A survey released Thursday highlighted the effects funding cuts have had on public schools since the adoption of Wisconsin's biennial state budget.
According to the report from the Wisconsin Department of Instruction, the $749 million decrease in school district funding until 2013 has negatively affected the quality of K-12 public education through the loss of staff positions and the increase in class sizes.
"The depth and breadth of losses of experienced educators statewide is large," the survey said. Nine out of 10 students surveyed lost one staff member in the staffing areas measured.
The report noted an increase in class sizes in roughly a quarter of surveyed districts.
In terms of class offerings, the survey's findings indicate decreased subject sections and offerings throughout Wisconsin. Ten percent of surveyed districts reported eliminating math sections, while three percent of school districts completely eliminated entire math courses.
Two-thirds of districts expect similar or greater cuts to be made in the next year's budget, the survey said.
In response to the release of the WDI survey, Gov. Scott Walker asserted that the data "shows [the governor's] reforms are working."
In Walker's statement, 90 percent of all districts "have the same number or increased" math sections, while 97 percent of districts also maintained or increased the math courses offered to students.
According to the governor's release, 75 percent of surveyed districts have K-3 classes either smaller or the same size as before the budget took effect.
State politicians from both parties connected the budget's cuts with implications for public education along party lines.
"Wisconsin's schools are suffering at the direct hands of Walker's immoral budget," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said in a statement. "Scott Walker should be ashamed to claim that his assault on public education is working."
Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, accused results of "misleading" the public about education in Wisconsin.
"What we should be talking about is education reform," he said. "We all know that success in the classroom isn't directly tied to funding."
