Wisconsin Technical College System lays out budget request during legislative briefing
(Photo Courtesy of MATC)
Leaders of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) laid out the system's requests for the 2025-27 state budget to support college operations and students' education during a Thursday legislative briefing.
Education funding will likely be a major point of debate in the upcoming budget process, with public K-12 schools, the UW System and the technical colleges all requesting increases. The technical college system is made up of 16 colleges across the state serving about 287,000 students each year who pursue associate degrees, technical diplomas or short-term certificates.
The technical college system's budget for 2024-25 totaled about $1.3 billion, with $592.9 million — or 44% — coming from state aid. About 17% of the remainder comes from tuition and fees and 39% comes from property taxes.
'We are very lean overall in terms of our overall funding picture… we have to be because funding is always limited resources,' said system President Layla Merrifield, who started in the position in September 2024.
The system's increase would add up to just under $60 million in general purpose revenue, according to a Department of Administration summary.
According to the system, about 70% of the funding would be distributed based on a formula and 30% would be distributed based on outcomes.
WTCS policy advisor Megan Stritchko said the request is about 4% of the current budget and is meant to help expand capacity for the technical colleges to meet employer demand across a wide variety of industries. The funding would then be able to be used by each college to meet its 'unique needs,' Stritchko said.
'The colleges are hearing from really all the employers in their district just looking for skilled labor, and so this is to help with capacity to meet that demand,' Stritchko said. 'It's also to help with expanding the pipeline of talent so trying to bring more folks into the technical college system — get them trained up, get them a credential and get them out into the workforce, and then supporting those students while they're within the colleges and helping ensure that they're successful.'
Stritchko noted that technical colleges have been facing rising costs, including because of rapidly advancing technology.
The system is requesting $700,000 in general purpose funds for positions in the Technical College System office and for information technology and security to maintain the system's operations and enable continuous improvement in outcomes. Merrifield said the office helps coordinate the work of the system.
'We are currently funded at the same level we were funded at 20 years ago,' Merrifield said. 'Everything that we do is database decision making. We really try to take in all of this great data from our colleges and then turn it into something useful, and give it back to them so that they know how they can improve relative to their fellow colleges. All of that requires resources.'
Part of the request includes $3 million across the biennium to provide grants to colleges for teaching and learning materials that are in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use. The system has said the investment would help to reduce the cost of education as students across the system can access those resources, making it more affordable and accessible.
'These textbooks need to be maintained and they need to be updated regularly, just like when you had books, when you're in school, there are version one, version two, version three and they all need to be updated,' WTCS policy advisor Brandon Trujillo said, adding that the system has identified nursing and automotive as some programs where students would benefit from available materials.
The system is also seeking $10 million across the biennium to prepare students and educators for the adoption of artificial intelligence in the classroom and the workforce.
The system is also requesting $10.8 million in each year of the biennium to go towards Wisconsin Grants, administered by the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board. The program provides grants to undergraduate Wisconsin residents enrolled at least half-time in degree or certificate programs.
According to the system, for the first time in over 10 years there has been a waitlist for the grants, with about 3,200 students by the end of fiscal year 2023-24. It is projected that the waitlist will grow significantly in FY 2024-25 due to changes in the federal formula for determining a student's financial need.
'We're seeing student need increase across our system and it's going to continue to increase,' Trujillo said.
While Wisconsin's state agencies have submitted their budget requests, Gov. Tony Evers will deliver his budget address and release his complete budget proposal next month. The budget will be in the hands of state lawmakers.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
What happened to Sade Robinson: A timeline of events in the missing 19-year-old's murder and dismemberment case
The criminal trial surrounding the death of 19-year-old Sade Robinson began May 27. It's been more than a year since Milwaukee and the country discovered that the reported missing college student had been killed and her body dismembered and spread across the area. Prosecutors say Maxwell Anderson is responsible for her gruesome death. The 34-year-old local bartender was captured on a video with Robinson on April 1, 2024. Here's what to know about the case and what has happened the prior 14 months. Robinson's final hours begin the afternoon of April 1, 2024, a day before she was reported missing in Milwaukee. The criminal justice student at MATC told an employee who worked at her apartment building that she was excited for a date later that night. According to prosecutors: Robinson sent Anderson a text at 4:15 p.m. and the two arranged to go to a couple establishments in town at which Anderson previously worked. After dinner at Twisted Fisherman restaurant, 1200 W. Canal St., the two arrive in Robinson's car at Duke's on Water, 158 E. Juneau Ave. At 6:30 p.m., while at Duke's, Robinson sends a SnapChat to a friend. Robinson and Anderson leave the bar shortly after 9 p.m. Surveillance video shows two people arriving at Anderson's former home on the 3100 block of South 39th Street at 9:24 p.m. Robinson's phone is also located by GPS in the area of the home. