Senator claims Wisconsin schools losing money to pay for the wealthy’s tax breaks

State aid is around $200 million less
for schools than five years ago

Wisconsin’s Senate Minority leader is claiming the state is taking money away from schools to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.

Communities in western Wisconsin are having trouble paying for public school needs, because Madison has cut millions of dollars from state school aid. 

Public schools in Wisconsin used to get more state aid five years ago than they do now – about $200 million more, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau report that Democratic Senator Jennifer Schilling used to make her argument.

Shilling says school systems in her region have seen cuts in yearly aid of between 10 and 19 percent, since Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was elected.  

In Shilling’s 32nd Senate district, communities received about $17 million less in state aid this year than they received five years ago.

For example, the La Crosse district received $31 million in aid this year – down five million from 2011.

Shilling says the funding cuts are forcing school districts to ask the voters for tax hikes in referendums, to make up for the state reductions.