SWSA Attends Governor Evers’ Budget Address

SWSA was invited and attended Governor Evers’ 2025 Budget Address. Here’s Cathy Olig, Executive Director pictured before the address.

As a response to Governor Evers’ Budget, SWSA sent this press release.

Governor Evers’ Budget Invests in the Classroom During the ‘Year of the Kid’

MILWAUKEE  – The Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance (SWSA) applauds Governor Tony Evers’ state budget that prioritizes K-12 public education, emphasizing his commitment to student achievement and well-being. 

“As Governor Evers said last night, current school funding is not sustainable for students or property taxpayers,” emphasized Cathy Olig, SWSA Executive Director. “The current system creates winners and losers. We want a system that doesn’t force Wisconsinites to raise their property taxes to invest in their public schools.”

The proposed budget addresses a long overdue critical funding gap in Wisconsin’s education system. In 2009, the state decoupled revenue limits from inflation rates. As a result, school districts have struggled with years of unpredictable state-level funding, resulting in an overreliance and burden on local property taxes to fill the gap.

“Schools are caught in a paradoxical situation,” explained Michael Cady, Superintendent of Pewaukee School District. “While the School Levy Tax Credit offers property tax relief with one hand, districts are forced to ask for tax increases through referendums with the other. If we don’t see predictable revenue limit authority balanced with state equalization aid, state per pupil categorical aid, and the state special education reimbursement that keeps pace with the rate of inflation, this cycle will continue. Districts often have no choice but to rely on local referendums, which essentially negates the tax relief the state is trying to provide. That’s not a sustainable long-term solution for our schools or our taxpayers.”

Governor Evers provides a balanced approach to school funding that provides spendable dollars for the classroom and local property tax relief. 

Further, Governor Evers’ budget provides a long overdue increase in special education reimbursement. Without this investment, districts will be forced to continue to divert substantial resources from their general fund to cover federally mandated services.

“Our public schools have a responsibility to serve all kids,” stated Lisa Elliott, Superintendent, Greenfield School District. “Our district’s projected special education cost for the 2024–25 school year is $8,244,737. Of that, only $3,285,956 is covered by state reimbursement and other federal sources. Our district will need to transfer $4,958,781 from our general operations fund to cover the difference. A significant increase in special education reimbursement would allow our district to transfer fewer critical financial resources from our general operations fund on a yearly basis.”

SWSA strongly supports the Governor’s efforts to provide predictable and sustainable funding for public school students, while holding down property taxes. Working alongside the state legislature, we look forward to advocating for a budget that delivers for our students. Our members are excited to see the following investments: 

• Bringing the state’s reimbursement rate for special education to its highest level ever with a more than $1.1 billion investment to guarantee a reimbursement rate of 60 percent in both years of the biennium;
• Providing the largest per pupil adjustments since revenue limits were first imposed by linking the per pupil revenue limit adjustment to inflation starting in the first fiscal year, providing projected increases of $334 per student in fiscal year 2025-26 and an additional $345 per student in fiscal year 2026-27;
• Providing investments of $1.2 billion GPR in general equalization aid, over $1.9 billion GPR in categorical aid, and $375 million GPR in school levy tax credit funds mean the state will help school districts avoid reducing budgets;
• Tackling revenue limit inconsistency statewide by increasing the low revenue ceiling to provide lower-spending school districts additional resources of $1,000 per student in fiscal year 2025-26 and an additional $400 per student in fiscal year 2026-27

The Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance (SWSA) represents twenty-six school districts educating approximately 180,000 students or 22 percent of Wisconsin’s public school children. Membership consists of school district superintendents, business managers, and school board members, dedicated to advocating for public school students by driving sound education policy and supporting adequate and equitable funding.