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2024, Robinson's phone is located leaving Anderson's home and traveling throughout Milwaukee County. According to prosecutors: First to Pleasant Valley Park, along the Milwaukee River in the city's Riverwest neighborhood and then to Warnimont Park in Cudahy, arriving at 2:45 a.m. Surveillance cameras capture a car heading toward the pump house at Warnimont Park before also capturing a person descend the bluff to the beach level. The vehicle leaves the park at 4:31 a.m. and minutes later, Robinson's phone loses battery. Later that morning, the 2020 Honda Civic belonging to Robinson is found on fire on the 1800 block of North 29th Street. A witness said he saw a male exit the vehicle and toss a lighter into it before walking away. Video footage from a Milwaukee County Transit System bus shows Anderson, in the clothing description the witness provided (a gray hoodie and tan backpack), getting off the bus near his home. He arrives home at 8:43 a.m. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. that evening, someone finds a human leg belonging to a Black woman (later confirmed to be Robinson's) at Warnimont Park. The leg was found about two-thirds of the way down a 100-foot bluff, toward the shoreline and near a pump house. About 3½ hours later, A friend of Robinson reports her missing to Milwaukee police after she fails to return phone calls and show for her shift at Pizza Shuttle on Milwaukee's east side. Law enforcement pull over Anderson the afternoon of April 4, 2024 in his car and arrest him just blocks from his home. A hoodie found in his car matches the hoodie of the suspect who torched Robinson's car, according to prosecutors. Sometime that day, law enforcement execute a search warrant at Anderson's home. Officers find blood in one of the bedrooms and on the walls leading to the basement, prosecutors said. Several gasoline containers are also found. Police find a human foot that appears to match the leg found in Cudahy in the area of North 31st and West Galena streets, near where Robinson's car was found. Other human flesh was also found in the area. Authorities reportedly discover several more body parts the next day, including near 31st and Walnut streets. A person in a hoodie and backpack is captured on surveillance footage near 31st and Walnut. One week after his arrest, Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson in the death of Robinson. If convicted of intentional homicide, a Class A felony, he will be sentenced to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and remains in jail on $5 million bail. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office says they are conducting a "follow-up search" of Anderson's home, which became a place at which people left tributes for Robinson. The home has since been sold to new owners. The sheriff's office says that a torso and an arm believed to belong to Robinson was discovered in a remote, tree-line stretch of beach in South Milwaukee. A memorial service was held for Anderson at the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee. Sade entering the world "gave my life purpose," said Carlos Robinson, Sade's father. "I watched her grow from a tiny little baby to a beautiful, intelligent young lady that would make any father proud." The attendees, speakers and performers at the memorial displayed the gravity of Sade's reach on the Milwaukee community. Lifelong friends, classmates, professors, pastors, activists and her employers and coworkers were all in attendance. Mayor Cavalier Johnson had a brief conversation with Sheena Scarbrough, Sade's mother. An arm believed to belong to Robinson washed up on the beach in Waukegan, Illinois, according to authorities. Anderson's attorney Anthony D. Cotton sent a letter to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Mark A. Sanders, asking that his client be furnished with a laptop that has discovery evidence in his case already saved on it. Robinson's estate and her mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anderson. Robinson's family alleges Anderson's family later went to his home and threw away items inside the residence, then moved forward with selling it in an effort "to conceal and hide evidence." Without providing evidence, the lawsuit alleges a finger was found outside the property shortly after Anderson's home was sold. But authorities say that was not the case. A sheriff's spokesman said the assertion about a finger discovered on the property wasn't true. Judge Sanders rejected a request made by Anderson's attorney to grant Anderson access to a laptop. Cotton argued the device would have helped kept Anderson up to speed on developments in the case, and enabled him to aid in his own defense. At a July 12, 2024, hearing at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Anderson's attorney requests the trial be moved to a different county and unsealed search warrants reveal some of what was found during the searches of Anderson's home. Detectives found a knife in the kitchen sink, an ax hanging on the living room wall and women's clothing hidden under a bench in the basement. A woman's ID card also was found during the search. A detective found a possible blood stain in Anderson's car, on a door speaker. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello will now be presiding over the case as part of a judicial rotation schedule change ordered by Chief Judge Carl Ashley that affected many of the court's judges. A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee grad, Crivello received her juris doctorate to practice law in 1993 from Marquette University Law School. She worked as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County from 1993-2018, when she was appointed to the court by then-Gov. Scott Walker. Crivello retained her seat in an uncontested 2019 judge race. A judge's term is six years. Milwaukee muralist, Ruben Alcantar, completes his mural of Robinson outside her former employer, Pizza Shuttle, a staple on the city's east side. She was remembered as a remarkable and caring person by her coworkers. Winston Milhans, her coworker, said Sade was that burst of energy that coworkers often give each other to help motivate them. Milhans said Sade was a "person that is a perfect example of who you want to be like. Her traits were remarkable." Robinson's mother, Scarbrough, joined lawmakers at the State Capitol to call for more state resources to be funneled toward understanding and tracking cases that end in the disappearance or death of Black women and girls like her daughter. Robinson's murder renewed a push by Democratic female lawmakers to create a state task force for missing and murdered Black women and girls. For the fourth time in a row, that effort failed. Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan, the lead prosecutor, said he plans to enter roughly 500 exhibits and pieces of evidence as part of his case against Anderson at trial. He said he made no offers to Anderson, and that he expects the trial to run one to two weeks. Vance-Curzan signals a need for a bigger jury pool due to the media coverage of the case. Ian Vance-Curzan said he intends to call in several scientific experts to testify, including a medical examiner, an anthropologist, a fingerprint analyst and a DNA expert. A person with expertise in collecting and crunching cellphone tower data also may be brought in. Cotton, Anderson's attorney, requests access to Robinson's encrypted data on her phone. Trial is delayed until May 2025 from Dec. 9, 2024. A memorial planned by Milwaukee County for Robinson has been canceled after County Board supervisors reported a flurry of racist, abusive emails over the proposal. The Robinson family files a lawsuit against the two bars that Anderson and Robinson went to about a year prior, arguing staff at each establishment didn't ask for her ID before she was served multiple alcoholic beverages, but sold them to her anyway. Robinson was later seen "visibly intoxicated" and "rendered defenseless," the lawsuit contends, leaving her "physically and mentally vulnerable." A pool of 50 to 70 jurors is expected to be called to serve. Typically, jury pools of 30 to 40 people are called to serve in most cases before they are whittled down to a final panel of 14 jurors who will hear testimony. Once testimony wraps up, 12 jurors are asked to deliberate; the others are dismissed. Jury selection got underway at 9 a.m. on May 27. It's unclear how long that will take but it will precede opening statements and testimony. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Timeline of events in Sade Robinson's murder, dismemberment case
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Rio Arriba County appoints new sheriff; state police investigate Merrifield's death
Rio Arriba County commissioners on Monday appointed a major to lead the sheriff's office as New Mexico State Police continued to investigate the death of Sheriff Billy Merrifield at his home early Sunday. The three commissioners held an emergency meeting in Tierra Amarilla on Monday morning to choose a successor. County Manager Jeremy Maestas said in an interview they unanimously appointed Maj. Lorenzo Aguilar, 42, who also was a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, to serve the remainder of Merrifield's term, which expires in 2026. The move comes as the circumstances of Merrifeld's death remain unknown. He died unexpectedly Sunday, and state police had not released a cause of his death by Monday evening. "We believed in his leadership," Commission Chair Brandon Bustos said of the decision to appoint Aguilar. "He had a lot of years of experience, and we came to a unanimous decision that he'd be the best fit for the role of sheriff in the meantime, [leading up] to the election." Aguilar, a lifelong resident of Rio Arriba County who grew up in Tierra Amarilla, has worked in the sheriff's office for 15 years, he said, moving up within the ranks as sergeant, lieutenant, captain and major. He described the commissioners' decision to appoint him as a "complete surprise." 275917200_112408434732644_9057581496606817714_n.jpg Billy Merrifield Merrifield led an agency with about 35 deputies that covers a wide swath of the region, about 5,000 square miles, reaching from the Española area to the Colorado border, Maestas noted. Census data shows the county has about 40,000 residents. He became sheriff by appointment in 2021 after former Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan resigned following his conviction on two felony counts. Voters opted to retain Merrifield in the 2022 general election after he beat out five other Democratic candidates in that year's primary. "Our whole department is grieving for our sheriff that passed away," Aguilar said. "As far as the office, we're going to continue moving forward, as we have." Merrifield's death drew social media tributes from friends, family, supporters and law enforcement agencies statewide. Some described him as an advocate for his agency and a 'steadfast guardian' who cared about public service. 'Sheriff Merrifield served with honor, courage, and an unwavering dedication to protecting others,' the Española Police Department posted on Facebook. 'His courage, strength, and unity will be deeply missed.' Bustos, who knew Merrifield well, said he had "turned the department around." He also recalled how Merrifield had coached him in baseball when he was young. He said he was still in shock over the sheriff's death. Commissioners wanted to appoint someone to succeed Merrifield from within the sheriff's office to continue the work he was doing, and examined a list of employees before making a decision, Bustos added. Aguilar noted some of the bigger projects underway within the agency, including a potential new public safety complex. The county received $3 million in state capital outlay for fiscal year 2026 to begin planning and design for the complex, he said. Merrifield, Aguilar Sheriff Billy Merrifield, Undersheriff Monica Salazar and Maj. Lorenzo Aguilar represent the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office at the National Sheriff's Association in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Aguilar was not second in command at the agency; that role