Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Governor Evers and Superintendent Underly released key provisions of their education plan as part of Governor Evers’ executive budget to be announced early next year. The plan includes investments to improve reading and literacy outcomes, expand access to student mental health services and school nutrition, invest in financial literacy and out-of-school programming, address the staffing shortages to help keep class sizes small, and increase per pupil and special education aids while holding the line on property taxes. The state is expecting to end the fiscal year with more than $5 billion in its coffers, ensuring the state can support new, increased investments in K-12 education without raising property taxes.
Below is the summary of the proposed plan announced today providing an increase of nearly $2 billion for public schools across the following core priorities:
Proposed Funding Increases
Increasing state support for schools through per pupil aid:
- Gov. Evers and Superintendent Underly’s plan increases spending authority for districts while holding property taxes stable by providing additional state support for schools, smoothing the fiscal cliff created by the Legislature by using one-time federal dollars for operating costs. This includes:
- Revenue limit increases of $350 per pupil in 2023-24 and an additional $650 per pupil in 2024-25, along with a roughly $800 million state investment to hold the line on property taxes.
- Per pupil aid increases of $24 per pupil in 2023-24 and an additional $45 in 2024-25 (matching percentages of increase to the revenue limit growth), resulting in a more than $60 million in estimated investment.
- Increasing state support for schools through special education aid:
- Gov. Evers and Superintendent Underly’s plan will ensure our schools have the resources they need to ensure every kid can succeed by investing $750 million over the biennium to increase special education aid.
- This would increase the reimbursement rate for special education from roughly 30 percent to 45 percent in the first year of the biennium and to 60 percent in the second year of the biennium, with a goal of achieving 90 percent reimbursement by the 2026-27 school year.
Proposed Student Support and Educational Outcomes
- Improve reading and literacy outcomes
- Expand access to mental health services
- Expand access to school nutrition
- Invest in financial literacy and out-of-school programming
- Help address staff shortages to keep class sizes small