Wisconsin has a budget and it does not contain a new levy limit for technical colleges. The $57 billion Budget, which the Governor signed this morning (Friday), reflects real new investments in the technical colleges and our students and preserves local revenue flexibility and retains existing levy limits on technical college property tax authority. Gubernatorial vetoes eliminated the 4% cap on operational levy increases for districts and the match requirement and grant limits for small business Workforce Advancement Training grants, both components of the compromise Budget bill passed by the Legislature. "Our System faired very well, considering the earlier proposals discussed this summer and fall," said Dan Clancy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System. "I am confident that we will continue to wisely use this authority to fuel Wisconsin's economic growth and provide educational opportunities to all its citizens."

The Budget, which was 117 days late, requires a $1 million lapse of existing WTCS funding (funds restored to the base in the next Budget) over the biennium. This is significantly smaller than the $14 million cut proposed earlier by the Assembly, which would have sliced agency operations by approximately 20%. Several policy items included in the Assembly proposal were also excluded from the final Budget. These included:

• Mandated increases in tuition for Collegiate Transfer courses.
• The establishment of tuition for English Language Learner courses.
• Restrictions on the use of public tax dollars for college enterprise operations, such as cafeterias, bookstores and child care centers.

Funding for the Workforce Advancement Training (WAT) grants will triple by the end of the biennium. The Budget doubles grant funding from $1 million to $2 million in the current year and by another $1 million to $3 million next year, with half of the new funding set aside for small businesses. The Governor vetoed a $20,000 grant maximum and 50% match requirement for small business grants that were included in the Budget Bill.

Other WTCS-related Budget Items:

• Increases Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) funding 2.5% this year and 2.4% next year, for a total of $1.25 million over the biennium.
• Provides $12 million to the Higher Education Aids Board (HEAB) to reimburse the cost of tuition remission for veterans attending the WTCS or UW. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates these funds will cover approximately 22% of the cost of veterans' tuition remissions.
• Requires the Department of Commerce to provide a $160,000 Development Fund Grant to the Chippewa Valley Technical College NanoRite Center.
• Requires the WTCS Board to allocate $194,000 in existing Incentive grant dollars to Northcentral Technical College to establish a Dairy Science Associate Degree Program.