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Technology

Gov. Evers demands release of delayed federal school aid for 20 Wisconsin school districts

Gov. Tony Evers is calling on the leader of the U.S. Department of Education to immediately release federal school aid that has been delayed during the ongoing government shutdown. In a Nov. 10 letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Evers demanded the federal agency send Impact Aid payments to 20 school districts in Wisconsin that were expecting to receive the funding last month. The districts serve over 21,000 children and rely on the money to keep operations running, Evers said. The federal Impact Aid program supports school districts in places with nontaxable federal land and reimburses them for lost local property tax revenue, including those with national forests or Native American reservations in their boundaries. But the longest-ever federal shutdown has put the funding on pause. “Refusal to fulfill your legal and statutory obligations by providing these payments to schools that support core operations is unacceptable and requires your urgent attention,” Evers wrote to McMahon. Most of the affected districts in Wisconsin are in rural areas and operated by tribal nations, Evers said. The halt in funding has sent district leaders scrambling to sort out their finances and keep their doors open, school officials previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. School leaders said they also worried delays could stretch even longer after the Trump administration moved to gut the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce, including the majority of employees who oversee the Impact Aid program. Even as the government nears a deal to reopen, it's unclear how the federal education department would process future payments without adequate staff, said Anne O'Brien, a spokesperson for the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools. "The U.S. Department of Education has provided no guidance or timeline for when school districts can expect to receive these payments,” Evers wrote to McMahon. Most federal education dollars are still flowing to local school districts, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. But unlike other federal education funds, Impact Aid is distributed directly to school districts by the U.S. Department of Education. The federal government issued over $24 million in Impact Aid payments to Wisconsin school districts in the 2025 fiscal year, including districts in Bayfield, Ashland, Tomah and Black River Falls, according to the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools. Marcus Denny, superintendent of the Menominee Indian School District, said the district was expecting to receive about $3 million in October, of its total $5 million in Impact Aid for the school year. Impact Aid constitutes about 40% of the district’s annual budget and helps pay for curriculum, teacher salaries and other student resources. Denny said the district was tapping into its general fund -----— and incurring some debt — to pay staff until it receives state aid in December. He said the district also froze spending and canceled professional development programs for staff and field trips for students. Menominee Indian schools serve about 1,000 students, a majority of whom are Native American. Nearly all students in the district are economically disadvantaged, according to the DPI. In his letter, Evers said the Impact Aid delay appears “completely unnecessary and entirely self-inflicted by the Trump administration.” “(The pause) is just the latest in a long list of examples of the real and harmful impacts you and your administration are inflicting on Wisconsin’s kids and schools, particularly those in our rural communities,” Evers told McMahon. “Please take immediate action. Wisconsin kids rely on the resources provided by our schools and funded by this program.” Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions at the Journal Sentinel. Reach her at khuynh@gannett.com and follow her on X at @_kaylahuynh. All of her work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors. Kayla’s position receives support from Kohl Philanthropies and contributions to the Community-Funded Journalism Project. Help continue this reporting with a tax-deductible donation at jsonline.com/support.

13 hours ago

Technology

'The Rose of Treason' remembers students who fought Hitler with words

Pity, for a moment, playwright James DeVita, who had to read the writings of Adolf Hitler to mine the quotes he incorporates in "The Rose of Treason." But, as his drama shows, that labor was necessary. To defeat a powerful enemy, you have to know and understand him in detail. First Stage Young Company, a troupe of advanced teen actors, is performing DeVita's drama through Nov. 16 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. It is the story of the White Rose, a group of university students who nonviolently resisted the Nazi regime and paid the ultimate price for it. In keeping with the Young Company's acting-focused method, the performers wear mostly white clothes and perform on a simple set with movable furniture. But director Reva Fox also incorporates significant technology, projecting words and imagery onto a screen. Several scenes begin with Hitler's words explicitly laying out his strategy for controlling and manipulating people. Sophie Scholl, a real historical figure, her brother Hans (Marko Van Slyke) and their university friends resist the Nazi regime primarily by writing and disseminating leaflets that challenge and mock Hitler's regime. While Scholl is played by Reiley Fitzsimmons, understudy Evie Maassen performed the role at the Nov. 9 performance I saw. She was surefooted and convincing. The White Rose group has the fire of young revolutionaries, but at times seems to understand they may be playing a dangerous long game against the Nazis and fellow Germans who would betray them for a reward. "The Rose of Treason" is very much a show about the power of words and the importance of continuing to speak and write them, even in perilous times. I wish I could simply think about this material as something historical. But the alarming upsurge in social media and political discourse with positive Hitler takes makes it clear that some people have forgotten the most important thing to remember about the Holocaust: Never forget. First Stage Young Company performs "The Rose of Treason" through Nov. 16 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. Visit firststage.org or call (414) 267-2961. First Stage recommends this show for people 12 and older.

