I was disheartened to learn of the failure of Assembly Bill 1 last night in the State Senate. As I shared earlier, the proposal allocated a portion of Wisconsin’s projected budget surplus as critical revenue for public schools and property taxpayers at a time when our students, schools, and communities are in great need.
One thing is clear: With the proposal defeated, the legislature needs to define what their alternative plan is to fund public education. The defeated proposal was a step in the right direction for school funding, and public schools now look to the legislature to identify its next steps. It is my hope that they return to the table urgently and come up with a new plan.
It is imperative that any funding provided is flexible. School boards and districts must be able to determine how to use funding to address their specific needs. Although public schools share a mission to welcome all students, their local challenges and needs are unique.
Additionally, the state must support legislation to increase the reimbursement rate for special education and provide full funding (sum-sufficient) for these costs. Assembly Bill 1 provided funding to support 42% and 50% coverage for special education costs for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, respectively. Had it passed, that reimbursement would have provided MMSD an additional $4 million in funding for this year and $11 million for next year – that is critical funding that Madison property taxpayers will now ultimately cover.
The time to prioritize our public schools is now. Our schools have been underfunded for decades, forcing districts to rely on local property taxes. With the outdated general school aid funding formula, MMSD must rely on local property taxes to pay for 89% of its shared educational costs. This is the highest in the state. The other Big 5 districts – Green Bay, Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Racine – only rely on local property taxes for 34% to 38% of their shared costs.
There is still time for lawmakers to come together to say “yes” to our students by providing the funding needed – not only for this year or next year, but for years to come. Our students can’t continue to wait, and our property taxpayers cannot continue to shoulder the burden of the state’s inaction.
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madison.k12.wi.us
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