Report Shows Governor's Budget Increased School Funding
From the Governor's Office
As students head back to school this week (September 5, 2006), a new report by the Wisconsin Budget Office demonstrates the effect of Governor Doyle’s budget on individual school districts throughout Wisconsin. From Milwaukee to Marinette to River Falls, school districts large and small across the state will receive additional state funding this year under the budget signed into law by Governor Doyle.
Specifically, the report details the estimated additional state aid that will flow to each school district as a result of Governor Doyle's line-item vetoes of Republican education cuts in the state budget.
“This report is further evidence that the budget I signed into law spared schools from devastating cuts, giving them modest increases to keep pace with inflation,” Doyle said. “This additional funding will not only help strengthen our schools, but it also helps take the burden off of property taxpayers this year.”
Last year, Doyle proposed restoring the state’s historic commitment to fund two-thirds of the cost of schools. Republicans in the Legislature attacked this proposal and cut his schools budget by about $330 million. The governor was able to use his veto power to restore $330 million to schools, restoring the two-thirds funding level and reversing the Republican cuts. Doing so ensured that schools receive a cost-of-living increase this year. In addition, Governor Doyle’s vetoes will benefit property taxpayers through a $124 million increase in the school levy tax credit.
Examples of school funding increases for the 2006-2007 academic year directly resulting from the governor’s vetoes include:
- Milwaukee Public Schools: $15.2 million
- Green Bay Area Schools: $4.1 million
- Eau Claire Area Schools: $2.5 million
- La Crosse School District: $1.7 million
- Superior School District: $924,000
- Wausau School District: $1.8 million
A full listing including all school districts is available on the Governor’s Web site at: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/state_map_2006.asp.
Restoring this funding was also critical to the governor’s property tax freeze, which he signed into law as part of the budget. Putting additional state resources into education while keeping overall revenue limits in place helped reduce the burden on property taxpayers. Combined with tight limits on spending by local governments, the plan assured that the typical homeowner saw only a very small increase in property taxes, and many homeowners’ bills actually went down. A recent report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance found that under Doyle’s property tax freeze, Wisconsin saw the lowest overall property tax increase in nine years.
Added state aid will allow schools to increase their spending on average by a modest 3.2% this year, helping them keep pace with rising costs at a time of skyrocketing gas and heating bills. A report by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards found that had the Republican education cuts gone into effect, more than 4,700 teaching positions in Wisconsin would have been eliminated.
To view an interactive map detailing funding increases county by county, district by district, click here: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/state_map_2006.asp
To view the report from the Wisconsin Budget Office, click here: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=9370&locid=19
Posted September 7, 2006