Voucher Proposals and Frozen Revenue Cap Get a Particularly Chilly Response

Proponents of school vouchers are applauding the Governor’s K-12 education budget, but they don’t have much company. A broad range of groups have been highly critical of the K-12 budget package, particularly school administrators who were anticipating a relaxation of the state’s revenue caps.

One of the outspoken critics has been the director of government relations for the Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance (SAA), John Forester, who I’ve always thought was a pretty reserved lobbyist. However Forster didn’t hold back in a SSA press release Monday:

“The disastrous defunding of public education continues unabated. Given that this is coming on the heels of the last budget’s massive cuts, it’s safe to say that this proposal represents the worst state budget for public school students in Wisconsin history.”

Many of the critics have taken aim at the sharp increase in funding for voucher programs, while there is little or no money for other purposes. Today’s Budget Project Blog post contains an “infographic” that sums up the stark contrast in the treatment of voucher schools and other schools.

There has been a particularly strong and swift reaction from parents of children with disabilities to the proposal for a new special needs voucher programs. As Jackie Johnson reported in a Wisconsin Radio Network story today, those parents wasted no time in coming to the Capitol on Monday and voicing their strong opposition to that statewide piece of the proposed voucher expansions.

Another part of the Governor’s proposals that has generated deep disappointment and sharp criticism has been his recommendation to freeze revenue caps. David Ewald, retired superintendent of the South Milwaukee School District, explained the problem:

“If the revenue cap does not go up, then there is no new money going to schools no matter how much aid increases. The increase in school funding [of about 1 percent] goes to property taxpayers not into the classroom.”

A Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ (WASB) press release, quoted Mike Blecha, legislative liaison for the Green Bay Area School Board, regarding the freeze and the contrasting treatment of voucher schools:

“Despite a state surplus, the governor is ‘flat-lining’ public school budgets across the state, forcing school boards to freeze their budgets while giving huge increases to voucher schools that aren’t part of the state’s accountability system.”

Watch the Wisconsin Budget Project website and blog for more information on these and other budget issues after the Governor submits the full budget Wednesday evening.

Jon Peacock