The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has announced its proposed 2027-29 biennial budget request, asking for approximately $2.75 billion in new aid for public schools and libraries and major changes to the state's public school funding formula.
State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly says the proposal aims to fix a school funding system that has failed to keep pace with inflation and puts constant pressure on local taxpayers to hold referendums and increasingly fund schools with local property taxes.
For more than 15 years, Wisconsin's school revenue limits have failed to keep up with inflation. As the cost of educating students escalates faster than inflations, state funding has lagged far behind. Districts are left with fewer resources to cover growing expenses, pushing more communities to referendum just to maintain basic functions and staffing levels.
WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen said a funding increase of this magnitude in the state budget would make a real difference for Wisconsin's public school students and mark a major change in policy direction from the state government. Since former governor Scott Walker permanently separated school funding from the consumer price index, schools have fallen further behind inflation with each biennial budget. She said $2.75 billion in additional funding from the state would reduce the pressure on local property taxpayers, give school districts greater stability, and give students more support and opportunities.
“If the state is funding schools responsibly and keeping its promises, lower property taxes are one result,” Wirtz-Olsen said. “More importantly, the state’s school districts will be better able to fund the schools our students deserve and our communities depend on for the future.”
DPI's proposal also offers a reworked school funding formula that recognizes student needs and gives districts a more dependable foundation. Key components of the funding formula solution include:
• Increasing per-pupil funding: Providing a $366 per-pupil increase in 2027-28 and an additional $374 in 2028-29, with both increases building into the base for future years.
• Recognizing student needs: Adding funding weights for students from economically disadvantaged families and English learners.
• Restructuring existing aid: Moving $574.7 million in Per-Pupil Aid into general and equalization aid, better connecting state support to the school funding formula.
• Providing additional resources: Including an additional $742 per pupil in 2027-28 to account for funding currently provided outside the revenue limits.
