Blog
2/28/18
Rental housing affordability and equity are critical issues now more than ever
Rental housing affordability is becoming an increasingly prominent issue in advancing the state’s and Milwaukee area’s regional economy. In fact, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s “state of the city” speech on Monday emphasizes the importance of this issue on the local policymaking scene. As this year’s Norman N. Gill Fellow at...
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1/17/18
“Last mile” transportation strategies remain elusive
The Milwaukee County Transit System’s recently announced bus route eliminations exemplify the difficulty of providing transit services that effectively connect workers who live in the City of Milwaukee with jobs in the suburbs. Three of the routes to be eliminated (Routes 219, 223, and 276) are “shuttle routes” designed to...
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12/27/17
4th Quarter 2017 President’s Message
When the clock hits midnight on December 31, a long chapter will come to a close for the Public Policy Forum, and an exciting new one will begin. On that date, our merger with the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance will be effectuated, and we will become a statewide policy research organization...
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12/22/17
2016-17 annual report on public schooling in southeast Wisconsin delivers mixed news
As many schools throughout Wisconsin get ready to take their winter breaks, the Public Policy Forum releases its 32nd annual public education report: Public Schooling in Southeast Wisconsin: 2017. In this year’s analysis, we find reason for cautious optimism regarding some measures of academic achievement, while other longstanding challenges endure....
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12/19/17
Forum’s Top Five Research Findings of 2017
It’s been a busy year for the Forum. Despite all of the work involved with our merger with WISTAX, our research agenda has remained robust and our research findings have been the subject of policy deliberations on many fronts. Here, we take one more look back to unveil the Forum’s...
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12/18/17
Albuquerque is new national leader for bus rapid transit
A new leader has been crowned in the movement to advance the quality and speed of bus services in the U.S. After nearly a decade of looking to Cleveland’s HealthLine as the best model for bus rapid transit (BRT) in the nation — as we did in our Picking up...
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12/1/17
Is teacher turnover still a challenge in metro Milwaukee? Latest research says yes…and no
Can schools in metro Milwaukee and Wisconsin maintain a stable corps of effective educators for the students they serve and the subjects they teach? The question is a crucial one. Among the factors within a school’s purview that drive student achievement and long term economic outcomes in adulthood, access to...
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10/31/17
Our latest take on the 2018 Milwaukee County budget
While Forum members and supporters know that we publish budget briefs each year analyzing the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and Milwaukee Public Schools budgets, some may be unaware that our work does not stop there. After releasing our budget analyses, we continue to monitor budget deliberations, and we offer...
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10/26/17
My Experience with the Kansas City Streetcar
Few local policy issues generate more emotional debate than the Milwaukee streetcar. And, if a recent Marquette Law School poll is any indication, this issue is likely to remain controversial even after the initial streetcar line opens a year from now. While there are several aspects to the streetcar debate,...
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