13 hours ago

Technology

State lawmakers propose study of school districts statewide on consolidation

As school districts struggle with budgets that can't keep up with inflation, inadequate state funding and declining enrollment, two state legislators have proposed action that could help. State Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield) and state Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) introduced the bill Nov. 10. It seeks to study the potential for school district consolidations statewide. The study would include looking at school district boundaries, existing school district facilities, staffing levels and salary scales, the population of school-age children in each district, as well as revenue limits and current overall spending, the bill's text said. The bill comes at a time when school districts statewide are increasingly turning to referendums to help meet shortfalls — whether in their operational budgets or for capital projects. More: Wisconsin schools are facing fiscal cliffs, closing buildings and going to referendum. How did we get here? What would the study entail? The study would result in a report and recommendations to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which would subsequently submit the report to the Legislature. It would include information such as the conditions of existing school district facilities, current and projected population of school-age children in each district. Recommendations for potential consolidations would consider efficiencies, geographic feasibility and economic viability, the bill's text said. For each recommended school district consolidation, the report would include information such as the municipalities within the district, the estimated enrollment of the district and the location of and grade levels served by each school building in the district. The bill also would require the DPI to submit a request to the Joint Committee on Finance for funding to accomplish the study by July 1, 2026, the bill's text said. Why study school consolidations? Quinn said the bill is to help start a conversation about continued declining enrollment and population declines in the state and how to address that topic. "We've got these school districts that developed during a time when communities were growing, and I know there's been some consolidation over the years. We've gone from one-room schoolhouses to districts, but I still think there's a lot of opportunity and potential, especially as communities continue to pass referendums, that we have to do that deep dive and say the way we've always been doing business, does that make sense anymore? That's what this study, I hope, will show us as taxpayers and as lawmakers," Quinn said. "Instead of just this natural decline of who can pass a referendum and who can't, let's give communities tools to really look at real data to have these conversations, these potentially tough conversations," Quinn said. Duchow said legislators have been having conversations "for quite a while now" about declining enrollment in schools and the state's shrinking population. She said that while some school districts, like Kettle Moraine and Waukesha, are being proactive by closing schools or considering closing schools, district consolidation is different due to the research that's required. "Some of that gets to be expensive, and that's why we thought it would be better if the state could do an overall study and then people could use that information to determine what their next steps would be," she said. She noted that in some cases consolidation is likely not feasible. "In rural parts of the state it's not going to work because there's just no one nearby to consolidate with, where in more populated areas it would be easier," she said. DPI spokesperson Chris Bucher said in an email that the department is analyzing the legislation and intends to provide testimony on the bill when it is up for a hearing. The Assembly Committee on Education has a public hearing scheduled to talk about the bill Nov. 11. Have any districts locally had conversations about consolidation? There has been at least some preliminary consolidation talks among school districts in western Waukesha County. In August, the Arrowhead Union High School District and its seven K-8 feeder districts agreed to pursue a financial analysis associated with potentially consolidating at least some of those districts. Arrowhead School Board President Kim Schubert said in an email that the districts are still discussing who will be part of the core team of individuals participating in the financial analysis. The specific consolidation scenarios to be analyzed are also still being discussed, Schubert said. Contact Alec Johnson at 262-875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

13 hours ago

Technology

Local immigrant advocates share tips to fact-check social posts on immigration enforcement

