Today is the last day of the fifth month of 2024. Time flies.
The Milwaukee Brewers are in first place, having just beaten Greg Something’s Chicago Cubs in 3 out of four games. The big money Cubbies are below .500 and are closer to last place than they are to first.
Shifting gears to bad news, the state’s largest school district is in greater disarray than even their most ardent critics could have imagined.
A sudden departure in Madison raises questions, meanwhile lawmakers prepare to run in new districts this fall.
Let’s get right to the final installment of Key Reads for the week (and the month).
MPS delays budget vote amid financial concerns, missing reports | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After state officials went public with serious concerns about missing financial reports from Milwaukee Public Schools, school board members voted Thursday to delay a vote on the district’s proposed budget for the next school year, which would cut nearly 300 staff positions.
Board members are required under state law to approve a budget by the end of June.
The decision comes as MPS is at risk of a suspension in state funding because district officials have failed to submit required audited financial reports to the state Department of Public Instruction, some of which were due over eight months ago. DPI officials warned the district in a letter on Friday that it could suspend state funds to MPS if the reports are not filed promptly.
Board members voiced frustration Thursday that they didn’t have more information. Board member Darryl Jackson said he had been “in the dark” before DPI’s letter…
District administrators have not answered questions from the Journal Sentinel about why the reports are late.
According to DPI, MPS has failed to provide an annual financial report with audits for the 2022-23 school year, as well as certified budget data for the 2023-24 school year. The documents were due in September and December of last year.
Sudden departures from key leadership positions are always larger than a one-day story. This is especially true in cases like this, where the leader had only been in his position for a few years. Expect more on this in the days ahead.
Leader of Wisconsin National Guard resigns | WKOW
Major General Paul Knapp will be resigning on June 6th of this year.
Brigadier General David May will serve as interim general to replace Knapp for now.
In a statement, Gov. Evers stated, “The people of Wisconsin are grateful for his service over the past four years during some of our state’s most challenging circumstances, as well as his decades of service to our state and country.”
The activist Wisconsin Supreme Court forced a drastic redistricting map upon Wisconsin voters. The resulting change may not yield Democratic party majorities as they hoped, but it will mean millions of us will have different state legislators next year, no matter how the elections pan out.
All told, at least 61 members of the state Assembly and Senate won’t run again in their old districts. Of those, 41 are Republicans and 20 are Democrats.
In the Assembly alone, 40 representatives — more than a third of the chamber —have either filed to run for new seats in the Legislature or say they plan on it.
Another 16 state lawmakers, including eight Democrats and eight Republicans, have announced plans to leave the Legislature entirely…
The final tally of lawmakers running for re-election in new districts or leaving the Legislature won’t be known until after June 3, when nomination papers are due to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
There are still issues regarding the location of the protest area being too close to the convention site, but while the Secret Service works on that, other preparations are being made to ensure the big political event is a safe one.
Wisconsin governor signs Milwaukee RNC emergency order | The Center Square
Wisconsin’s governor issued an emergency order to help with security preparations for Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention…
The emergency declaration makes it easier for Milwaukee to get both state and federal money to help with convention security.
The order “Direct[s] all state agencies of the State of Wisconsin to assist as appropriate to address the emergency; Grant[s] all law enforcement officers present in this state from July 13, 2024, through July 19, 2024, pursuant to an EMAC agreement between the state and another state or local jurisdiction for the purpose of providing assistance for the 2024, RNC the power of arrest, but only if those officers have arrest power in and have received use of force training required by their home jurisdictions,” the order states.
The fallout from these and other stories will continue, and we’ll continue to keep you informed. Have a wonderful weekend and we’ll be back with more Key Reads on Monday.
