“Public schools are the heart of small towns across Wisconsin. And they are hurting because the majority party has neglected them for too long. Citizens are voting by referendum to raise their own property taxes just to keep the lights on in their schools. Gov. Walker proposes increasing state funding for schools, but he is doing it in a way that benefits school districts that already have plenty of money. His proposal skirts the normal school funding formula and gives a flat per-pupil payment to every school district. Property-rich suburban school districts don’t need that kind of boost. Poor rural and urban school districts do.

“The funding increase is certainly welcome, but we can’t forget that the majority party has taken away $1.1 billion from public schools since 2011. If the governor and majority party had not cut so much from rural and urban schools over the past six years, we wouldn’t have to be making up for it now. They are just giving back what they took away. It’s like the kid on the playground who steals your $5 lunch money and gives you back a quarter.”

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