MILWAUKEE — No matter where you live in Wisconsin, there is a pretty good chance you have had or will have a school referendum on your ballot at some point this year.
Whether for operational or capital expenses, schools asking for more money is becoming more common. Now, some parents and school leaders are pointing to a lack of state support for special education as the reason.
At some point this year, almost half of all school districts in Wisconsin will have gone to a referendum asking voters for more money, based on data from the state’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
That includes more than a hundred districts that will have referendums on the ballot during the upcoming November election, which brings the total to almost $6 billion that taxpayers have been asked for.
“If they’re upset that they keep coming up, just recognize not to blame the school board person who’s usually part-time, and usually trying to listen to their constituents, but to the person who is screwing them over,” State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said.
Larson, who puts the blame on the Legislature, joined parents and teachers in South Milwaukee on Monday to call for using a now projected $3 billion state surplus to match the reimbursement rate of private schools for special education.
“We have the funds to do it because voucher schools are getting 90% of their special education costs reimbursed, while public schools are getting 33%,” Larson explained. “If you close that gap, half of the referendums would not be required.”
Though Republicans, who control the Legislature, negotiated with the governor to increase funding for public schools by nearly a billion dollars in the most recent budget cycle, the deal meant more money for public charter and private voucher schools too.
“Yes, we were able to see some advancement in funding in the last budget cycle, it’s certainly not enough,” Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, who serves as president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), said.
Wirtz-Olsen also said the lower the reimbursement rates the bigger the gap to pay for.
Though the amount the state reimburses schools for special education costs did increase from 30% to 33% under the current budget, it is down from a peak of 70% in 1973, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.
“People will say, ‘Robbing Petter to pay Paul,’ right? So, special education needs in real districts in Wisconsin, you have to account for the funding for those important students,” Wirtz-Olsen added. “You have to then take money out of your general purpose funds in order to make sure that funding is met, which affects every single student in every public school in Wisconsin.”
The spring election brought mixed results for nearly 100 schools across Wisconsin with referendums on the ballot, as roughly 60% passed.
For Larson, that proves the state’s funding boost wasn’t big enough.
“They can say that they are increasing the dollar amount that goes to these schools, but in inflation-adjusted dollars, these schools are getting less than they did 15 years ago on a per-pupil basis,” Larson said.