UP: Madison school district: The district learns it will get an $11 million boost in state funding next year, not the $800,000 cut it expected. The windfall means property taxes will increase by about .04%, not 5%. The extra funding is due largely to a jump in enrollment for the district's new 4-year-old kindergarten program.
DOWN: Wisconsin. The federal government confirms a job report that Gov. Scott Walker released early, before his June recall election, showing the state gained just under 20,000 jobs last year. However, the number is nothing to brag about. The state ranked 40th in job growth for 2011 and 48th in the second half of the year. "One thing is clear," says Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona). "Wisconsin is lagging behind most of the country in job creation."
