State Legislators and Viroqua, WI School Board President Call Out Republicans For Underfunding Wisconsin Schools
MADISON, WI – This morning, State Senators Jeff Smith and Jodi Habush Sinykin, State Representative Jenna Jacobson, and Viroqua School Board President Angie Lawrence called out Republican Lawmakers for continuously underfunding Wisconsin Public Schools. Yesterday, the Department of Public Instruction informed our state’s school districts of the changes to their general aid state funding for the coming year, and as a result of Republican negligence – 70% of Wisconsin school districts will receive even less funding than in previous years.
“Of Wisconsin’s 421 independent school districts, 301 of them will see cuts to their general aid funding over the next year. That means over 70% of Wisconsin school districts will be forced to make cuts or to try and make up for this funding shortfall through referendum. Here are some more numbers for you: 55 Wisconsin school districts are losing over 1 million dollars in state funding. The Mequon-Theinsville schools district, in Senator Habush Sinykin’s district, is losing over 60% of their general aide funding. That Madison metropolitan school district is losing nearly 12 million dollars.”
Senator Habush Sinykin made the following comment on how Republican inaction will make Wisconsin more expensive for our hardworking families:
“This system that our state has been forced to adopt is not sustainable. Due to the legislature’s failure to fund our schools, Wisconsin already has one of the highest property tax rates in the country and if our communities continue to be forced to referendum those rates will continue to rise, making our state even more expensive than it already is. Wisconsin residents are depending on their elected officials to reign in the skyrocketing cost of living in our state, yet the Republican legislature has no problem forcing their constituents to suffer under continuously rising property taxes.”
Senator Smith made the following comment on this education funding shortfall will impact his district:
“Under the Republican status quo and their mishandling state funds, my hometown of Eau Claire is losing nearly 3 million dollars of general aide funding. That is 3 million dollars that should be used to educate Eau Claire children, used to fill Eau Claire schools with the best and brightest educators our state has to offer. 3 million dollars that could go towards making sure our facilities are in the best possible condition. Instead, the Republican controlled legislature decided to strip Eau Claire schools of this necessary funding. Preferring to funnel tax dollars from my district, and districts all over the state into unaccountable and unregulated voucher schools”
“School boards along with their dedicated staff are then faced with a really tough decision. Do we take our already skeletal budgets and cut it even more, running the risk of cutting vital programs that our students need to succeed educationally? Or do we ask the community to help us backfill the funding that the state should be providing, therefore asking them to increase their own property taxes as a result? That’s what school divisions across Wisconsin are facing right now. And it’s a shame that the state does not step up to the plate to prevent this dilemma from happening in the first place. By forcing communities to go to these extreme measures, pitting families against public schools, Wisconsin is creating winners and losers in our education system.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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