UW–Madison faculty members Christopher Saldaña and Julie Underwood shared their expertise on school funding issues during recent interviews on PBS Wisconsin and Madison’s 89.9 WORT-FM.
In a segment for WORT-FM titled, “How Did We Get Here: School Budgets and Referendums,” Saldaña, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA), and Underwood, a professor emerit in ELPA, join host Douglas Haynes to address the financial struggles facing Wisconsin school districts. These include the impact of revenue limits, declining enrollments, and the shift of funding to private schools.
According to a preview of the segment, Wisconsin school districts are spending $3,200 less per student, adjusted for inflation, since 2010. As a consequence, voters in 122 districts are being asked to approve local referendums to raise property taxes.
The conversation on WORT highlights the dilemma for taxpayers who support public schools but struggle with rising property taxes.
In a related segment for PBS Wisconsin, Saldaña shared his insights on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) 2025 budget request.
The proposal includes a call for funding 90% of special education costs, representing a significant increase in state support for schools. Saldaña discussed the current funding situation, where school districts are required to cover 70% of special education costs from their general funds.
He emphasized the importance of increased state funding, stating that “having the state step up and play a bigger role in funding special education creates greater equality of opportunity for students who have disabilities, whether they’re in a small rural district or in a large urban district like Milwaukee.”