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The State Assembly early Friday (March 15, 2002) passed
a budget adjustment plan that spares K-12 public education from new
funding cuts.
“The budget bill does nothing to fix the crisis
caused by state-imposed revenue controls,” WEAC President Stan
Johnson said. “It makes the best of a bad situation. Even in grim
economic times, we cannot abandon the need to provide classrooms that
work for all of Wisconsin’s students.”
The budget plan sent to the State Senate also:
Johnson called on the Legislature to finish work on
the budget and eliminate the state’s $1.1 billion deficit as quickly
as possible.
“This is especially important to school districts
faced with uncertainty over the future of their state aid payments,”
he said. “If the Legislature does not act quickly to pass the budget
adjustment bill, school districts will be forced to issue layoff notices
to thousands of teachers and staff.
The budget bill also restores the ability of Wisconsin’s
technical colleges to provide classrooms that work for thousands of
people who depend on them for job training and advancement.
“Technical colleges play a pivotal role in Wisconsin’s
economy, providing a great return on taxpayers’ investment,”
Johnson said. “The budget adjustment bill now preserves funding
for the state’s technical colleges, which are an integral part
of our education system.”
Johnson said WEAC remains concerned about the potential
cuts to state agencies and their effect on children and the economy.
“WEAC will stay involved throughout the rest of the budget adjustment process to find solutions that balance the need to eliminate the deficit with the need to preserve essential state services to school districts and communities,” Johnson said.
The bill now moves to the State Senate for consideration. After the Senate votes on the budget, it goes to a conference committee and ultimately to the governor.
Resource page on 2002 state budget crisis
Posted March 15, 2002