budget included more funding than most child care advocates thought. The good news is that the rates are no longer frozen at 2006 levels, and there is movement toward a rate increase. That’s something to cheer about; $5.8 million is a lot of money, though there’s no guarantee that it will actually be used for this purpose.
Wisconsin’s Surplus Deal Didn’t Pass the Test
We applaud the legislators who put Wisconsin families over politics Last week the Governor’s problematic surplus deal was blocked in the Senate. This deal represents more than just a partisan disagreement about schools and taxes. At its core, this disagreement demands...



