A
Decade of Revenue Controls: The Effects of Revenue Controls on the Programs
and Services Offered by Wisconsin's Public Schools, 2002-03 School
 |
| 163KB PDF |
Written Comments
Question 31: The Governor has appointed a Task
Force on Educational Excellence which is charged with examining Wisconsin’s
system of financing education by investigating several factors, including,
but not limited to: attracting and retaining quality staff, supporting
special education, investing in early education, providing the appropriate
level of funding and the right mix of funding sources, and ensuring
equal opportunity for all children. If you could make one or two recommendations
to the members of this task force, what would they be?
Minor edits have been made to the comments that follow:
district/school names have been deleted (replaced with xxx), some punctuation
has been added where necessary; some minor words have been added or
deleted for clarity; and words or phrases that were not legible are
indicated by three question marks (???).
- Displace local levy with other funding mechanisms. Eliminate all
unfunded state mandates. Provide construction money – must be
ongoing. Reimburse for all costs (100 percent) of EEN students. Examine
ways to see professional educators are paid what their counterparts
outside education are paid.
- Learn about the connection between funding and QEO. I’ve
watched at least SIX task forces and have yet to see any improvement..
Take a risk, Do Something!
- The task force should be reminded that school districts have had
to deal with cost control/revenue caps for over ten years. No other
government agency has that imposed on them except for school districts.
- State should pay for all EEN costs; Primary Aids should not be
eliminated.
- Small rural schools are unique and yet – do very well on
state test. Do not create a “Fix” for large schools and
have small rural districts implement the same “fix”.
- Develop a more timely system – be able to determine amount
of money earlier. Take care of Special Education costs, local control,
and decision making at local level.
- Eliminate the revenue limits and let the local taxpayers work with
the board on setting the fiscal direction for the school district.
- Equal per pupil spending across the state, statewide property tax
mill rate (same mill rate all districts)
- Continue to support small learning communities (keep in mind what
research indicates in this regard), address the inequity issue –
fiscally responsible schools before 1993 are penalized today! (Equalize
funding)
- Schools need to follow NCLB requirements – States should
be required to have budgets completed timely!
- Fund processes that are enacted to meet ESEA. Example: direct money
to fund compensatory to states that are part of Professional Development
Team.
- Find a new method to fund schools. Help smaller declining enrollment
schools. Economic recovery and education are closely linked.
- Give more local control – fewer mandates – time and
days are a ridiculous mandate – (some kids need more, some less.)
- Technology Support – How do we keep up? Use a tax that reflects
economy – sales, etc.
- Find new system to fund education.
- Do not remove support for early education programs. Have budget
decisions made early enough for districts to adjust.
- Include “lost money” (i.e. ESEA and Title I) in a formula
that would compensate for large amounts of money that was taken away.
- Don’t equate property wealth with education – one does
not equal the other. Don’t punish districts which have not spent
their revenue limits or those which are low-spending districts –
treat everyone the same.
- Referendum in 2001 approved $24.4 million in CIP project and $5
million in revenue limit increases and program improvements.
- VOTE to mix the revenue sources to move away from property taxes
skyrocketing as the state funds less
- Please make the report and application for money simple. We currently
spend incredibly too much time reporting the same into a number of
different formats.
- Please fund EEN to its actual costs--nearly 10 percent of our total
expenditures goes to high cost of EEN students.
- Provide more equity on spending across the state.
- Insurance (health and property) are skyrocketing – perhaps,
sub-level of coverage required for health insurance should be mandated
by law.
- Reduce mandates in general (P.E., etc.)
- Eliminate some electives via a [???] system (#23) so there are
not local curriculum wars.
- Get the insurance industry to be competitive or start an expanded
state system.
- Given the demographics, property values and current spending limits,
it is impossible for our small rural district to offer our student
instructional programs comparable to large urban districts –
any foundation or new funding plan needs to have a mechanism or process
to hold spending in larger districts to smaller increases to enable
lower spending school districts to “catch up.”
- Declining enrollment is going to be a major problem in this district
soon – we have been able to find ways to make fairly painless
cuts so far, but that time is coming to an abrupt halt soon! Also,
open enrollment is having a very negative impact. Would love to see
some constraints on that program as well as with options.
- Take the burden of paying for public service off the backs of the
property owners.
- No mandates without funding.
- Work to shift back to local Board control (No Revenue limits! No
QEO!)
- Shift property tax burden back to corporate and away from residential
taxpayers.
- The equalization aid formula, with the adjustments recommended
by WASDA, is the fairest plan. A new plan does not make it better
or fairer.
- Use sales tax instead of property tax.