is held by Undersheriff Monica Salazar, who could not be reached for comment Monday. Merrifield had named Salazar undersheriff in 2022, making her the first female undersheriff in Rio Arriba County. "We saw that [Aguilar] could do it as well, that he could carry out what Sheriff Merrifield's vision was," Bustos said. "We needed someone immediately," Commissioner Alex Naranjo said. "I guess we could have put somebody on a temporary basis, but no, no, we decided that we would select somebody, and I felt, personally speaking, that we would select somebody within the force." He added, "I have nothing against the undersheriff. I think she is a respectable lady and everything else. But the fact is, I was steadfast on Mr. Aguilar, only because I have known him for a few years and I have known him to be an extremely intelligent and extremely well qualified individual for that position." Former sheriff Lujan, who had stepped into the role in fall 2014, was convicted in 2021 of aiding a felon and intimidating a witness. He had been accused of helping his friend, former Española city councilor Phillip Chacon, evade police in 2017 after Chacon had led officers on a chase. He also was convicted of intimidating then-Deputy Cody Lattin by directing him not to tell anyone. Lujan was released from prison in 2023 after serving 18 months. In November, he sued the city of Española, a former police chief and several former officers in state District Court, accusing them of conspiring against him during criminal proceedings. Lujan was not the first Rio Arriba sheriff to be sentenced to prison time. His predecessor, Tommy Rodella, is serving a 10-year sentence in federal prison for roughing up a motorist and brandishing a firearm during an encounter in 2014.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
N.B. mayor goes to Washington, hears U.S. counterparts share tariff concerns
The mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield flew to Washington on Thursday to meet with municipal leaders from the U.S. and Mexico to talk about the mutual negative impacts of the U.S. trade war. "There was a real sense of solidarity in the room," said Brittany Merrifield, who also serves as president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick. Not knowing what to expect, Merrifield said she felt some apprehension before attending what was described as a friendly meeting of neighbours. "I knew that some of the mayors were going to be Republican so I didn't know what kind of messaging they were going to come with," she said. Merrifield speaks to Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., about the negative impacts of tariff threats. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) What transpired was two days of candid accounts from grassroots politicians who said their constituents are already feeling pain from the tariffs and trade uncertainty brought on by the Trump administration. Merrifield found it remarkable because she thought the U.S. mayors were risking political reprisals. "It was actually quite courageous for them to be there," said Merrifield. "I have huge respect for all of these mayors who came under those conditions to do what they feel is right for the people they serve." The delegates, including eight from Mexico, as well as Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Rebecca Bligh — a Vancouver city councillor and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — presented a united front at a news conference Friday. It opened with remarks from Andrew Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Merrifield attended the summit with Dan Murphy, executive director at Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) "The story is the same for all of us," said Ginther, after warning that tariffs were expected to add $21,000 US to the median cost of an American home during a housing supply crisis. "All of us are mayors, we are closest to the people we represent," he said. "We understand that politics and partisanship go on in … Washington, but we just care about what's best for our residents, our workers, our companies, the consumers in our cities, and we're going to make our voice heard." Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., said tariffs could have a $3-billion US impact on trade in his state. He said about one in five jobs in South Carolina connects to the auto, aerospace and textile sectors, which are heavily dependent on international trade. "It supports well north of 10,000 jobs just in our community," said Rickenmann. He said metal packaging manufacturer Sonoco, based in South Carolina, was already feeling the impact of Trump's executive order to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum. The decision by some provinces to pull American alcohol from their shelves is also hitting Kentucky distillery employees, he said. "That's causing major layoffs already," he said. Anticipation of more tariffs The mayors were speaking in anticipation of more tariffs to come. Late Wednesday, Trump said he'd signed an executive order that will impose a 25 per cent import tariff on vehicles not made in the U.S. Although the full implications of the tariff weren't immediately clear, he said the levy will kick in on April 2. "I know that President Trump cares about Michigan," said Bryan Barnett, the mayor of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I need to relay to the Trump administration how important these decisions are to the auto industry and to the state that supported him." Andy Schor, mayor of Lansing, Mich., which is home of two General Motors auto assembly plants, said tariffs will hurt the working class. "We make on average $48,000 US per year," said Schor. "If cars go up anywhere close to $10,000, you're going to have people that cannot afford to buy cars." Schor also noted that mayors from both sides of the political divide were united in their concerns. "To see a mayor, Bryan Barnett of Michigan, leaning Republican, and Andy Schor of Michigan leaning Democrat … all of us coming together, along with our new friends, I think this is something that people are going to stand up and take notice of," said Schor gesturing first to Barnett, then to himself, then to the other mayors in the room.
