Eau Claire Leader Telegram. April 4, 2024.
Editorial: Time to reassess school funding
This week’s election results were split for school districts seeking voter approval for spending. The votes themselves are nothing new. School districts in Wisconsin have a longstanding habit of putting a referendum before voters every couple years.
But we don’t like one of the trends emerging. Districts are increasingly asking voters for money to cover operational expenses rather than large capital projects.
In 2008-09, the Eau Claire Area School District had a revenue limit of $103.82 million. In the 2023-24 school year the limit was $124.64 million. That’s about a 20% increase. Keeping up with inflation, though, would suggest an increase closer to 44%.
That’s a concern. Public institutions are hardly immune to the effects of inflation. If nothing else, schools have quite a fuel bill to cover just getting students to and from classes.
Voters largely seem understanding of such efforts. There were a total of 93 referendums on the ballot this past week and 56 passed. That’s six out of every 10. The biggest was, unsurprisingly, in Milwaukee, where voters signed off on a referendum with a $252 million price tag. In all, Wisconsin districts asked voters for more than $1.4 billion.
The state record for school referendums is 166 in a single year. That was in 2022, when about 81% passed. This year is well on the way to topping that total given the fact we still have elections in August and November which will see their share of referendums.
State Superintendent Jill Underly pointed to the number of referendums as proof schools aren’t getting enough funding from the state. We’re not sure it’s proof, but it does make a compelling case that something is off.
The current approach was established in the early 1990s. This was back when dial-up internet was the peak of technology for most. The sheer scale of societal change over the intervening three decades warrants another look at whether tweaks are needed to the funding mechanisms.
There are districts that haven’t had a lot change over those years. They’re roughly the same size as they were, with no major alterations to the community. We’d bet those are the exception, though.
There are districts in Wisconsin that were in distinct small communities in the early 90s that have been swallowed by expanding metro areas since then. What were fields and farms are now unbroken infrastructure. Does it make sense that their funding remains tied to a description that’s no longer applicable?
Legislators aren’t wrong when they point to the reality that most Wisconsin school districts are seeing a decrease in enrollment. We don’t see that as an excuse for inertia, though. If anything, those changes also argue for revisiting the approach used to fund school districts.
Funding formulae and similar items should be reviewed from time to time. The world isn’t static and the approaches used in one time are likely to be outdated a few decades down the road. That’s just reality.
We’re not calling for major changes at this point. We don’t have enough data to make an intelligent suggestion on what should or shouldn’t change. We doubt legislators do, either. What we are calling for is a systematic review of how Wisconsin funds schools and what changes might make the process more effective.
Something definitely appears off. The responsible thing for our elected leaders to do is to take a good look and make changes if they’re needed. It’s a necessary step for Wisconsin’s students, and it should not have been left for this long.
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Wisconsin State Journal. April 7, 2024.
Editorial: News flash: State leaders actually got some things done
Who says the politicians at the state Capitol can’t cooperate?
OK, we have said that — many times — and for good reason. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-run Legislature can’t agree on how to use a $3 billion surplus. Evers set a record for vetoes. During the pandemic, the two sides didn’t meet for six months, not even electronically, to seek consensus on public health rules.
So let’s give credit for some agreement in recent days. Evers has signed dozens of bipartisan bills into law — some of them significant — as the two-year legislative session wraps up.
The governor signed a bill March 5 to expand the state’s child tax credit to help more Wisconsin families afford child care, and to keep more providers in business. The average eligible parent or guardian — more than 100,000 of them across the state — will save $656, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Evers last fall unilaterally extended about half of the federal aid that Wisconsin child care providers were receiving during the pandemic. That undoubtedly helped some providers stay in business. The tax credit expansion will now put money directly in the pockets of parents to pay for care.
Congratulations to the governor and Legislature for getting this done.
They also agreed this month to boost the construction of charging stations for increasingly popular and cleaner-running electric vehicles. Sales of EVs grew 47% last year, despite high interest rates, and now claim 7% of the market. Sales were slower in the first quarter of this year — partly because some drivers worry about having easy access to chargers on longer trips, analysts say.
The measure Evers signed March 20 addresses that head-on by unlocking $78 million in federal funds for chargers along state highways and interstates. The bipartisan legislation also will make it easier for gas stations and grocery stores to operate charging stations. According to state Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson, EV drivers will soon be within 25 miles of a charger while traveling on 85% of the state’s highway system.
EVs are key to moving Wisconsin off its heavy reliance on oil and gas. They’re also quiet and fun to drive, with better acceleration than gas-guzzlers.
Full speed ahead.
The governor Thursday signed bipartisan legislation allowing tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities in Wisconsin. Our state was one of only four without such a program. Known as ABLE accounts, which stands for “achieving a better life experience,” these saving plans let individuals and families set aside money for disability-related expenses such as education, housing and transportation — without jeopardizing Medicaid benefits or Supplemental Security Income.
That will support independence and quality of life.
The ABLE bill was one of several our State Journal editorial board prioritized last fall, including state support to renovate American Family Field in Milwaukee. That got done, too, and the Milwaukee Brewers started their season 4-0, pulling people together for fun while improving the economy of Cream City and the state.
Let’s go, Brewers!
The governor recently signed legislation creating grants for flood planning, so fewer homes and businesses are vulnerable. He finalized disclosure rules for political ads, so “deepfake” images and videos generated by artificial intelligence must include disclaimers. Cooperation between the executive and legislative branches produced easier and less expensive ways to buy hearing aids without a prescription.
Not everything the two partisan sides agreed to in recent weeks will be good for Wisconsin. The governor signed excessive restrictions on police video. Law enforcement agencies will now be able to charge exorbitant fees for the release of body-cam footage. Police will even be able to ask frequent requesters to disclose if they are seeking police video for “financial gain,” which could trigger a $10,000 fine.
The bill includes vague language and hasn’t been properly vetted. Rushing it into law is irresponsible and will undermine public trust in law enforcement.
The state Senate shamefully failed to let local election clerks process absentee ballots on the Mondays before elections. Doing so would have allowed election workers to avoid having to process such ballots late on election night, which former President Donald Trump has falsely suggested was devious.
This fall, Trump should blame GOP state senators in Wisconsin for late batches of absentee ballots. We won’t hold our breath for that.
Another proposal to address gun deaths failed to clear both houses of the Legislature despite near-unanimous endorsements by key legislative committees.
Yet some important things got done this spring. Our state leaders showed that cooperation at the statehouse is still possible.
