Rep. Knodl's E-Update

Howe Elementary wins an award

Representative Scott Krug: Sends Congratulations to Howe Elementary School on State Award

Howe Elementary receives Wisconsin School of Recognition Award

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction honored Howe Elementary School this week with the 2011-12 Wisconsin School of Recognition award.

In order to earn this award, a school must be Title I eligible, be in the top percent of the state for free/reduced meals, have above-average student academic performance scores on the 2010-11 Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations in reading and mathematics when compared to similar schools, and have met adequate yearly progress indicators for the last two consecutive years.

State Representative Krug commends Howe Elementary on receiving this award.

“This award is an example of how dedicated the teachers of Howe are to educating the up and coming generation,” said Krug. “It also shows the children of Howe are among the best and the brightest.”

Recipients of this award receive a plaque, $5000 to be used for school related purposes and are invited to an awards ceremony at the State Capital on October 12^th.

We were discussing that we would like some feedback on legislation that is being introduced in Madison. So we are going to include some press release or e updates talking about legislation that is being floated around the Capitol and we want your input. Please e-mail us back with your concerns, comment or questions.

Representative Radcliffe representing the Black River Falls area introduced the legislation below, please contact us with your feedback.

I am introducing this bill to address education reform in a way that will help Wisconsin students, schools, and employers. The bill will allow school districts to offer a vocational high school diploma in addition to the traditional high school diploma now given, by allowing a school district to develop a vocational program(s) in areas of local interest. The school district's vocational program will be allowed to create its own curriculum without having to strictly adhere to the current requirement of 4 credits English, 3 credits Social Studies, etc. This will give our schools the flexibility they need and allow students to learn a vocational skill while in high school. Many employers have noted a great need for skilled employees and have indicated their desire to work with schools to move this idea forward. I believe it is time to allow students the opportunity to learn a vocation while still in high school. To rejuvenate manufacturing in our state, to entice growth and expansion of Wisconsin businesses and to prepare for the future needs of our workforce, I ask you to join me in sponsoring this bill.

Under current law, a school board may not grant a high school diploma to any pupil unless the pupil has earned at least 4 credits of English, 3 credits of social studies, 2 credits of science, 2 credits of mathematics, 1.5 credits of physical education, and 0.5 credits of health education. This bill authorizes a school board to grant a vocational high school diploma to a pupil who has not earned the academic credits specified above but has earned a sufficient number of credits in vocational subjects, as determined by the school board, if the Department of Public Instruction has approved the school district’s vocational curriculum.

This piece of legislation was introduced by Representative Bernier, she represents the Chippewa Falls area.

Co-Sponsorship of LRB 2614/2, relating to: creating a nonrefundable individual income tax credit for certain adoption expenses and modifying eligibility for the adoption expenses tax deduction.

It is estimated that approximately 120,000 children are adopted each year in the US, many of them in Wisconsin. The adoption process can be long and costly and place a financial burden on the prospective parents. This legislation is intended to assist with these costs by creating a nonrefundable income tax credit for certain adoption expenses. Worry over the many costs associated with adoption should not prevent a child from being placed in a loving home.

Currently adoptive parents may qualify for a refundable federal tax credit; however, this credit is scheduled to sunset in 2013. This legislation will help to make up for the reduction, and continue to give adoptive parents this assistance. There are currently over 14 other states that offer at least some additional assistance with adoption costs. They range widely in amount and qualifications from a $3,000 deduction in Arizona to a $20,000 deduction in Oklahoma, or a percentage based credit in North Carolina. These have been extremely beneficial to adoptive parents in these states in dealing with the often high cost of adopting a child.

This bill creates a nonrefundable individual income tax credit of up to $5,000 to cover qualified adoption costs. Qualified costs include adoption fees, court costs and related legal fees. If the credit amount exceeds the tax amount due by an individual, the credit can carry forward for up to five years. The individuals must first claim the federal credit before being eligible for the state credit. There is a $500,000 per year cap on the credit which amounts to a cost of $1 million over the biennium. The qualifications for the federal credit are being used to determine eligibility for the state credit and they include provisions relating to foreign adoptions, defining qualified expenses and phasing out the credit for those making between $182,520 and $222,520