TESTIFY THIS TUESDAY AT MPS

[jalinder]

                          MPS board to take up tax transparency proposal 

                  THIS TUES. EVENING AT CENTRAL OFFICE (5225 W. VLIET)

                                         CAN YOU MAKE IT AND TESTIFY?

Saturday morning, the MPS school board voted, 7-0, to fast track a proposal that would ask the city comptroller to include the tax levy attributable to the choice program on information sent to Milwaukee taxpayers with their 2011 bill, (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/129587373.html). 

The proposal, authored by Larry Miller, will be discussed at the board's next meeting, which is Tuesday, Sept. 13.  Currently, tax bills do not break down the levy so it looks as if all school funding goes to MPS.  According to Miller, a number of policy changes in the last state budget mean "Milwaukee's voucher tax is likely to rise significantly and may exceed the state's official estimate of $53.4 million in fiscal 2012." Currently, an estimated $53 million of the approximately $293 million levied for Milwaukee Public Schools goes, instead, to MPCP schools. The property taxpaying public of Milwaukee have the right to know this fact. The amount of property tax dollars levied for MPCP schools needs to be a separate line item on both the tax bill and the information sheet.

PLEASE COME TUESDAY EVENING!

Following is the initial list of schools outside of Milwaukee that plan to participate in the Milwaukee voucher program. Under the state system of funding MPCP schools, property taxpayers in the City of Milwaukee will be compelled to subsidize these suburban and rural community private schools located outside of the City of Milwaukee.

Cedarburg   - First Immanuel Lutheran School

Fox point   - Hillel Academy

Brookfield - Immanuel Lutheran School

Franklin    - Saint Martin of Tours Parish School

St. Francis - Saint Thomas More High School

New London  - Starr Academy

Glendale    - Torah Academy of Milwaukee

Columbus    - Wisconsin Academy