WI Democrats Float $1.3 Billion Plan for Schools Amid Tax Cut Talks
Proposal hikes funding for special education and general school aid.
Photo courtesy of Sevastopol School District Facebook page
As Wisconsin’s Republican leaders and Gov. Tony Evers continue working to hammer out a deal to provide both tax relief and money for schools, the state’s legislative Democrats have come up with their own plan.
A new proposal would spend $1.3 billion of the state’s $2.5 billion surplus on education.
The money would be spent three ways:
- This school year, special education would be funded at 60 percent of mandated costs. This would cost the state $432 million.
- In the 2026-27 school year, that 60-percent funding for special education funding would continue, costing $421 million.
- The proposal also includes a $445 million increase in general school aid for the 2026-27 school year.
“If we’re funding our schools in meaningful ways, the result of that will be to provide property tax relief,” said bill co-author state Rep. Angelina Cruz, D-Racine.
That’s because school costs not covered by the state are funded through local property taxes. Wisconsin’s K–12 public schools have gone without cost-of-living adjustments from the state since 2009. At the same time, a promised increase in funding for students with disabilities was less than expected this school year.
The state Assembly adjourned last month without agreeing to a deal to use some of the state’s surplus to provide some relief to property taxpayers and schools.
At the time, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said the Assembly could convene a special session to address this if Republicans and Evers can come to an agreement.
Cruz said her caucus is not at the negotiating table, but this proposal has been sent to Evers’ office for his consideration.
“From our perspective, it’s a reliable funding approach,” Cruz said. “We’ve heard time and time again that school districts are looking for stability to plan their budgets. So by increasing both general aid and special education, as we propose, it creates a reliable funding structure for schools and for taxpayers.”
Cruz said funding special education at 60 percent would immediately help school districts. For the Racine Unified School District, it would mean about $13 million more a year, Cruz said.
But this proposal is unlikely to happen.
At a luncheon on Tuesday, Vos said the plan was “not serious.”
“We’re negotiating with the governor,” Vos told reporters after the event in Madison. “As I look at the Assembly Democrats’ plan, it’s really just more spending without any accountability.”
Evers’ office did not respond to requests for comment.
In Wisconsin, public schools are primarily funded through property taxes and state money in the form of general school aid.
Jason Stein, president of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, said while this proposal would reduce the growth in K-12 property taxes compared to current law, there is some uncertainty about how much this would reduce districts’ need to go to referenda to increase local taxes.
Next month, more than 70 school districts will have referendum questions on the ballot, including 60 operational referendum requests — that is, funding routine district operations as opposed to new facilities or programming.
The most recent Marquette University Law School Poll found Wisconsin voters are more concerned with reducing their property taxes than increasing funding for public schools.
Voters also say they’re less inclined to support a school referendum.
Editor’s note: WPR Reporter Anya van Wagtendonk contributed to this report.
Wisconsin Democrats float $1.3B school funding proposal amid tax cut negotiations was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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