tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53653191377625281932024-03-13T09:09:23.632-05:00Milwaukee TalkieA Public Policy Forum blogRob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-46499232836061366612013-01-14T15:43:00.000-06:002013-01-14T15:43:39.350-06:00Our blog has moved!Milwaukee Talkie, the blog of the Public Policy Forum has moved.
Our new blog address is: www.publicpolicyforum.org/blog.
Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly.Jeff Schmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184037843011498734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-11419336346728178402013-01-11T15:00:00.000-06:002013-01-11T15:00:03.213-06:00PPF Pearls: State investment in workforce developmentAs Governor Walker prepares his biennial budget, anticipation
is building over whether he will propose additional state investment for workforce development. The Public Policy Forum’s July 2012 report on Wisconsin’s workforce development system identified 36 programs in nine state departments that provided employment and training services in fiscal year 2012,
and found that a vast majority of theJoe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-61912276878155643312012-12-27T08:46:00.001-06:002012-12-27T08:46:31.477-06:00Public Policy Forum's top five research findings of 2012If it’s December, then it must be time for the Forum’s
annual list of its top five research findings of the year. Last year’s list included findings on MMSD’s
daunting capital needs, the dramatic decline in Milwaukee County’s corrections
population, the City of Milwaukee's reliance on state shared revenue, and our
region’s tardiness in embracing strategic economic development planning. Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-7096661309634326262012-12-21T07:00:00.000-06:002012-12-21T07:00:06.733-06:00Passing the test, but making the grade?When the Public Policy Forum decided to dive deeply into the finances of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) six months ago, we did so with considerable trepidation. Having tracked MPS' finances on a general level for the past several years, we were well aware of the district's huge retiree health care liability, the fiscal threat posed by declining enrollment, and the impacts of the latest state Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-38578993930924563642012-12-14T06:30:00.000-06:002012-12-14T06:30:00.938-06:00Progress and challenges for workforce development efforts in MilwaukeeIn a new report examining Milwaukee’s workforce development system, the Public Policy Forum cites a higher level of coordination and cohesion among key workforce development players since the establishment of the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB) in 2007, but suggests a need for better coordination between the city’s economic development priorities and the needs of its unemployed.Joe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-23095130944896879832012-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:002012-11-08T08:00:05.213-06:00Racine Unified Takes Proactive Steps to Close Achievement Gaps, Enhance AccountabilityAcross the state, school accountability has been a hot
topic in recent weeks, including the first release
of individual school
report cards in late October, which sparked
lively public discussion about how to effectively measure and improve
school quality, student achievement, and teacher effectiveness.
In Southeast Wisconsin, Racine Unified School District
(RUSD) is actively engaged in Anne Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03118528812728353302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-24905774889037911142012-10-22T08:30:00.000-05:002012-10-22T15:43:32.611-05:00Enhanced Role for Nursing in Milwaukee County's Redesigned Mental Health SystemFew would dispute the idea that effective mental
health care relies on the quality and accessibility of health care
professionals, especially nurses. As stakeholders in Milwaukee County work to
redesign the county’s mental health system, one of the crucial issues they face
is how to build an effective and efficient mental health nursing workforce in
light of anticipated changes under the new Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-39726824595221045442012-10-18T08:00:00.000-05:002012-10-18T09:33:46.619-05:00Density and transit in metro MilwaukeeGreater
Milwaukee has had a long and contentious debate about public transit, with one
common argument against investing in rapid transit being that the region doesn't have the population density to support it. A recent study from
the U.S. Census Bureau, however, may be cause for reexamining that contention. It
finds Milwaukee among the densest metropolitan areas in the U.S., with Joe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-90859409923365285192012-10-16T07:30:00.000-05:002012-10-16T07:30:05.442-05:00City budget manages new fiscal reality, at least for the time beingThe
main focus of the Public Policy Forum’s annual review of the Mayor’s proposed
City of Milwaukee budget – released this morning – is the immense challenge
posed by a $59 million pension fund payment in 2013, which marks the beginning
of an unprecedented series of pension payments that will impact city budgets
for the foreseeable future. We find that
thanks to the foresight exhibited in Vanessa Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12030550005898454906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-49711030803675942662012-10-11T08:00:00.000-05:002012-10-11T08:00:04.994-05:00County's finances on the upswing, but big hurdles remainThe Public Policy Forum released its annual review of the Milwaukee County Executive's recommended budget today, and the tone is decidedly more upbeat than in previous years. Because of a smaller (but still substantial) budget gap heading into the year, and thanks to an unexpected $13 million 2011 surplus, this year's county budget is the least difficult in years. As we Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-16425645034449156362012-09-25T07:46:00.004-05:002012-09-25T07:46:58.005-05:00New standards and tough goals for region's school districts.
Public school districts in southeast Wisconsin are likely to be hard-pressed to meet new annual performance objectives adopted by the state in connection with its No Child Left Behind Act waiver. The new objectives are quite ambitious, requiring significant annual improvement by all demographic subgroups of students. In the latest edition of our annual report, "Public Schooling in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-59419547629299480902012-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:002012-09-19T08:00:00.250-05:00Consolidating dispatch operations in Milwaukee County's South Shore Would an independent consolidated dispatch center better serve the communities of Cudahy, St. Francis, and South Milwaukee? Our latest report finds that consolidating dispatch could produce substantial operating and
equipment savings, as well as operational improvements, which include the ability to
better coordinate responses to major incidents. It also indicates, however, that those Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-19110306495580098242012-09-17T07:50:00.000-05:002012-09-17T07:50:00.969-05:00Enhancing public policy reporting The Public Policy Forum is launching a new project this fall that is somewhat distinct from our usual portfolio of public policy research, facilitation and deliberation. It's called the "Excellence in Public Policy Reporting" fellowship, and we see it as our small contribution to enhancing both the quality and quantity of local government reporting in Milwaukee.
