UW-Madison Study Shows Impact of Walker’s Destructive Education Policies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
ELPA Policy Brief
May 2012
Making Matters Worse: School Funding,
Achievement Gaps and Poverty under Wisconsin Act 32
Achievement Gaps and Poverty under Wisconsin Act 32
By James Shaw and Carolyn Kelley
The 2011-‐13 Wisconsin biennial budget (Act 32) reduced state aid to school districts by $792 million. This budget reduction follows a reduction of $284 million in the 2009-‐11 biennial budget, reducing overall state aid to public schools by more than a billion dollars.
In addition to the reduction in general aid, Act 32 reduced the revenue limit in Wisconsin school districts by 5.5%, which is equivalent to an overall reduction in taxing authority of $1.6 billion in addition to the $792 million reduction in state aid. The lowered revenue cap requires that 241 of the state’s 424 school districts reduce school property taxes, exacerbating the impact of state budget cuts.i
Wisconsin boasts the highest high school graduation rates, the third highest ACT scores, the highest Advanced Placement success percentage of any Midwestern state, and high rates of highly qualified teachers.ii At the same time, the state has some of the largest achievement gaps for poor and minority students, and struggles to provide adequate funding for all school districts.
By analyzing school district budgeted expenditures in the 30 highest and 30 lowest poverty districts in the state for 2011-‐12,iii this study examines the impact of Wisconsin Act 32 on education funding, teacher quality, student learning, and property taxpayers. Budget data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction represent the best currently available estimates of the impact of Act 32 on district expenditures.
Financial Impact of Act 32
Wisconsin state school aids are designed to equalize revenues among school districts with high and low tax
The 2011-‐13 Wisconsin biennial budget (Act 32) reduced state aid to school districts by $792 million. This budget reduction follows a reduction of $284 million in the 2009-‐11 biennial budget, reducing overall state aid to public schools by more than a billion dollars.
In addition to the reduction in general aid, Act 32 reduced the revenue limit in Wisconsin school districts by 5.5%, which is equivalent to an overall reduction in taxing authority of $1.6 billion in addition to the $792 million reduction in state aid. The lowered revenue cap requires that 241 of the state’s 424 school districts reduce school property taxes, exacerbating the impact of state budget cuts.i
Wisconsin boasts the highest high school graduation rates, the third highest ACT scores, the highest Advanced Placement success percentage of any Midwestern state, and high rates of highly qualified teachers.ii At the same time, the state has some of the largest achievement gaps for poor and minority students, and struggles to provide adequate funding for all school districts.
By analyzing school district budgeted expenditures in the 30 highest and 30 lowest poverty districts in the state for 2011-‐12,iii this study examines the impact of Wisconsin Act 32 on education funding, teacher quality, student learning, and property taxpayers. Budget data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction represent the best currently available estimates of the impact of Act 32 on district expenditures.
Financial Impact of Act 32
Wisconsin state school aids are designed to equalize revenues among school districts with high and low tax
Scott Walker’s Day of Reckoning: All Out for June 5th
We have 27 days to end Walker’s rule. Yesterday 626,538 people voted for Walker in the primary.
690,198 people voted in the Democratic primary or against Walker in the Republican primary.
We cannot simply rely on that margin, a difference of 63,660 votes, to win on June 5th.
Our job must first be to get every person who signed the recall petition to vote, to fully mobilize the base!
690,198 people voted in the Democratic primary or against Walker in the Republican primary.
We cannot simply rely on that margin, a difference of 63,660 votes, to win on June 5th.
Our job must first be to get every person who signed the recall petition to vote, to fully mobilize the base!
