APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – At the heart of Wisconsin’s budget battle, rests the issue of education spending.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers called for an additional$1.4 billion dollars for public education.
But the state’s budget-writing committee disagrees.
The group, led by Republicans, approved an amount that was millions short of what Evers asked for.
Now education advocacy groups are speaking out.
Marcia Engen, a member of Fox Cities Advocates for Public Education, was disappointed when she heard the news.
“And it was like now what do we do,” she said.
A former teacher herself, she believes K-12 and special education need more what Republicans previously said they were willing to offer.
“So the per-pupil increase is about $500 (million) but there’s other administrative costs, DPI costs, other types of categorical programs,” explained Joint Finance Committee co-chair John Nygren (R- Marinette).
With all that factored in, Nygren says the total increase is about $650 million.
But that’s still millions short of the 1.4 billion dollar increase proposed by Evers.
Advocates such as Engen say Wisconsin’s schools and special education need that money.
“Our cost has risen, more children are being identified, and parents are demanding that their children’s needs be met and they should be,” Engen said.
And that’s why some education groups are starting to mobilize.
Engen says if public education gets the state funding it’s looking for, individual students would get the attention they need.
“Class size in our elementary schools would go down, each room would go down because they could hire more teachers,” she explained. “But they can’t hire more teachers unless they get more funding through the state and it is the state’s responsibility to do that.”
But Nygren says class size isn’t the issue.
He says Wisconsin schools are struggling to fill classroom seats.
“We’re educating fewer kids,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges facing schools is declining enrollment. Fewer people are having fewer kids.”
And while Engen says the reduction from Governor Evers’ proposal reflects the Legislature’s spending habits…
“They’re using money, dollars, and cents but they’re not using it correctly.”
Nygren considers the committee’s revised budget a responsible one.
“Making a commitment to our schools that we can’t live up to in two years is probably the worst decision we can possibly make,” Nygren said. ” So we make a substantial increase to schools but one we believe is more reasonable and realistic going into the future.”
The budget has already been approved by the Legislature’s GOP-led Joint Finance Committee.
Now it’s headed to the state’s Assembly, where changes can still be made before it goes to the Senate floor.
The Assembly plans to take up the budget on Tuesday.