- Have a consistent mill rate for ALL state property owners.
- If the value is higher, more taxes should be paid, just as those
who buy should pay more.
- If you want any recommendations to be enacted, members of the legislature
need to be included on the task force.
- Transportation, membership, geographic size, and income, as well
as, special needs population need to be factored in to arrive at an
equitable and adequate fund system.
- Add an auditor and someone who has expertise in school finance
from an administrator’s point of view.
- Two-thirds funding is a necessity for small districts.
- Remember to work for all children and not forget that the school
district is their home.
- State should cover the cost of any EEN student who exceeds the
district per pupil cost.
- As cost of EEN student rise, allow districts to exceed Rev Caps
by that cost so regular education students do not have programs cut
to fund special education.
- Provide Board of Education with limited ability to unilaterally
raise local tax levy.
- Continue to fund at existing level (state of WI)
- Provide more preventative program monies
- Get legislators on board as members of committee – I have
heard several say their omission from committee will be a negative
in their vote.
- Provide flexibility in use of funds
- Allow more local control
- Would recommend a foundation type plan for funding
- Task Force [should] develop a way to seek and disseminate information
from teachers/administrators and Board members
- There is NO perfect system. Fair is in the mind and location of
the observer.
- Constitute the membership of this committee so that it reflects:
a true intent to take a look at Wisconsin’s school finance system
and a true intent to have the outcome enacted into law.
- Consider the impact of locking in a low baseline for already frugal
districts vs. a baseline for districts that have not been “lean”
for decades.
- Don’t overly rely on one source of revenue
- Let districts borrow (without referendum) for long-term maintenance
or capital equipment if district cost is below state average. –
We just can’t afford to fund out of operation budget. Technical
colleges already have this authority.
- All children deserve the same minimum level of support from the
state (per pupil amount). Let each district determine how far above
or below this level they wish to go.
- We cannot continue to pay for increases in insurance, utilities,
and maintenance at the expense of educating children! Everything comes
out of the pot with allowed increases in income, which do not equal
cost increases.
- Come up with a funding plan that is equitable for all school districts
in Wisconsin.
- Equal spending for all districts – because we happened to
be low spending the year revenue limits were imposed, we have had
to remain a low cost per pupil district.
- Early Education
- Funding for quality teachers.
- Provide a mechanism similar to the Governor’s proposal allowing
the 98 low spending districts same sort of “relief” to
the revenue caps.
- Get the budget set before end of previous year.
- Reduce the use of property tax and use sales tax increase or increase
in state general tax.
- Local option sales tax by county
- Limit the impact on local property taxes funding education by expanding
sales and income taxes.
- Don’t include future building projects in the equalization
and formula. We are a negative territory aid district. Must levy 117%
to fund construction.
- Consider economy of scale issues and the effect of declining enrollment
on high aid districts.
- Across the board percentage decreases in aid becomes disequalizing
because the local levy has to increase so much more in high aid districts.
- Allow districts whose fund balance is below recommended levels
to increase it without revenue cap implications.
- Give incentive for districts that are small and rural to: dissolve
and or reshape as elementary districts and send middle to high school
students to other districts; build centrally located K-12 building
sites; create incentives for young families to move to rural districts.
- Address inequities caused by varying property values
- Provide equal access to state and local revenue
- I’m only in my second year in Wisconsin, though in the business
for thirty-five years. – My place – get us off the dependency
on property tax. Or if they (the legislature) think this tax is so
great, let their revenues be based on property taxes and let us use
income and sales taxes.
- Spread the receipt of state revenues out evenly over twelve months.
Give me monthly revenue I can schedule and avoid the loans I make
to cause shortfalls.
- Place a “ceiling” or limitation on specific spending
- Use a foundation plan with local control options left to school
boards to surpass foundation level money.
- Create a taxing mechanism for a “school house fund”
to address major maintenance, remodeling projects and new construction
– would need to be state approved.
- Administration and teacher pay must STOP decreasing in Wisconsin
with respect to the rest of the country.
- Permit local boards to determine the amount of revenue needed to
operate schools.
- What do the factors have to do with financing education? They want
to find a way that they can have a great educational system and not
pay for it. I would have them eliminate ALL co and extra curriculum
matters. I think it’s time we give the people what they ask
for and see if they like it.
- Without legislative representation the report is DOA! Any changes
must be revenue Neutral – A MUST!
- Need to have adequate funding.
- New mandates to be fully funded (example: PI-34)
- Categorical aids to be increased or re-instituted (example: Special
Education, drivers, education)
- Better financially recognize districts that have inordinate numbers
of special education, ELL, and high poverty students
- Amend the state constitution to allow for developers’ impact
fees. Residential development resulting in increased school construction
accounts for major portion of escalating education costs.
