DPI Submits Agency Budget Request, Initiatives for Libraries for 2011-13

On September 15, State Superintendent Tony Evers presented DPI's budget request for the next biennium, 2011-13, that includes the following library-related items:
-- Public library system funding at the 13% index level of $28,559,600 for 2011-12 and $29,130,800 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $16,681,200. Therefore, the requested change in funding is $11,878.400 for the first year of the biennium and 12,449,600 for the second year. If funded only at base level, the index level of state aid would decline to 7.7%.

-- BadgerLink funding of $2,946,000 for 2011-12 and $2,960,300 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $2,448,900. After subtracting the costs of Newsline for the Blind ($111,100 for each year of the biennium), the requested funding would represented an increase over base of $386,000 in the first year of the biennium and $400,300 in 2012-13. An increase allows for a pilot project with the Wisconsin Newspaper Association to provide access to Wisconsin newspapers, not consistently maintained by other vendors. The request also includes $205,500 SEG in both FY12 and FY13 to add the Learning-Express Library to BadgerLink.

-- Library service contract funding for the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, the Milwaukee Public Library, Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS), and the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) totaling $1,170,500 for 2011-12 and $1,203,400 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $1,169,800, or a requested change of $700 in the first year of the biennium and $33,600 in the second year.

-- Newsline for the Blind supports newspapers accessible by telephone for blind and physically handicapped people. Funding described in the BadgerLink line item would total $111,100 each year of the biennium. This represents an increase of $7,800 in FY12 and $12,400 in FY13.

 --Distribute Common School Funds to school libraries of up to $39,600,000.

View the entire DPI budget request