A state report released Thursday showed that state support for rural school districts has declined in the past five years, leading to outcry from Democrats that the legislature has not done enough to support those areas.
State aid to rural school districts throughout Wisconsin dropped 13.5 percent in the past five years, according to a memo released by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Enrollment dropped by five percent in that same time period.
School districts in Northwood, Alma and Pepin saw some of the largest cuts of over 55 percent since the 2010-’11 biennial budget. Democrats say the cuts are five times greater than cuts to other districts in the state.
This comes on top of teaching shortages and other cuts, which have been caused by migration patterns and the decline of teachers unions following Act 10’s passage in 2011.
State Democrats held a press conference on the memo, criticizing Republicans for neglecting their duty to serve the districts. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said the policies of the majority have been “hostile” to those schools and that their actions are “shameful.”
“The cuts [to rural school districts] have gone into the bone and they are struggling to keep the lights on,” said state Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, at the press conference. “It is stunning, startling and wrong.”
Republicans said they will make education a priority in the next session, including supporting rural schools. In their 2017 agenda, released yesterday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said they will support the expansion of broadband and technologies in schools to better support those students. In addition, the plan calls for an increase in minimum aid payments to school districts.
“Assembly Republicans will build off of our efforts in previous sessions to provide solutions for problems facing students in rural school districts,” the agenda reads. “Roughly 44 percent of the state’s public school students attend school in a rural community.”