- Shift bulk of school financing from income and property tax to
sales tax. This structure does not penalize asset-rich, and income
poor residents (elderly).
- Seek adequacy – low spending districts have no opportunity
to correct budget decisions that were made prior to 1993.
- Establish a structure that averts the turmoil that the state’s
fiscal problems have caused in public schools the last two years.
- Be sure schools have adequate funding! School administrators should
not have to cut staff or programs. We have been under revenue caps
for ten years. We’ve used up all the places where we can “trim”
the budget. Now cuts are going into core functions of the school.
- Protect small schools with declining enrollments. Small schools
will go the same direction as the small farmer. They will not be able
to compete with schools that have large student populations. They
will have to close their doors. Come up with ideas on how to control
school calendars, starting dates, and insurance issues.
- Funding for special education at the state level has been cut in
half over the years, while demands for services have increased dramatically.
This must be turned around and the state made to live up to its original
commitment. Property taxes for business and industry have greatly
declined while property taxes for homeowners have steadily increased,
pitting local residents against their schools. It’s time to
make everyone [an] equal partner in the education of our youth.
- Set law to regulate costs of health insurance. Provide funds for
technology (Teach), PI 34, testing requirements. Release Revenue Caps
to four percent increase versus three percent. Cost of salaries, benefits,
inflation, gas/fuel is over four percent.
- Local control needs to be returned to the taxpayers by use of the
annual meeting and school board powers. Revenue Caps for salary and
fringes only--all other expenses are outside the cap.
- Districts that have been fiscally responsible, and kept their per
pupil costs at or below state average are penalized on the amount
of revenue they can generate when compared to the high spending districts.
There will never be anything approaching equity or parity as long
as high spending districts can increase costs faster than more responsible
districts.
- Look at a foundation plan that would equalize the per pupil spending
between larger and lower spending districts – even if it were
to occur over a time period.
- We can teach any class and help any student you mandate –
if you will pay for it.
- Whatever comes out of it can be no better than what we now enjoy.
- Too much dependence on property tax. Other revenue sources available:
income, sales, etc. Public schools are held to excessive accountability
standards while non-public schools operate out from under the microscope.
- Please use the information developed from all of the recent task
forces on school finance.
- Do not eliminate school property tax levy credit and primary hold
harness provision. Maintain current three-tier formula.
- Low spending/low equalized value districts need state aid support
– any cuts are devastating. Increasing enrollment puts a strain
on facilities and limits participation in pre-K & SAGE programs
due to lack of space.
- Unfunded mandates for districts with declining enrollment are a
disaster. Perhaps a new round of school consolidations are needed!
- Balance ability to support with revenue ability to address state
mandates. Provide for more local control.
- Focus on commitment to sustaining and supporting public education.
Remove the focus of property tax to support education.
- Stop pitting grandparents against the grandchildren! Reduce the
reliance on the property tax! Property taxes are paid in Dec/Jan at
a time when people have the least money. Increase sales and/or income
taxes. Distribute state aid relative to the income of the area and
not the property value behind each student!
- Utilize sales tax to offset property tax to fund education. Offer
incentives for consolidation of small rural schools (for example:
districts less than 750 students K-12).
- Membership on task force was very surprising. Do not believe they
will be able to lead a change.
- School finance reform. Percentage of other taxes to education.
Federal monies to education vs. foreign intervention.
- Finance formula must be equitable to low property value, low-income
districts.
- The largest investment of funds goes to staff – given funding,
the collective bargaining laws in Wisconsin, and the strength and
versatility of this state’s organized labor force, is it even
believable that – a) ensuing an equal opportunity for all children,
by – b) attracting and retaining quality staff in ALL Districts
is even possible. Consider state-negotiated teacher contracts and
health/benefit plans with a base statewide and the capability for
richer districts to spend more if they have a fund balance greater
than 17 percent of controlled revenue.
- If you cap us with revenue limits, then work to cap the rest of
my costs, such as natural gas, electricity, health insurance, etc.
- Additional funding for special education students both at the federal
and state level so that local dollars do not have to be spent on these
programs so heavily!! Increase the amounts for declining districts
to operate under the revenue limits formula.
- Address non-funded mandates and account for small school costs
per pupil to offer similar services as large schools.
- Keep funding for education a number one priority. Keep programs
like Century 21 going. We need after school programs for our children.
- Overall salary needs to improve – quality teachers will no
longer be the gifted students. Education is personnel driven, and
when cuts are made the system takes another hit.
