Here & Now; 324

December 17, 2004

Here and Now, spending caps on state school districts, Survey measured the effect of spending caps on state school districts. Nearly 300 district superintendents participated in the survey, and the results indicate a connection between those caps and cuts to programs of all sorts in the public schools. Bruce Meredith, interim Executive Director of the State's Teacher's Union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council. , school funding using sales tax, Shift some school funding to another tax, like the sales tax? That's a question members of the Governor's Education Task Force set out to answer. A new study released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute provides some insight into that approach. George Lightbourn is a Senior Fellow at the Institute and oversaw this latest study. , wisconsin's tax structure, State Department of Revenuetakes a comprehensive look at Wisconsin's tax structure. It's been 25 years since taxes were measured by income level in Wisconsin. The new findings show the richest in the state are paying 10.8 percent of their yearly income in taxes. The poorest pay 9.3 percent of their income. But the middle income earners, those earning between $55,000 and $75,000 per year are showing up 11.8 to 11.9 percent of their paycheck to taxes. And these are progressive taxes. Revenue Secretary Michael Morgan says yes, mildly, and he's here now. , Person of the Week, Person of the Week - Phyllis Bermingham who has lived and worked in Wausau since 1971. She was that city's first Director of the Women's Community, as well as the Director of the Marathon County Employment and Training Department until her retirement last February. But we honor her tonight more because of her civil rights work on behalf of the Hmong refugee families who began to move to the Wausau area in the 1970's and who are now such an important part of life in that part of our state. For more than 30 years, Phyllis Bermingham helped battered women get back on their feet and led the way to new opportunities for Hmong families in all walks of life. , Aluminum Christmas tree package, Back in the 1960's and 1970's, Manitowoc was the center of the aluminum Christmas tree universe. Those trees went out of style as quickly as they arrived, though, seemingly overnight. And instead of living room showcases, they were banished to basements and attics, reduced to bottom-dollar bargains at rummage sales. That's where two Manitowoc photographers began to notice them. I caught up with those photographers earlier this week. That interview in a moment. First, here's Art Hackett with a background story. , aluminum christmas tree book, Julie Lindemann and John Shimon are still at it, though. Their aluminum tree obsessions have grown into a new project, a book. It's called 'Season's Gleamings.' And they join us now.