When federal immigration raids began in September in Chicago, social media feeds were quickly flooded with posts from concerned neighbors alerting others to increased immigration enforcement in the city. While many posts about immigration were accurate, some posts did not contain accurate information, according to Laura Rodriguez Presa, senior reporter at the Chicago Tribune. “Everything is happening really quickly,” Rodriguez Presa said. “By the time community members or rapid response teams or elected officials get to the potential location, maybe ICE had already left that area … It’s a fluid situation.”   Though there have been some sightings of federal immigration agents in courthouses and neighboring cities, Milwaukee has yet to see a large-scale immigration operation like those seen in Chicago or Memphis. Rodriguez Presa said she recommends that, when people read information online about immigration agents in their city or neighborhood, they should learn how to verify the information and think about the best way to share the most accurate information before posting or reposting about immigration enforcement on social media. Here's what several Wisconsin-based immigrants' rights organizations, like United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS), Forward Latino and Voces de la Frontera, recommend doing before resharing or posting about immigration enforcement activity to avoid spreading false information and stoking fear in the community. Who is sharing the information in the post? Is it a first-hand account? When scrolling on social media, if you come across a video of a potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest or other immigration enforcement activities, it's recommended that you verify where the original post is from and who shared it. It's important to verify if the post was shared by a trusted immigrants' rights organization or a fake account, said Luis Velasquez, statewide organizing director at Voces de la Frontera. Additionally, if videos or photos in a post are not taken by someone who witnessed the event in real time, it can be difficult to verify the incident, as you may not have all the necessary information to do so, Velasquez said. Is the content current or outdated? If the post does not include the date, time and location of the sighting, it’s best not to share it, as that can lead to confusion if the post is outdated, said Darryl Morin, president and CEO of Forward Latino. Has the sighting been verified by a trusted organization? If a social media post that claims to show immigration enforcement agents has not been verified by a trusted local immigrants' rights organization, it's best to refrain from reposting it. If you still feel the need to repost, include a disclaimer that the post is unverified to ensure you're not contributing to the possible spread of misinformation, Velasquez said. According to Morin, organizations such as Forward Latino, UMOS and Voces de la Frontera can verify social media posts by using their own teams of verifiers, contacting local police departments, cross-referencing reports and using geo-location technology to verify the location of any photos or videos shared online. Contacting a local immigrant rights organization allows for quick, safe and accurate verification of immigration enforcement sightings, Morin said, adding that Forward Latino often receives calls with reports of ICE or Border Patrol activity from across Wisconsin. “The overwhelming majority are false, and we’ve been able to trace back a number of them to fake accounts from individuals that are intentionally trying to stoke fear in our communities,” Morin said. What to do if you want to share an immigration sighting Both Morin, with Forward Latino, and Marjorie Rivera Torres, interim vice president of social services at UMOS, recommend calling Voces de la Frontera’s rapid response hotline to verify social media posts about immigration enforcement before posting any information on your own. "When there’s a report of ICE activity, Rapid Response volunteers are the first line of community defense," Velasquez said. "They help make sure families stay safe, rumors are verified, and people’s rights are protected." Voces de la Frontera's rapid response emergency hotline number is 1-800-427-0213. Hotline operators are trained to calmly collect important details and connect the caller with the appropriate support, including legal defense resources or mutual aid, Velasquez said. Velasquez said he recommends those who wish to alert the community about an immigration enforcement sighting to share the following information with a rapid response hotline: The time and location of the potential arrest or raid.The number of agents seen and descriptions of their uniforms and vehicles.The number of people detained, if any. If you witness a potential immigration detention that you want to record and post about, first call a hotline and then record the activity, Velasquez said. If you witness a potential detention and you are with a group, have one person call a hotline while others record and photograph the incident. Rivera Torres said, if it’s safe for neighbors to do so, they have the right to ask the individual being arrested to shout out their name and the contact information of a family member so someone can help notify their family of their detention. After contacting the hotline, Voces de la Frontera can send their own team of rapid response verifiers to the location to confirm if a report is really an ICE operation or something else, Velasquez said. If anyone is detained, Voces can follow up with family members or legal counsel, and they can canvas the area while distributing "know your rights" information to neighbors, Velasquez said. If you are a U.S. citizen and you feel safe enough to approach the agents, you have the right to ask them to confirm which agency they work for and if they have a warrant, Velasquez said. If the agents say they are with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), they are likely conducting immigration enforcement, Velasquez said. If they say they are with a local police department or the Sheriff's office, for example, they may not be participating in an immigration enforcement operation. Alyssa N. Salcedo covers Layton Boulevard West for the Journal Sentinel's Neighborhood Dispatch. Reach her at asalcedo@gannett.com. As part of the newsroom, all Alyssa’s work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors. Support for this effort comes from the Zilber Family Foundation, Journal Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation and individual contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. The project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association.  Learn more about our community-funded journalism and how to make a tax-deductible gift at jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation with “JS Community Journalism” in the memo, then mailed to: Local Media Foundation, P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.

13 hours ago

Technology

'You can see that thing from everywhere': Port Washington lighthouse now 'glossy and bright'

A $2.6 million restoration project to revitalize Port Washington's iconic 90-year-old Breakwater Lighthouse is complete. The black shroud and scaffolding that has surrounded the lighthouse during the restoration has been removed, leaving a fresh coat of bright white paint in place of the previous lead paint layer, as well as a more robust structure ensuring the landmark remains stable for future generations. The project was primarily paid for with a $2.2 million Wisconsin Department of Transportation grant for historic building preservation. The rest of the project's cost was fundraised. On Nov. 5, around 35 people attended a ribbon cutting ceremony held right under the lighthouse at the end of a half-mile-long breakwater. "It was a perfect Port Washington day — warm sun and freezing breeze," Mayor Ted Neitzke said. "It was just amazing. The sun was gently setting to the west and the lighthouse was literally gleaming, which it has not done for my whole life." "It's always been painted flat white, but now it's glossy and bright. You can see that thing from everywhere," Neitzke said. The lighthouse had fallen into disrepair since the city acquired it from the federal government in 2018. It's one of the reasons Neitzke ran for mayor in 2021, he said. The event was attended by city and state government staff who'd worked to leverage the grant funding, along with historical groups. In 2018, the landmark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. "That lighthouse has beared witness to nearly a century of our city's growth and evolution, and to have it restored ... is something we're very proud of," Neitzke said. "It's a symbol of the city's direction, because we're now becoming very strategic with significant infrastructure and development taking place in our city." Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.