- I have some belief in sales tax, although it would be hard for
the state to budget not knowing what will be brought in. Equity in
Funding . . . In 1993 we were locked in as a low spending district,
and we will remain there until things change! QEO must remain unless
revenue caps are listed.
- Concentrate on how any changes will affect kids, not districts
or politics. If you can do that, I’ll be very impressed!
- Create a more equalizing factor between property tax and expenditures
– property value is NOT a true measure of ability to pay/support
local initiatives/governments. Create a funding mechanism that an
average person can understand – not one complicated enough to
allow for political games( i.e. tax credit part of two-thirds –
teacher reduction, etc.)..
- Nice to see someone from CESA 8 there.
- Create equity between high and low spending districts. All children
should cost the same to educate regardless of geography.
- Explain current funding system!
- Look at districts as individually as possible, especially those
receiving negative tertiary aid. High property values and severely
declining enrollments are a formula for disaster. Taxpayers are no
more likely to pass a referendum in these districts than anywhere
else. Do not let any district profit at the expense of others. Go
around the state and check out the facilities in some of the poorer
districts. That will be a real eye opener!
- Put local control of levy back in the hands of school boards. Cease
the never-ending plague of unfundedmandates from Madison.
- Shift from regressive tax structure to progressive tax structure,
such as, sales tax.
- Consider using sales taxes more to assist school funding. This
incorporates significant out-of-state revenues.
- Make revenue limits equal to QEO. Eliminate revenue limits. Eliminate
requirement of referendum for facility improvement.
- Property taxes and EQ value doesn’t equal ability to pay.
Extend the formula to a five-year average rather than three years.
Don’t lift the QEO without lifting revenue limits. Get rid of
special exemptions. Put a ten percent increase in entertainment revenue.
Add .5-1 percent to sales taxes.
- Consider increase in sales tax to help fund schools.
- Mandates Federal and State. The amount of money, time, and paper
spent documenting compliance, writing policies, and publishing notices
is a huge drain on the system. It is a regulatory quagmire that has
taken resources from students. Special Education costs continue on
an upward spiral. Health care costs for support staff are now higher
than salaries. We need a state-developed solution!
- Tweak the current system – Don’t revamp the entire
system!
- Remove most unfunded mandates. Look at increasing exceptional education
costs and mandates.
- Consider using average income as a factor in determining “ability
to pay.” If spending limits remain, [put?] limitations on referenda.
- Shift to sales tax for support of education. Eliminate revenue
caps and allow the local board to govern. While this district is in
good shape, the fund balance is now being used and it will not last
long.
- Get away from property tax: It pits local schools against constituents.
One statewide property tax to cover 80-90 percent of cost, other 10-20
percent levied locally. A state sales tax could offset the state property
tax to alleviate the burden on low income-high property value residents.
- Get school funding off of the local property tax rolls. Get the
equity in funding issues straightened out so every student has an
equal educational opportunity!
- Small districts have resorted to cutting principals and school
business officials to save money. Though indeed removing those positions
saves dollars…even a superintendent and some support ( i.e.,
part-time principals) is not enough to keep track of student needs,
teacher needs, and staff development and adequate and sustainable
curriculum instructional methods to further education initiatives.
- For political reasons the Governor should have put some legislators
on the task force.
- State budget decisions need to be made one year (two preferred)
before local districts plan budgets. The most difficult part is planning!
We do not know the funding level, the formula to use, or the implementation
of changes until all lay-off/non-renewal dates have expired. Finally,
the State’s late decision-making process causes us to look like
we do not know how to plan. If this task force makes recommendations
that cause substantial changes, then the change needs to occur prior
to February 2004, or wait until future date. Revenue caps allowed
us to build and remodel old building without raising taxes. Now the
uncertainties with state budgets are causing problems.
- Please stop taking tax dollars from high property value districts
to give to other so-called “poor” districts. Several districts
in our conference benefit from this practice at our expense. By the
way, residents and patrons of the “poor” districts own
many of the high-value homes and cottages in our district.
- Legislate that Master Agreements have mandatory subject of bargaining
only for wages and everything else becomes permissive subjects of
bargaining.
- No mandates without funding!
- Put expert in school finance on the task force. Leave the equalized
aid formula alone. Emphasis on local control.
- A mix of property, income, and, sales tax for school revenue. Local
flexibility in spending, SAGE, etc. A foundation plan – basic
amount funded for each student, local option for additional spending.
- Wisconsin needs teachers in Math, Foreign Language, Science, and
Technology Education instead of toughening up teacher education in
these areas. We must lighten our requirements and encourage more future
educators to train in these areas.
