Wisconsin government can’t agree on how to pay for state education

Raising taxes seems to be answer, but governor refuses

Borrowing money still beats raising taxes or fees in the minds of Wisconsin government leaders.

The president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, Todd Berry, says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker continues to resist the idea of increasing taxes for transportation or schools, even though other Republicans are leaning toward that way.

In past years, some governors took transportation funds for use in other areas but Berry says now, the state’s general fund gets depleted.

“In fact, we’re taking money from the general fund from schools, universities, etc., and subsidizing the transportation fund at the moment but, what we’re really doing is borrowing,” Berry said on WIZM Monday morning. 

Berry added that education is still the biggest program within the Wisconsin state budget, accounting for $11 billion a year, and that leaders can’t seem to agree on how much money to provide to local schools. He said it wasn’t so hard 20 years ago.

“We had a Republican governor and a Democratic Assembly and a Republican Senate,” Berry explained, “and they all decided that a compromise would be to guarantee this two-thirds funding.”

Now, however, the level went down closer to 60 percent. Berry says local taxpayers have been very willing to pass referendums to fund school programs, if state money runs short.