Five Districts, One Message: Wisconsin Families and Schools Need Relief Now

Wisconsin families are struggling. Across Madison, Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Green Bay, and communities statewide, families are paying more for groceries, utilities, and health insurance. School districts face those same pressures. We are paying more to feed students, heat and power our schools, and cover rising employee healthcare costs. Like families, school districts are impacted by increasing expenses due to inflation.

That is why the most recent state budget was such a profound disappointment. When the state had a $4 billion surplus, we expected lawmakers to recognize the shared financial strain facing families and public schools. Instead, Wisconsin’s K–12 public school students received a $0 increase in general state aid. At the same time, a promised increase in critical funding for students with disabilities came up short.

Governor Tony Evers has proposed $1.3 billion in state funding to provide property tax relief and stabilize school funding. However, legislative leaders have indicated they will not support this proposal unless the Governor’s “400 years” veto is overturned. That veto, which guaranteed long-term per-pupil increases, demonstrated support for public education but is now being used as a political obstacle rather than a path forward.

Wisconsin urgently needs a bipartisan compromise on school funding. The current stalemate leaves public school districts unable to plan responsibly and pushes local communities to shoulder costs that the state should be sharing. A proven solution already exists. Under former Governor Tommy Thompson, Wisconsin provided annual per-pupil funding increases tied to the cost of living, providing schools with predictable, sustainable support. Those adjustments were eliminated in 2009 during the recession, and despite years of economic recovery, they have never been restored.

The consequences have been severe and long-lasting. Without cost-of-living adjustments, districts across the state have been forced to rely on operational referendums, reduce staff, consolidate schools, delay building maintenance, and cut programs. These measures are not sustainable and, over time, directly harm students. Had cost-of-living increases remained in place, many districts would be receiving thousands of dollars more per student each year and would likely not need to ask voters for additional support through referendums.

The school funding formula may be complex, but one truth is simple: when state support goes down or stagnates, property taxes go up. This is not a school district spending problem. It is a legislative funding choice.

Compounding this issue is the Legislature’s failure to fully fund its commitment to students with disabilities. We have now learned that funding promised in the state budget is unlikely to be upheld. With the state now reporting approximately $1.5 billion more in revenue than expected, the Legislature should uphold its promise to school districts and meet its commitment to funding special education at a 42% reimbursement rate.

As a state, we risk shortchanging not only our students but Wisconsin’s future economic prosperity. Past generations benefited from full-time art, music, physical education, and library teachers, as well as school nurses. Every one of us wants better for our kids today, and yet without funding that keeps up with growing costs, we will give them less. They deserve better.

Lawmakers can do what is right by their constituents, Wisconsin families, and our public schools by investing this historic surplus in our children. Students are receiving less while taxpayers are paying more—and it does not have to be this way. The future of Wisconsin’s public schools depends on responsible, consistent state funding. The time is now. As superintendents of the five largest districts representing nearly 20% of Wisconsin’s public school students, we respectfully ask on behalf of our 140,000-plus students that you invest in their future now. They can’t wait.

Signed,
Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard, Madison Metropolitan School District
Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Milwaukee Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, Kenosha Unified School District
Superintendent Soren Gajewski, Racine Unified School District
Superintendent Vicki Bayer, Green Bay Area Public School District

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.