Institute for Reforming Government

05/29/2026

IRG's Jake Curtis joins Meg Ellefson to discuss our Court Watch initiative, which tracks the activity of Wisconsin courts and helps inform the public about the judiciary's role and impact.

Explore our transparent, evidence-based scorecards of Wisconsin Supreme Court justices and find more information about our Court of Appeals judges here: https://irgcourtwatch.org.

05/29/2026

Teacher pay is down and referenda are up, in part, because schools have added staff while losing students.

School boards and parents must realize no one is served well by the status quo: not students, not teachers, and not taxpayers.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin public schools broke a record with the most staff ever employed in the state this year with 113,171 despite decreasing student enrollment, according to a

05/28/2026

On yesterday's podcast episode, Mark Belling covered our analysis of the new DPI report that shows Wisconsin schools have broken an all-time staffing record.

05/28/2026

Tune in to the Vicki McKenna Show today at 9:15 a.m. to hear from our Senior Research Director, Quinton Klabon!

05/27/2026

Fewer students. More staff. Higher costs.

This growing imbalance is a major driver of school referenda across the state.

These findings come from the 2026 Public School Staff Reports released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and analyzed by the Institute for Reforming Government.

05/26/2026

ICYMI: Our General Counsel and Director of the Center for Investigative Oversight, Jake Curtis, joined Vicki McKenna last Friday to discuss the launch of our new website for IRG Court Watch — a hub for tracking Wisconsin courts, justices, and judicial activity.

05/21/2026

📑 NEW: We released Cases to Watch: Pending Cases. Lasting Consequences. Where Wisconsin’s Future Is Being Decided.

This NEW IRG Court Watch report examines the most consequential litigation currently pending before Wisconsin state courts and federal courts.

05/20/2026

The Wisconsin Supreme Court gets the headlines.

But the Wisconsin Court of Appeals often has the greatest day-to-day impact on state law.

As the Supreme Court hears fewer cases, appellate court rulings increasingly shape Wisconsin legal precedent.

IRG Court Watch includes:
✅ District-by-district analysis
✅ Judicial trends
✅ Dissents and reversals
✅ Key appellate developments

05/19/2026

Most people can name the Governor.

Many can name their legislator.

Very few can explain what Wisconsin’s courts are doing.

But the judiciary impacts:
•election law
•executive authority
•constitutional rights
•agency power
•how laws are interpreted and enforced

That’s why we launched IRG Court Watch — to make Wisconsin’s courts more transparent and understandable for the public.

Explore the new site: https://irgcourtwatch.org/

05/18/2026

🚨 NEW: IRG Court Watch is LIVE.

The courts shape Wisconsin law every single day — from election law to executive power to constitutional rights — yet most Wisconsinites know very little about how the judiciary operates.

That changes today.

Explore:
⚖️ Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Scorecards
📚 Court of Appeals reviews
📰 Court activity and case tracking
🔍 Judicial philosophy and voting trends

IRG Court Watch is your one-stop resource for understanding the Wisconsin judiciary.