Educators Worry Changes to Political Landscape Could Affect Funding (WI)

December 27, 2010

Local educators say purse strings could tighten at both the state and federal levels when new Republican lawmakers take office in January.

And that has some school officials concerned about funding and revenue limits.

Mike Blecha, who sits on the Green Bay School Board and serves as its legislative liaison, noted that state rules limit school revenue increases to $200 per student, down from $275 in 2008-09. That means a school board’s ability to raise property taxes becomes limited.

Blecha said he’s heard the limit could be reduced to as little as $100 per student. Small, rural districts or districts with declining enrollment could be forced to shut down if levy limits fall that low, he said.

"We could survive, but it would be a real financial burden," said Blecha, who also is a regional director for the Wisconsin School Board Association. "We’d have to look at cutting programs or other pretty big reductions."

In Wisconsin, Republicans will take over the governor’s office, as well as both chambers of the state Legislature in January. The GOP also will take control of the U.S. House at that time, while Democrats retain control of the Senate and President Barack Obama continues his four-year term.

"There’s no doubt taxpayers at the state and national level sent a message at the polls in November," Blecha said.

"People are concerned about spending. We certainly understand the financial concerns."

But a number of school officials remain optimistic and say they plan to work with new legislators at budget time and as other education policies are discussed.

"It’s too early to think it will be overly negative or overly positive," Green Bay School District Superintendent Greg Maass said. "We just have to wait to see how things play out."

School board members plan to ask state lawmakers who represent area districts for a breakfast meeting before they begin working in Madison, Blecha said.

"We do it every year, but this year has significance with bu dget issues and a number of new legislators taking office," he said. "We want to share with them some of our initiatives, some of the good things that are going on."

He cited the International Baccalaureate university-prep program at Green Bay West High School and Chappell Elementary School as an example of something school officials want to highlight to legislators.

Federal stimulus

Local educators wonder if they’ll see the remainder of the federal stimulus funding they were promised when new state and federal leaders take office.

The Green Bay School District received $3.76 million under Obama’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to be spent over two years. Green Bay has spent about $800,000 so far, Maass estimated.

"We haven’t been over-committed," he said. "We’ve committed some, but we didn’t use it for things like fixing holes in our budget, because you don’t know what will happen. It all depends on what happens. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now."

The Green Bay district faces a $7 million budget shortfall for the 2011-12 school year, which could go as high as $10 million if some of that funding doesn’t come through.

Steve Correia, an associate education professor at St. Norbert College, also said schools should expect changes.

"Legislators have talked about ending earmarks and those sorts of things," he said. "I think it’s highly likely (more stimulus funding) may not happen."

Maass said he hopes some answers will come when Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker takes office and gives a state-of-the-state address.

"It would help to know sooner rather than later," Maass said. "It will be good to move beyond conjecture and the hypothetical."

Evers’ proposal

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers in the fall proposed a major overhaul in the way the state pays for education.

He traveled throughout the state touting his "Fair Funding for Our Future" plan, which he said would hold the line on property taxes while guaranteeing state funding for every student, strengthening rural schools and ending a "school funding shell game."

Evers’ proposal calls for a number of changes, including giving additional aid for each student living in poverty, providing a minimum of $3,000 a year in aid for each student, and increasing general state aids by 2 percent in 2011-12 and 4 percent in 2012-13.

It also would shift away from using school tax levy credits.

The Green Bay district would receive an additional $1.7 million under Evers’ proposal.

The package would cost state taxpayers an additional $420 million over two years. Some local onlookers don’t expect that to happen.

"We’re going to have a huge challenge funding education along with everything else," said state Rep. Karl Van Roy, R-Howard. "We’ve gotten down to the bare bones."

Spending for K-12 education in Wisco nsin makes up about 40 percent of the state budget — the single largest expense. State leaders predict at least a $2.2 billion deficit in the state’s upcoming overall two-year budget.

"We’ve been giving out more money than we’re taking in, and we just can’t continue," Van Roy said. "We’ve got to really tighten up how we spend the money."

Van Roy attended a local presentation about Evers’ funding proposal, and said he considers it "more of a wish list."

Still, he doubts local spending limits would be cut to a $100 increase per student.

"I don’t think a slash of that magnitude would happen," he said. "That’s a scare tactic. I don’t think it would be that much."

Correia praised Evers’ plan.

"It is a very detailed plan that really challenges the way we pay for schools," Correia said. "He really tried to address unfairness in the current funding formula.

"But the political reality is he’s going to have a tough time getting this through. It will be challenging for school leaders."

At the same time, Corriea expects state leaders will work for positive change.

"Wisconsin has always supported its schools," he said.

"This is true of both Republicans and Democrats. Wisconsin is proud of its schools, so I’m sure legislators will keep that in mind as they move forward."

The local teachers union supports Evers’ plan.
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"We have a formula for solving the funding crisis," said Keith Patt, executive director of the Green Bay Education Association, which represents about 1,755 teachers and professionals in the Green Bay School District.