- Find an additional revenue stream. It probably has to be the sales
tax, either by plugging loopholes, increasing the rate or both. The
property tax is no longer a fair or adequate device. We are at a crossroads.
Public education needs to be properly funded but high property taxes
(both perception and reality) hurt the entire state.
- Our public schools presently are the embodiment of a class system.
Everyone had to redirect state money to the rich families so they
will not have to attend school with poor minority children. If the
rich need $17,000 per pupil, so do the poor. Who speaks for them??
- Appropriate funding levels to meet mandated responsibilities, ensuring
equal educational opportunity.
- Reconsider the original (pre 1993) equalization formula that served
the state schools very well for decades before being “adjusted”
to reflect revenue caps. Factor poverty more prominently in the funding
of schools – children from families of poverty require additional
program resources to attain achievement levels more easily obtainable
in affluent families. These disparities must be recognized if “No
child is to be left behind!”
- Develop an equitable system of funding schools so that all taxpayers
statewide have the same tax effort.
- The QEO is an “unfunded mandate” – we are legally
obligated to raise salary and benefits 3.8 percent. When coupled with
the revenue caps there is no place to secure the revenue – the
losers are children, whether [due to] reduced supplies, higher class
sizes, or, diminished programs. This issue needs to be addressed.
- Set a state standard of support. Allow those who want to spend
more do it without a referendum each time (super majority of the board)
- State imposed sales tax of .5 to 1 percent specifically to fund
education. Five-year enrollment average instead of three years.
- There is not a single “business manager” and only one
“district manager” on the committee. Need someone on the
committee who understands school funding and finance.
- Schools cannot be put in competition with other schools for money.
Any plan that makes some schools “winners” and others
“losers” will not work. There is a great need to stop
talking about “no taxes.” Elected officials need to be
fiscally responsible and promote “responsible taxation.”
- Restore support of public education as priority, investigate funding
sources other than property tax, and consider adequacy funding over
equity formula.
- Go to a mandated state health insurance rate, i.e., not able to
be arbitrated. Keep revenue caps and QEO. Don’t get rid of one
without the other.
- Use increase of state sales tax (.5 percent) to fund only education.
– Need “new” money, not a shift in funding only.
- Greater equity between districts. Greater flexibility for low spending
districts. Levy for capital improvements/maintenance.
- Either write broader less restrictive administration rules for
NCLB and PI 34 or pay for full costs of compliance. These mandates
are out of control. Revisit the work of the Association for Equal
Funding.
- Eliminate budget disincentives. Eliminate mandates.
- Eliminate the Revenue Caps! Require all public bodies, county,
cities, and townships, to go to referendum for funding, or lift from
the K-12 school districts!
- Take education OFF the property tax.
- No more mandates/laws without funding. Pass a law that approves
hours of instruction - NOT days.
- Involve the legislators and school district business managers.
Drop unfunded mandates.
- Budgetary resources must be available to address district needs
whether those are early education, technology, testing, curriculum,
or teacher retention. Let local boards determine the best use for
their schools.
- Consider seriously and give special emphasis to serving the needs
of poor children. Remember the vital role – well-funded pre-K
through grade 12 programs have on the state’s economy.
- Low spending districts need to catch up to the high spending districts.
- We should eliminate the “disconnect” between the obligation
to spend (3.8 percent) and the amount of growth per year. (For us,
about 2.2 percent).
- Appropriate level of funding to insure all children are provided
a quality education. This would include appropriate funding for technology.
Investing in early education will provide the start for better education
later.
- Different way to fund schools – sales tax
- We need more equity in funding. Poor districts have to make a greater
property tax effort than rich districts. Poor districts don’t
have the funds to spend to the level on a per student basis that rich
districts can. There needs to be a base guaranteed per student spending
level funded by the state.
- Resolve the health insurance escalating costs through some type
of reform. If we are attempting to attract educators, find means to
fund them. Address unfunded mandates at the federal and state levels.
- Provide mechanism for low revenue districts to “catch up.”
Present budget makes some improvements in this area, but we have a
long way to go. While we have not had to cut programs, we have not
been able to develop and improve either.
- Eliminate unfunded mandates. Recalculate unfunded pension liability
obligations (rates) Match revenue cap to increase in staffing requirements
and QEO.
- Please consider the effectiveness of unfunded mandates.
- How are schools to budget for unfunded required programs, (PI 34),
etc. How to control special education costs? Sharing of district administrators
(between districts).
- Increase the funding for all schools to support: salary and benefit
cost related to education, operational costs of educational facilities,
educational supplies/materials/books/computers/equipment, and transportation.
