Gov. Tony Evers requested a special legislative session last Thursday focusing on re-investment within schools and tax cuts following an expected $450 million surplus in the state’s budget.
As a former school teacher and Superintendent of Public Instruction in Wisconsin, Evers called on lawmakers to draft a bill — worth $252 million — that would revive the state’s promise to fund two-thirds of school costs.
Evers advocated for compensation toward school services for students with disabilities exceeding $30,000, funding for mental health services within schools and allocating $3.6 million toward summer programs in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine school districts.
By adding money to state funding, Evers believes school districts will request less money from its taxpayers, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Along with various other initiatives — such as providing aid to young Native language learners and increasing support for rural schools by $10 million — Evers proposed $130 million worth of property tax cuts through a process called equalization aid which intends to alleviate the reliance educational programs hold on local taxes to fund their activities.
Evers called the plan a “win-win for all us in the state of Wisconsin,” as school districts would hold fewer referendums while also providing tax relief, minimizing the amount school districts seek from taxpayers.
“It is encouraging to see steps to restoring our commitment to students in Wisconsin,” said Beth Maglio, a school teacher at Mount Horeb High School. “For too long, education has not been prioritized in Wisconsin and this has left many of us in the trenches feeling undervalued, discouraged and left without necessary resources to meet the needs of our students, especially the most vulnerable.”
While Evers spoke highly of the proposal and its benefits, Republican lawmakers dismissed it almost immediately, stating their efforts are focused exclusively on tax cuts.
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the surplus money would be better allocated to tax cuts, as the budget has “spent more money on schools than ever before.”
“Senate Republicans have been focused since late last year on using our surplus for a tax cut for hard-working families, and the governor knows that,” Fitzgerald said in a tweet. “I don’t see us budging off that position. It appears that the teachers' unions are the ones calling all the shots in the East Wing.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, echoed the same sentiment and accentuated the fiscal and ideological differences between the two parties.
“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when there’s a surplus Republicans look to return those dollars to the hardworking taxpayers of the state,” Vos tweeted. “Democrats are fixated on growing the size of government, which they know we won’t do.”
Senator Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, a previous member of multiple education-oriented boards, expressed his support for the special session.
“Evers put forth proposals that prioritize our students and the hardworking teachers and staff in our rural schools,” Smith said in a press release. “Republicans have an opportunity ahead of them to join Democrats to do what’s best for our kids and invest in Wisconsin’s future.”
The special session on education is scheduled to begin Feb. 11.
state news
