UP: Madison school district. The state Department of Public Instruction announces that Madison will get a $15.1 million increase in state aid this year, $4.1 million more than previously expected. About two-thirds of the state's districts will see a drop in aid. The jump in funding for Madison is due to the creation of a 4K program, which added almost 2,000 more children to the district's enrollment. The funding means property taxpayers will see a second year of almost no change in school taxes.
DOWN: Funeral homes. People who prepaid for their funeral expenses will likely get the services, but the funeral homes will probably take the hit, says the court-appointed receiver for the Wisconsin Funeral Trust. The trust - run by the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association - faces a $20 million shortfall due to mismanagement and does not have enough to cover 10,755 prepaid funerals. John Wirth, the trust's receiver, told the Wisconsin State Journal that funeral homes would probably get less than 70 cents on the dollar for the prepaid funerals.
