Did You Know Your District Helps Finance Milwaukee Vouchers?

A little-publicized provision in the 1999-2001 state budget that changes the funding source for Milwaukee's private school voucher system is having a significant impact on hundreds of school districts throughout the state.

The provision in effect requires all school districts in the state to "chip in" to finance one-half of the Milwaukee program's cost.

Divided among all the state's school districts, that may not seem like much. But it has forced some administrators to consider teacher layoffs and other drastic measures.

"In this district, we are seeing our state aid reduced by nearly $50,000 a year as our portion of funding for Milwaukee's school choice," said William Zaborowski, superintendent of the Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District.

"We were forced to lay off four teachers earlier this year partly because of less state funding. We were able to hire them back with additional SAGE funding, but I don't know what will happen down the line."

The funding change cost the 425 districts outside of Milwaukee $8.1 million.

A $50,000 shortfall doesn't mean disaster in larger districts, but it amounts to critical funding in the Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau district, Zaborowski said.

"The fact is that $50,000 is equal to one teaching position here," he said. "We make every attempt to give the residents of the district value for their dollars.

"We spend about $1,200 per student less than the state average, yet we provide a quality education," Zaborowski said. "That's difficult to continue when we, in effect, send money to Milwaukee."

Zaborowski said he understands there may be certain needs specific to Milwaukee that must be addressed.

"But, that doesn't change the fact that money is being taken out of G-E-T and other districts around the state," he said.

"That is not helping the students in districts outside Milwaukee."

Some parents are upset that money is being taken away from their children's education.

"I've considered this funding change both as a parent and a teacher," said Barbara Everson-Bunton, a guidance counselor in the La Crosse district whose two children attend the G-E-T district. "In both cases, I just can't see the justifications for it."

When vouchers were initiated in Milwaukee, they were funded entirely by shifting school aid funds from Milwaukee Public Schools to the private schools on a student-by-student basis. The latest budget change shifted half of the funding responsibility from MPS to all other districts in the state. On average, the change reduced state aid to non-Milwaukee districts by about 0.6%.

"My kids in the G-E-T district are being denied the best education possible because of this funding shift," Everson-Bunton said

"As a guidance counselor in a large district, I understand the value of $50,000," she said. "We have only four guidance counselors for the entire district, and that's not enough.

"I'm not sure what the effect of the funding change is on the La Crosse District, but just a $50,000 cut is significant," she said "That $50,000 could fund another badly needed guidance counselor position here."

In La Crosse, the effect of the funding shift is more dramatic. The Department of Public Instruction reports that state aid to La Crosse was cut more than $203,000 to help fund Milwaukee private schools.

The negative effect school choice funding is having on local school district budgets is not confined to any geographic areas of the state. The same reductions are being seen in southern Wisconsin.

"We are looking at a state aid reduction of $61,000 or about 0.8% of our total budget," said Gary Albrecht, superintendent of the Evansville School District. "That's significant, but it's even more dramatic when you compare it to our elementary school budget."

For Albrecht, the funding cut means 1? fewer teaching positions.

"I just can't see any benefit to our students when state aid is taken out of Evansville's budget," he said.

Posted November 29, 2000