Joint Finance Committee and Gov. Evers Schedule Public Hearings on the State Budget

Both the Joint Finance Committee and Governor Evers announced this week that they are holding public hearings on the proposed 2019-21 state budget (full schedules listed below). These are the only public hearings that will be held on the proposed state budget. The Joint Finance Committee uses feedback received at the public hearings to help them decide which items to keep, modify or remove from the budget. 

If you have never testified at a budget hearing before, you can use this tool kit to help you prepare your testimony and to let you know what to expect on the day of the hearing. 

You can also check out this list of in-district listening sessions to see if there are opportunities to meet with your own state senator and state representative. 

The following educational technology items are included in Governor Evers' proposed 2019-21 state budget:   

• Eliminates the TEACH Educational Technology Training Grants. These grants provide $1.5 million in yearly funding to eligible rural school districts and libraries to provide training to teachers and librarians on the use of educational technology.

• Eliminates the Personal Electronic Computing Device (1:1) Grant program after the 2019-20 school year. This grant program provides $9.2 million in yearly funding for the purchase of student one-to-one devices (laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, etc.) and supporting software, curriculum, and training.

• Restores state funding for the Media Lab run by the Educational Communications Board. Media Lab funds support Wisconsin-based K-12 educational media production. State funding was eliminated for this programming in the 2015-17 state budget. 

• Extends the TEACH Information Technology Infrastructure Block Grant program until June 31, 2021 but reduces funding from $7.5 million per year to $3 million per year.These grants provide technology infrastructure to improve the capacity of rural school districts to utilize technology for students. Eligible purchases include: portable devices/hotspots, routers, access points, cabling, firewall services and other items. 

2019-21 State Budget Public Hearing Schedule  

Friday, April 5, 2019 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Pontiac Convention Center

2809 North Pontiac Drive

Janesville, WI 53545

Wednesday, April 10, 2019 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Oak Creek Community Center

8580 South Howell Avenue

Oak Creek, WI 53154

Monday, April 15, 2019 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

University of Wisconsin – River Falls

University Center – Riverview Ballroom #260

500 Wild Rose Avenue

River Falls, WI 54022

Free Public Parking Accessible at: PAY 1 LOT, North Second Street, River Falls, WI 54022

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

University Union - Phoenix Rooms

2430 Campus Court

Green Bay, WI 54311

Governor Evers’ Public Hearing on the State Budget

Wednesday, April 3  (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., doors open at 5:15 p.m.)

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point,

Laird Room, Dreyfus Center,

1015 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481

Register online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHpLSCbK2uLDOpytPQQKeXPe3xgiN0dgG6r0eG97PoJnY2WA/viewform