The Monthly Memo

Dear Colleagues,

Please visit our web page. The site address is: heab.state.wi.us.

1. 1998-99 notification lists and other associated reports are scheduled to print 5/4/99 and 5/18/99.

2. We will continue to run the 1998-99 vouchering process on Tuesday and Friday nights of each week. Just a reminder that we cannot guarantee that your request can be loaded on the same day it has been received if the information arrives after 12NOON. Please keep in mind that it takes two to three business days after the vouchering process runs before checks are physically printed. So please plan accordingly. Contact me if you have any questions.

3. Currently the award commit and spent for WHEG and WTG is as follows:

   UW WHEG Award Commit	=	156.80%	(last year at this time it was 160.50%)
   UW WHEG Spent	=	94.90%	(last year at this time it was 94.70%)
   WTC WHEG Award Commit	=	166.16%	(last year at this time it was 170.35%)
   WTC WHEG Spent	=	96.42%	(last year at this time it was 95.59%)
   WTG Award Commit	=	113.67%	(last year at this time it was 112.56%)
   WTG Spent	=	99.25%	(last year at this time it was 99.67%)

4. Please return all refunds as soon as possible. Please continue to include the following when you are sending refunds:
   • School Code
   • Student's Name
   • Student's Social Security Number
   • Amount of money that is being returned for the individual student
   • What semester or term and academic year the funds were originally disbursed for
   • Type of program the funds have been disbursed from and the Disbursement Code
   • HEAB's Voucher Number

   This information is very important! Thank you.

5. Please be aware that at the end of 1998-99 there will be a June 15, 1999, deadline for submitting all adds, changes, vouchers, and refunds.

6. I thank all of you who were able to testify at the public hearings scheduled by the Joint Committee on Finance in regards to the proposed state budget. The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) began executive sessions on the budget bill April 20th. Action taken by JFC on the budget bill included the approval of a motion to modify the Governor's recommendation by deleting a total of $511,900 GPR in 1999-2000 and $1,054,500 GPR in 2000-01 from the amounts provided under the bill for each of the WHEG programs and the WTG program as follows:

   UW WHEG	-	delete $186,300 in 1999-2000 and $383,800 in 2000-01
   WTC WHEG	-	delete $127,000 in 1999-2000 and $261,600 in 2000-01
   WTG	-	delete $198,600 in 1999-2000 and $409,100 in 2000-01

   to provide $193,500 GPR in 1999-2000 and $398,600 GPR in 2000-01 to increase funding for the TIP.

   Another motion approved by JFC modifies the AES Program by specifying that the current law requirement that alternative academic excellence scholars have the same grade point average as the originally designated scholar or scholars would not apply for pupils who attend a high school that applies different weights to different courses in determining a pupil's grade point average. Provide that if a senior from such a high school of at least 80 pupils who is designated as a scholar does not qualify for the award, an alternative for the scholar with the same grade point average, or if there is no senior with the same grade point average, an alternate with the next highest grade point average, would be designated as eligible to receive the award until the scholarship may be awarded. Provide that if a senior from such a high school of less than 80 pupils who is designated as a scholar does not qualify for the award, an alternate for the scholar with the same grade point average, or if there is no senior with the same grade point average, an alternate with the next highest grade point average, would be designated as eligible to receive the award until the scholarship may be awarded by HEAB.

   The two houses will next have an opportunity to make changes to the proposed budget before it ultimately goes back to the Governor for signature.

7. Of the 845 Academic Excellence Scholarship recipients who will be college freshmen in 1999-2000, 394 have notified HEAB which college they plan to attend. Of that group of 394, 39 are attending school out of state. The rest will appear on the 1999-2000 Freshman AES Notification List Alice Winters will send by May 4th. We also anticipate a final 1998-99 notification list the week of May 4. This list will show any students with an unspent AES balance. Please voucher the unspent AES balances now. When vouchering for 1998-99 is completed, Alice will send a grade report for the year. You are requested to complete the report showing the credits and grades earned by each AES student in 1998-99; this report will be used to determine AES eligibility for 1999-2000.

8. 1999-2000 tentative WHEG and WTG formulas were sent to you under separate memo. Please keep in mind that these are tentative and may be adjusted once the biennial budget is firm.

9. The first 1999-2000 notification list and associated reports was mailed April 14th. We are currently accepting file maintenance (FM) changes or adds for 1999-2000. 1999-2000 notification lists and other associated reports are scheduled to print 5/11/99 and 5/25/99.

10. Since we are currently processing FM for both 1998-99 and 1999-2000, it is very important to clearly indicate which year information is being sent for.

11. The 1999-2000 voucher (V) process will begin August 3, 1999. You may begin sending in voucher requests the last week in July. Please only voucher funds for students who are registered for coursework.

I appreciate your feedback and thoughts! My phone number is 608.264.6181, FAX: 608.267.2808, EMAIL: jane.hojan-clark@heab.state.wi.us and SNAILMAIL: HEAB, P.O. Box 7885, Madison, WI 53707-7885.