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Overview of current study
For the past nine years, the Wisconsin Association of School District
Administrators (WASDA) and the Wisconsin Education Association Council
(WEAC) have monitored the impact of the revenue caps on districts by surveying
school superintendents. Every year since 1994 Wisconsin's school superintendents
have been asked to complete and return questionnaires asking them about
the impact of the caps on programs and services.
On average, 73% of districts have participated in studies done over the past nine years. The lowest response rate was 64% in 2000, while the highest rate (79%) was in 1994. This year, questionnaires were received from 327 of 426 superintendents, representing a 77% return rate.
The discussion that follows includes some time-based
comparisons; however, these comparisons are limited to only the last three
years. Beginning in 1999-2000, the wording of the question asking about
cuts in programs and services was revised. Prior to 1999-2000 superintendents
simply were asked to indicate whether or not there had been a cut in a
program or service area. Although this method provided valuable information,
it did not allow us to make a distinction between a district that eliminated
a few hundred dollars from a program and a district that eliminated an
entire program area. For this reason the questionnaire was revised in
1999-2000, and superintendents were asked to provide information about
the impact of each cut. Because of this change in wording, any comparisons
of current cuts with those prior to 1999-2000 would be inappropriate.
Majority of districts will lose students in the next
few years
In the current study, more than one-half (52%) of superintendents say
their district will decline in enrollment over the next four to five years.
This is important because under the revenue caps legislation school funding
is directly tied to enrollment. On average, superintendents from districts
projected to lose students expect a decline of 5-8 %.
Previous studies have shown a significant relationship between enrollment trends and concerns about educational quality. In general, superintendents from declining enrollment districts, or from districts projected to lose students, have been far more critical of the revenue caps than superintendents from growing districts.
Superintendents concerned about the decline in educational
quality
Beginning with the first study in 1994, superintendents warned that the
revenue caps would harm their school district's overall educational quality.
At that time, 90% of superintendents said the long-term effects would
be "negative" or "very negative." When asked in subsequent
years about the actual effects, the percent saying "negative"
or "very negative" grew from 63% in 1999-2000, to 72% in 2000-2001,
to 81% in 2001-2002.
Districts continue to cut programs and
services
Since 1994, superintendents have been given a list of program and service
areas and asked to indicate if their district took action during the school
year in order to comply with the revenue caps. The number of districts
making cuts in seven categories is shown below. For example, 97 districts
(30%) made cuts in every area, while 17 districts (5%) did not make a
single cut. In 2001-2002, the typical district made cuts in 16 of 27 program
and service areas.
The percent of districts making cuts in each program and service area can be found in the questionnaire at the end of this paper. Also shown are the opinions of superintendents about the effects of each cut, using a five-point scale from "very negative" to "very positive." An overall average of 57% of superintendents report that the effects of taking action in the 27 areas have been "negative" or "very negative."
Three-fourths of districts limit spending for maintenance and improvement
of the physical infrastructure
Over the past nine years, districts consistently have made the largest
cuts in areas related to maintenance and improvement of buildings and
grounds. This trend continues in 2001-2002, where 79% of superintendents
report spending less to maintain buildings and grounds, while 79% say
their district spent less for improvements on buildings and grounds. Delays
in building and maintenance improvements also are reported by 73% of respondents.
For these three areas combined, 77% report that the effects are "negative"
or "very negative."
Most districts using the fund balance and raising student fees
Districts have the option of passing a referendum in order to exceed the
revenue caps. However, last year most superintendents indicated that use
of a referendum to exceed the revenue caps was an unrealistic alternative.
Although some said that they "appreciated" the option and others
said that they have made use of a referendum, nearly all superintendents
stated that it was too time-consuming and burdensome and should not be
required to meet reasonable and necessary operating expenses.
This reluctance to go to referendum, except when significant dollar amounts are required, probably explains why more and more districts continue to use part of their fund balance and raise student fees in order to comply with the caps. In 1999-2000, 53% of districts used their fund balance. This figure increased to 57% in 2000-2001, and 64% in 2001-2002. It's noteworthy that 63% of superintendents in this year's study say that result of dipping into the fund balance has been "negative" or "very negative."
This past year, 65% of districts increased student fees. This compares
with 1999-2000 and 2000-2001, when 56% and 59% of districts, respectively,
increased fees. In many districts, student fees have increased for several
years in a row, resulting in higher costs for families. Slightly more
than one-half of superintendents (52%) surveyed this year say the effects
of increasing fees are "negative" or "very negative."
Majority of districts cut support programs/services
Support programs and services have not been immune from the effects of
the revenue caps. This past school year districts made cuts in numerous
program support areas, including the following:
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of districts also report increasing class sizes. This compares with 50% in 1999-2000 and 56% in 2000-2001.
Posted March 10, 2003