Allow districts to fund construction with local money.
- Consider small school districts. In this district we have 60 plus
percent free and reduced lunches, high property values, declining
enrollment, and 47 miles from the next school district so we can’t
just merge. Every student deserves a good education. Our teachers
haven’t had a raise in years due to high insurance costs.
- Low spending districts have been penalized long enough by revenue
caps – we need some relief. I guess the recommendation would
be to find a way to get relief to those districts. Also, to base district
wealth solely on property valuation is wrong – Our average income
is low, but property values are skyrocketing in northwestern Wisconsin.
- Change funding formulas – get schools off property tax. Go
to foundation plan.
- Increase Special Education funding!
- Create language allowing health insurance to be a permissive subject
of bargaining.
- The state should take over insurance costs and costing for all
public schools.
- Lift the revenue caps. Consider the needs of declining enrollment
rural school districts.
- Do Not Compromise!! Education is too valuable to our nation to
ignore or reduce!
- Even the playing field for those districts that were low spending
in 1993.
- Ask the legislators to write LAWs to tax out-of-state traffic pouring
into Wisconsin by way of interstate tollbooths for the purpose of
funding our public education.
- The increase in the revenue limit, at a minimum, must be equal
to an increase in the district’s expenses required by law (i.e.,
QEO personnel cost increases). Increase in Special Education costs
required by I.E.P. should equal a side (???) of the revenue cap.
- Understand which problem you are trying to fix. Is the issue: property
tax relief, adequacy, or equality in tax effort?
- Deal specifically with efforts of revenue caps on small schools.
Lessen the effects of declining enrollment on budgets in small schools.
- Please HELP rural schools continue to exist! Without adequate support,
they cannot continue. Remove revenue caps!
- Keep QEO but raise the percentage. Provide state insurance plan.
- Figure in the average family income level into the funding formula
[because] a district may be considered “property rich”
but be very income poor. Figure in transportation costs to and from
school into the formula; this is often a hardship and reimbursements
have not changed in a long time.
- Everyone is going to have to give a little. Make sure all unintended
consequences of decisions have been explored. Other states have provided
incentives for the consolidation of services. Can Wisconsin do the
same? Explore sales tax exemptions.
- Full State funding for Special Education. Remember that revenue
caps HAVE controlled school property taxes!
- [Consider] timeline of when the state approves the budget. SAGE
flexibility. Give the districts the same opportunities as charter
schools. Eliminate payment for virtual schools.
- Work on compensating teachers and administration to a more realistic
level. Equal opportunity for all children cannot and will not be accomplished
if districts are not given, or have the capability. to collect revenue
to equalize.
- Increase Special Education funding. Percentage for any student
costing over $20,000 via a .005 percent sales tax on Packers, Bucks,
and Brewers tickets. Allow districts to have SAGE grades, K and first
only.
- We cut, cut, cut and finally passed a referendum to exceed revenue
limits for three years. The years we faced cuts were awful! Low moral,
high stress, no or little focus on students. The task force needs
to find a different way to fund education.
- Look at a prevention model for Special Education, so funds could
be transferred to kids before they are in special education classes.
Funding based on current enrollment where we do not know our revenue
until we have expensed for the year’s needs to be reviewed.
- Provide funding for opportunities for gifted and talented students.
Implement and support a program to deal with the rising costs of insurance.
- Keep in mind multiple effects – we are low spending ($7,100
per pupil) low tax but rising fast, SAGE, four-year old. Affect one
and you have a domino effect.
- If the revenue cap is continued, I suggest the amount reduced for
lower numbers be reduced and the amount increased for higher numbers
be reduced as well.
- Attracting and retaining quality staff, provide mechanisms to control
expenses within the limited revenue limits resources.
- Eliminate “property value” as factor for aid.
- Develop system to address adequacy of education based on mandated
programs. Allow local taxpayers to find additional programming of
value to them in their school by vote of the board.
- Fully fund special education services
- Special Ed funding – get relief per promise of Feds and State.
- Give school Boards 1-2 percent flexibility to [exceed the] revenue
caps ??? say to referenda, at least one percent!
- If caps are going to stay – increase ceiling $236 –
not enough now, $241 not enough next year – thank god it’s
not $120-$100!
- I think the task force could use the help of school business administrators.
I am not aware that the expertise of district finance personnel is
being included.
- Make the process fair! You cannot remove the QEO without lifting
the revenue limits. Look at a common pay scale and benefits package
statewide!
- Local school board control.
- Please put emphasis on the future and support the education of
our children. Do not sell them short.