The project - which Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-82568091160987342112012-08-08T08:00:00.000-05:002012-08-08T08:00:14.986-05:00Revisiting the role of countiesThe title of an article by Alan Greenblatt in this month's Governing magazine asks a question that has received considerable attention in Milwaukee County during the past few years: Are counties "an outdated concept or the future"?
Local businessman Sheldon Lubar aggressively raised that question in 2008, when he suggested in a speech to the downtown Rotary Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-10162147597233758462012-07-26T08:00:00.000-05:002012-07-26T08:00:16.045-05:00Analyzing workforce development services in WisconsinWisconsin’s workforce development system is comprised of a broad range of employment and training services, from job search and placement assistance to vocational
rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities. The Forum’s latest report – commissioned by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) – offers policymakers and service providers a view of the system as a whole, includingJoe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-71566647353513181002012-07-17T10:00:00.001-05:002012-07-24T08:46:07.749-05:00PPF Pearls: Wisconsin and the Internet sales taxYesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that tight state budgets have resulted in several governors adopting Internet sales tax agreements with online retailers that require these sellers to collect state sales taxes at the time of purchase, even if they do not have a “brick-and-mortar” presence in the state.
Such agreements ensure these states receive the sales tax they are due; relying on Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-31113582055974442552012-07-12T08:00:00.000-05:002012-07-12T08:00:12.765-05:00Measuring Milwaukee County Juvenile Justice RecidivismTo what should Milwaukee County attribute its declining adult and juvenile detention population? This question took shape in a research brief published a year ago by the Public Policy Forum, entitled “Milwaukee County Detainee Populations at Historic Lows: Why is it happening and what does it mean?” In that report, the Forum urged county law enforcement officials and policymakers to consider Vanessa Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12030550005898454906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-75284153394494884552012-07-05T08:00:00.000-05:002012-07-05T08:57:53.275-05:00Afterschool in Milwaukee: Is it child care?In our latest report on child care policy in Wisconsin, released today, the Forum estimates between 24,000 and 30,000 school-age children attend afterschool programs in Milwaukee. Starting this week, these school-age programs will now be subject to the same quality rating system as child care programs for younger children. This promises to bring dramatic changes to many afterschool Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-30505297484941468232012-06-28T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-28T08:00:11.130-05:00The role and impact of Milwaukee’s Protective Payee programSince 2001, three Milwaukee nonprofit agencies have collaborated on a program that provides financial oversight, budget counseling, and supportive case management to more than 200 homeless adults with disabilities each year. A new Forum report released this morning provides an assessment of that program – known as the Protective Payee program – within the context of Milwaukee County’s effort to Joe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-37045744833512271482012-06-11T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-11T08:16:19.703-05:00Property tax levies decline for the first time in over a decadeThe aggregate gross tax levy for southeast Wisconsin totaled
$3.9 billion for 2012, a decrease of 0.3% over the previous year and the first
decrease since at least 2000. Until this year’s slight decrease, the aggregate
levy increased annually, although the rate of increase in the previous four years
had been steadily slowing.
This finding highlights the Forum’s
2012 analysis of property valuesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-34349010440983265782012-06-01T08:30:00.000-05:002012-06-01T08:30:01.212-05:002012 Salute winners demonstrate innovation and efficiencyLater this month, the Public Policy Forum will hold its 20th annual Salute to Local Government awards breakfast, which recognizes outstanding performance by governments, school districts and individual local government officials. The 2012 winners were announced today, and they include an impressive mix of projects and individuals who demonstrate the Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-63542309708983915672012-05-30T08:00:00.000-05:002012-05-30T08:00:00.973-05:00Possibilities for shared or consolidated fire services in southern Milwaukee CountyA new report released by the Public Policy Forum this morning finds that the five municipal fire departments in the southern part of Milwaukee County work closely together, providing mutual aid in times of high activity and cooperating in areas ranging from training to special rescue teams. That begs the question: could the five departments do even more to share services, perhaps Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-62435555695393978652012-04-30T08:00:00.000-05:002012-04-30T08:00:07.609-05:00R&D on the rise at Milwaukee-area universitiesA recent Public Policy Forum report looked
at the impacts university research can have on local economic development and
presented several models that could help to expand technology transfer in southeast
Wisconsin. We found that while coordinated infrastructure is needed to convert
research into new businesses and jobs in the local economy, the impact on local
economic development is also Joe Peterangelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10253477247246487466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-43341144819384108272012-04-25T13:15:00.000-05:002012-04-25T13:15:10.251-05:00Should we be concerned about the decline in family child care providers?During the debates over Wisconsin's new child care quality improvement initiative, the YoungStar quality rating system, it became clear that an anticipated trade-off for quality improvement was likely to be a reduction in the number of child care providers. The providers predicted to most likely be negatively impacted were family child care providers (who care for small numbers of children Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365319137762528193.post-55436114464668240752012-03-19T08:00:00.001-05:002012-03-19T08:00:16.060-05:00A closer look at non-instructional expenditures in suburban school districtsThe Forum released a new report this morning that examines out-of-classroom expenditures in Milwaukee County's suburban school districts. The examination was prompted by the increased pressure faced by most districts to identify operational cost savings while also maintaining or enhancing academic performance. Given the apparent conflict between the two imperatives, non-instructional areas of Rob Henkenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03252538689924464268noreply@blogger.com0