Finally, some money for education in Wisconsin

It was like Christmas in Madison yesterday, as government and state agencies hoped the big present under the tree would have their name on it. They eagerly awaited the details of Governor Walker’s plan for how state money will be spent as part of his two year budget proposal unveiled yesterday. It appears the big winner in this budget is education. Walker is proposing cutting tuition at schools in the UW System, and significantly increasing funding for public schools. Walker’s budget calls for spending $649 million more on K-12 education. That is an about face for the Governor, who in previous budgets has slashed public education funding to the tune of about $1 billion. It is not clear what has led to his sudden support for public education, especially given his penchant for supporting private schools at the expense of public schools. But regardless, this is good news for public education in Wisconsin. Local school districts are happy with this budget, and it should lead them to be less reliant on local property tax increases and referendums to generate the money they need to properly teach our children. It seems that finally, the big present under the tree this year belongs to our public schools.