- Drop unfunded mandates – bilingual education vs. ESL (only
bilingual teachers are reimbursed and the requirements and ??? continue
to multiply) Youth options – drop or have districts pay for
ONLY high school ??? . Fund special education to alleviate the cost
???. Special education.
- Stay away from a foundation plan. Equalize all facets of the aid
program to reflect “poorer” districts’ capabilities
to offer programs linked to categorical funding.
- Make an allowance for my fifty percent increase in property, insurance,
utilities, and other fixed costs.
- Revenue limits should take into account health insurance and other
increases.
- Authorize the local elected school board the power to exceed revenue
caps.
- Develop a foundation based funding formula weighing particular
students needs; IC/LD, ED, ELL, Economically disadvantaged, etc. --
so that the funding is adequate to meet the needs of all students.
- Try to balance taxpayer equity and equity of school funding.
- How can we find the resources to attract and retain quality staff
when schools in the Fox Valley pay higher salaries? We have more turnover
than we would like because of this differential.
- Equitable amount/appropriate amount behind each student –
no matter where they live. Foundation Plan. No vouchers, sources of
funding other than property tax for example, sales tax, or income
tax. We are in a growth mode with increasing valuation; thus our problems
are not severe.
- Provide more financial support for high need Special Education
students in small schools. Develop a school funding system that does
not rely on property taxes as the only source of tax funds.
- The property level of the district needs to be addressed. Just
because a district may have lake or river property, the district may
still not have an adequate tax base, due to being in a high poverty
county with little or no industry. The way the funding is set up now
it is pitting schools against the community --for many districts the
communities are paying way over half of the costs. We are given mandates
without funding.
- Provide incentives to school districts to consolidate. Develop
a grant process funding by the state for new school construction/remodeling.
Provide funding for low incident, high cost special needs students.
- Don’t make changes in the way schools are funded if it results
in “winners” and “losers.” Modify present
funding – revenue caps formula – to keep the amount a
district’s budget can increase from year to year equal to the
QEO.
- Work to eliminate expensive mandated testing required in ESEA.
Professional staff knows who needs help, and every-year testing is
not a benefit. Consideration must be given to districts like ours
that have low free and reduced lunch counts, but families who don’t
want to raise property taxes/taxes. A balance of funding sources must
be used. Not all property taxes, and yet local control must be maintained.
- Influence Washington D.C., contract language relating to insurance
plans prevents innovative and affordable benefits. MUST be addressed
because these increases will eventually result in layoffs for our
district. (29.7 percent +) Waivers to 180 days so we can condense
calendar, retain hours and minutes. Allow us to form consortiums to
save on transportation and shared services.
- Increase special education funding. Keep equalization and formula.
Don’t increase sales tax. Do something about health insurance
costs (prohibitive). Keep up funding for completed building projects.
- Fund special education through the general aid formula so that
it is not un-equalizing!
- Leave present formula as is!!
- Look at the costs associated with implementation of PI-34 in relation
to the benefits of the law. Protect funding for pre-school and 4 year-old
kindergarten programs. These programs are making a difference!
- Small districts with declining populations need “x”
amount of dollars to operate H.S. programs. Consolidating schools
in remote areas is NOT a viable option. Schools (small, rural) cannot
compete with wages offered in larger communities.
- We need financial mandate relief. They should be informed that
the NCLB legislation requires equal participation by parochial schools
in the funding opportunities, yet they are not obligated to test the
students. This drains revenue from public schools, yet we face the
mathematical inevitability that all public schools will enter the
AYP category of “in need of improvement.” At that point,
the public perception will be that public schools are “failing”
despite having 95 percent of students performing at proficient and
advanced levels, while parochial/private schools are “succeeding”
because they aren’t required to assess student performance.
The Task Force can’t change the NCLB legislation, but they need
to be aware of the financial, educational, and political impact.
- Please make the QEO and revenue caps equal. Provide help to districts
with declining enrollment.
- Provide the support for special education as it was originally
intended to be. The 70 percent never lasted.
- Reconcile the cost of labor with the allowable increases under
revenue limits.
- Special education costs are the most difficult to support. A $50,000
student in our district is a real burden. It is reducing what can
be offered to the larger majority. We need relief in this area. Other
than that we are 51 percent funded; our neighboring district is 76
percent funded. (Go figure!)
- Adjust the formula to provide more revenue relief to districts
experiencing three or more successive years of declining enrollment.
- Get school tax OFF property tax OR create a combination plan that
uses property tax and sales tax plus “sin” tax and income
tax. Mandate relief.