13 hours ago

Politics

Advocates try again to change Wisconsin's outlier status on Veterans Day

Wisconsin state statutes classify Veterans Day as a legal holiday. The governor routinely issues proclamations recognizing Nov. 11 as Veterans Day. And public schools in the state are legally required to observe it. So why doesn't Wisconsin treat Veterans Day as a day off for state employees, schools and government buildings — a practice followed by every other state and the federal government? In recent years, and even as far back as 1963, lawmakers in the state Capitol have tried to change that. But it's never become law, much to the confusion and disappointment of veterans' organizations. First-year state Rep. Maureen McCarville, who served as a medic and records specialist in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, is bringing the effort back to the forefront. "There's so many (service members) who don't make it back," said McCarville, a Democrat from DeForest. "To come home and not have your own state where you live recognize that, it's just disgraceful." Bill Ridgely, a Vietnam War veteran and Judge Advocate of DeForest American Legion Post 348, first discovered Wisconsin's outlier status while writing a column for the DeForest Times-Tribune 10 years ago. He's been pushing for the law ever since. "I'm somewhat embarrassed that my state is the only state in the nation that has not seen (it) fit to make it an official state holiday," Ridgely said. "I'm 80 years old, and if it doesn't happen pretty soon, who knows if I'll ever see it?" Wisconsin provides floating holiday for Veterans Day, but not paid day off The legislation would close state offices and move Nov. 11 to paid holiday status for state government employees. It wouldn't require private employers to provide a day off. State employees get nine paid holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. State law provides 3½ days of floating holidays, "plus one additional paid personal holiday each calendar year in recognition of Veterans Day." That floating holiday would go away under the bill. The same bill was introduced in 2023 with bipartisan support but never advanced. A 2017 version passed the state Senate but never got a vote in the Assembly. Lawmakers have thought about making the change as far back as 1963, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. Why it hasn't passed isn't clear, though Ridgely said a state representative once told him veterans service organizations didn't come out strongly enough in support of it. "Some of it's by training, but the type of people that the military can attract, they're not going to get up on a podium and go, 'Give me my day,'" McCarville said. "They're always quietly hopeful." In a fiscal estimate last year, the state Department of Administration projected no overall impact on workload — since one floating holiday would be eliminated — and time-and-a-half costs for essential employees would total less than $1 million. If the bill advances this time around, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would likely make it law. Evers recommended making Veterans Day and Juneteenth paid holidays in the state budget, but those were among the hundreds of items Republican lawmakers removed when they began rewriting the two-year spending plan. McCarville said Democrats and Republicans have signed up to cosponsor the bill, and she hopes to get a public hearing by Veterans Day. But the big challenge will be getting it to the Senate and Assembly floor for votes. Veterans Day off could mean schools close, events easier to attend Tim Wendt recently posed a question to fellow veterans he knows: Is Wisconsin actually doing it right by not making Nov. 11 a state holiday? Wendt, who has leadership roles in AMVETS and the southeastern Wisconsin chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, recalled speaking at his former high school on Veterans Day and worries that won't happen if schools close for the day. "I think we're going to lose a great opportunity to share at least one day with the kids that may or may not ever know anything about veterans," he said. The bill wouldn't mandate school districts close for the day. Similar to other states, school districts make their own schedules but usually follow state-recognized holidays as days off, McCarville's office said. While some state employees may attend events on Veterans Day to pause and reflect, Wendt thinks others take paid holidays for granted without thinking about what they're for. If people have a day off, it might encourage visits to parks and venues like the War Memorial Center, said Co Nguyen, the center's president and CEO. The War Memorial Center, which hosts Veterans Day events like a 5K and annual dinner, is about halfway to its $18 million fundraising goal to secure its future along Lake Michigan as county funding fades out. More: Milwaukee's War Memorial Center faces a financial crossroads. What's their path forward? "From my perspective — I'm a veteran — I would feel honored that the state is recognizing, finally, the sacrifices that are made," Nguyen said. "Why not, is my question for the state." With a day off, families could acknowledge loved ones who served, McCarville said. Two uncles in her large military family were killed — one in World War II and the other in the Korean War. "In this country, we wake up every day, and there's a lot of things we take for granted," she said. "So, it's a small thing to return that respect back." Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com.

13 hours ago