Public Ed Needs Broad Investment, Not Special Treatment for a Single Charter School
Assembly Education Committee Democrats submitted testimony today opposing Assembly Bill 818, which would authorize the Office of Educational Opportunity to designate one independent charter school for additional state funding. The testimony, submitted as a joint letter from Representatives Francesca Hong, Angelina Cruz, Christian Phelps, and Joe Sheehan, will be considered at tomorrow’s public hearing before the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
Assembly Bill 818 would label a single independent charter school a “demonstration public school” and require the Department of Public Instruction to provide that school an additional $6,863 per pupil beginning in the 2026–27 school year. Independent charter schools currently receive $12,369 per pupil.
“At a time when public education funding is at a crisis point, it is deeply troubling to advance a bill that directs new resources to just one school,” said Representative Angelina Cruz.
Last week, 93% of delegates to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards approved an emergency resolution calling on the state to meet its long-promised special education reimbursement levels—42% this year and 45% in 2026–27. School districts from rural, urban, and suburban communities united behind that demand. To date, no Republican lawmakers have signed on to legislation requiring the state to fulfill that commitment.
Also last week, superintendents from Wisconsin’s five largest school districts—Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine—issued an open letter to the Legislature warning that legislative funding decisions have led to unsustainable property tax increases and urging increased investment in public schools statewide.
Public education advocates are not asking for pilot programs or one-off designations. They are asking the Legislature to meet its existing commitments and fully fund public schools for every student, in every community—something Assembly Bill 818 fails to do.
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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