An open letter advocating the prioritizing of education funding

To the Editor:

This is an open letter to Senator Felzkowski and Representative Swearingen. Currently the State of Wisconsin has a budget surplus of approximately $4 billion. Yet, public school districts around the state are struggling to maintain financial stability and quality educational programs. Because of the failure of the legislators to adjust school funding to rising inflation, school districts have had to deal with rising costs for deteriorating infrastructure repairs or replacement, supplies, insurance, teacher salaries, transportation costs, and mandated programs to name a few. Add to those concerns, school populations are decreasing across the state. Such population decreases impact school districts by lowering the amount of per pupil funding. Private schools and voucher schools are draining additional funds from the total school funding availability.

How did we get here? We can start answering that question by looking at how the state funds education. In 1994 Wisconsin established revenue limits that cannot be exceeded. Therefore, school districts need to pass referendums to override the limits. In 2012 the legislature made huge cuts to school funding. For the next 15 years the schools were not given enough funding to keep up with inflation. The state legislature’s last budget (23-25) included a $1.2 billion increase for school funding. However, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported that only $625 million was paid for “total school aid”. The Fiscal Bureau reported that the other missing $590 million was identified as “school levy tax credit.” That tax credit appears on our property tax bills. The $590 million never went to schools. The Legislators took credit for a huge increase in school funding and for the tax credit on our tax bills. However, the public schools only received a little more than half of the funding legislators told us they funded.

The state legislators have also failed to adequately fund Special Education, at least to public schools. Currently Wisconsin only funds public schools up to 30 percent of the cost of special education. Districts must take the necessary additional costs from their total budgets. Which of course means that some other additional budget items that impact other students or general programs will need to be cut. The legislators decided to treat voucher schools with favoritism by almost fully funding their special education students through what is called The Special Needs Scholarship program. 

In 2023 ACT 20 required Wisconsin schools to shift to a phonics-based reading program. In ACT 100 the legislators allocated $50 million to fund this literacy program. To implement this program school districts needed to purchase curriculum materials, provide for professional development, hire reading specialists. This fall school districts began using the program expecting to receive funds to help pay for this new program. The $50 million is being held up by the legislature. If the money is not released by June 30, it will be put back in the general fund and added to the already $4 billion surplus.

Public schools are the bedrock of American communities. Besides being places for children to prepare to take their place in our society, public schools draw communities together. Public schools teach all children no matter their economic standing, their racial or cultural background, gender identification, physical fitness, or intellectual abilities. It is shameful that our state legislators are not providing support to our public schools and their communities, while sitting on over $4 billion. Senator Felzkowski and Representative Swearingen it is time to prioritize public education and truth in funding. 

Cheryl Tertinger

Minocqua