MADISON, Wis. — Hard working Wisconsin families and property taxpayers could face more rising costs as Republicans on the legislature’s budget writing committee voted to cut the proposed funding for public education in Gov. Tony Evers’ budget plan. The chronic underfunding of Wisconsin’s public schools has triggered record numbers of school districts across the state to seek additional support to cover the state funding shortfalls, raising local property taxes.
“The impacts of failing to fund our public schools are clear,” commented A Better Wisconsin Together Deputy Director Mike Browne. “Equally clear is that it’s our kids and local taxpayers paying the price for Republicans’ continued refusal to fund our public schools.”
According to an analysis by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the plans proposed by Gov. Evers would all but eliminate a projected property tax increase of over $470 on the median value Wisconsin home over the next two year budget cycle. Yet Republicans voted to deny local schools any increase in state general school aid and adopted devastating cuts to the special education funding proposed by the Governor.
The impacts of Republicans’ longstanding and continuing refusal to support public education are stunning. In just the last two years -2024 and 2025 – school districts have been forced to go to referendums in 96 of the 99 state Assembly districts.
Students, schools and local taxpayers in the senate district of Finance Committee co-chair Howard Marklein have been among the hardest hit by his and other Republicans’ refusal to adequately support public schools. In the 49th, 50th and 51st Assembly Districts there have been 22, 14 and 25 school referendums respectively in 2024 and 2025. Every other GOP member of the Finance Committee has also had schools within the district they represent go to referendum in the last two years.
Other impacts of the GOP spurred chronic underfunding range from teacher shortages and reduced course offerings to eliminating extracurricular activities and deferring building maintenance and safety improvements.
Browne concluded, “Wisconsin Republicans have had every opportunity to fully fund our public schools and prevent Wisconsinites from having to raise their own taxes to keep the lights on at their local school. Instead they’re continuing to starve our public schools, taking resources away from our kids and placing more financial burden onto local families already dealing with rising costs caused by the Trump Administration’s reckless economic agenda.”
