Governor Walker, Education Leaders Call on Legislature to Approve $649 Million for K-12 Education

Waukesha – Governor Scott Walker visited Waukesha South High School with education leaders today to visit with students and faculty and to call on the Legislature to support his proposed $649 million increase for all Wisconsin K-12 schools. Governor Walker’s budget would also lift the state’s K-12 investment to $11.5 billion over two years, an all-time high.

“We’re here today to visit with the students and teachers here at Waukesha South and to call on members of the Legislature to support our K-12 education proposal,” Governor Walker said. “Our budget places a high priority on student success and workforce development, and it’s receiving overwhelming support from people across our state. I thank all of the school leaders who are here with us today to support our budget.”

“In the weeks and months leading up to the introduction of his budget, Governor Walker promised there would be a significant increase for public schools in his budget proposal and he delivered,” said John Ashley, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. “This is great news for Wisconsin’s 422 public school districts and the students they serve. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards is here today to thank the Governor for his leadership, to support his school funding proposals, and to urge the Legislature to follow the Governor’s lead. We support the increases in state support for public schools, but more importantly, the people of Wisconsin support increases in state funding for K-12 schools.”

“We fully support and endorse the Governor’s budget proposal to increase per pupil aid by $200 and $204 throughout the biennium,” said Terri Phillips, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance. “This increase doesn’t solve all of our budget issues, but it goes a long way in helping our districts serve student’s needs and meet their community’s expectations of providing an excellent public education for their children.”

The Waukesha School District is estimated to receive more than $130 million in funding from the state under Governor Walker’s biennial budget, including:

• An increase of $7,624,896 in Per Pupil Aid. Governor Walker’s budget increases per-pupil funding by $200 per pupil in Fiscal Year 2018 and $204 per pupil in Fiscal Year 2019 – the largest increase since the 2005-2007 biennium.

The Waukesha School District may also be eligible for further funding under the governor’s proposal, such as mental health grants, energy efficiency incentives, and special needs grants.

To learn more about Governor Walker’s proposed investment in K-12 education, click here. For Governor Walker’s full 2017 Budget Address, click here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.