- Remove funding from local property tax to sales tax and provide
current level of funding and allow for annual increases. Promote a
professional merit system for pay for all school employees. Teachers,
support staff and administration groups should negotiate language
only.
- Provide that all children in the state of Wisconsin are provided
equitable educational opportunities. Allow more creativity and flexibility
in meeting the needs of all children.
- Weigh-in on removal of QEO and revenue caps: this should be done
gradually – not all at once. Take a position on school consolidation
and the “perceived effectiveness” of consolidated administration.
Take a look at impact of GASB-34.
- Implement plan by Institute for Wisconsin’s Future. Raise
sales tax two percent.
- Take a proactive stance against unfunded mandates.
- Lift revenue caps. Allow local districts to tax their determined
levels. Level the playing field for declining enrollment districts
in urban land-locked areas.
- Remove revenue caps. Provide Special Education funding in reality.
- Special Education funding should not be part of any cap or control.
Need adequate funding of Chapter 220. Choice or other programs should
not be cut from school funding K-12 but part of a separate State allocation.
- Consistent plan for adequate funding.
- Start to incorporate additional funding from a sales tax increase.
(Sales tax is less “painful” than property taxes). Begin
to equalize per pupil funding throughout the state. Frugal districts
prior to revenue caps have been unduly punished.
- Make decisions based upon best practice for CHILDREN. Anything
less than that will have long lasting impact on democracy.
- Do NOT penalize property-rich districts with high poverty rates
in the equalization aid formula. Remove QEO requirement that encourages
good administrators to move on to obtain more attractive salaries.
- Clarify what basic educational opportunities should be provided
to every child. Funding that level plus ten percent for local programs.
Standardize staff compensation (salary and benefits) by region.
- Special Education: at one time in this State we understood there
was a clear difference between a medical model and an educational
model. Many of our high cost Special Ed children are functioning under
the medical model. We love all children; however, dollars are being
taken from our regular education children to respond to special education
needs. We need to operate schools with our heads, not only our hearts.
- It will be difficult to establish a funding system when there is
not enough money no matter how you slice the pie.
- All representation is from the south. Look at additional funding
for small school districts.
- Negative aid remains unconstitutional in Wisconsin!!!
- Statewide, state paid, insurance for school employees – health,
and dental. Early education saves money later, and the societal advantages
are great.
- Have the financial system take into account local property levels.
Create another system for isolated school districts to get funding
adequate for their needs.
- Mandates need to be funded by the state, otherwise, no mandates.
Change the financial funding formula for school funding.
- Something needs to be done with escalating health care costs. Our
teaching and administrative staff received no increases last year
in pay as everything went to benefits.
- Include factors that base funding on family incomes, not property
values. Put in provisions for [sparcity], and put in a minimum dollar
to support small but necessary schools.
- The school funding mechanisms should provide: equal access to state
and local revenues so that all school districts have the same capacity
to invest in a K-12 education for their children. Provide additional
funds on a continuing basis to meet the additional needs of students.
- Do no harm to districts. Factor all kinds of districts into plan.
No short range fix. Communicate.
- Review the method of distributing state aid. Districts that are
rural and have become property-rich but income-poor are not able to
offer an equal educational opportunity under current law. Assist with
Special education costs.
- Assist districts with declining enrollment. Shared services. Fully
funding mandates.
- Remember who the wage earners, and taxpayers will be. Continued
expenditure of significant finds for special education, at the expense
of regular education, is counter-productive.
- Provide financial support for PI 34 (or drop it). Provide a mechanism
for providing flexibility with the funding formula – local decisions
that don’t require referenda.
- As long as funding formula stays the same we will be good, otherwise
it will be negative.
- Take into consideration the uniqueness of each district.
- Review the countless list of state mandates currently imposed on
public schools. (PI 34)
- We had to look at the restructuring of the way education is being
delivered in this state. We can’t afford the present system.
- Shift to some form of sales tax to support education. Go for a
big change, not increased taxes nor quick fix.
- Pursue alternative funding methods for schools. Combo sales tax/property
tax. Do not penalize school districts, which are property-rich, but
economically poor.
- Equitable funding mechanism. Maintain funding for K-4 Preschool!
Maintain funding for Youth Options. Full funding for any mandates.
- Mandated increased labor costs must equal increased revenue cap
increases. Give back local levy control to local school boards. Be
sure to take special care of our youngest learners.
- Remove revenue limits and QEO and do not replace with binding arbitration.
Repeal unfunded mandates or provide funding for them. Maintain SAGE
program. Allow more local control. Continue to fund – four-year-old
kindergarten. Address the health care issue to provide relief to districts
experiencing [large] percent increases. Fund Special Education at
a higher level.
