Contact Governor Evers to Advocate for a Better Budget
Governor Tony Evers concluded a series of budget listening sessions in December 2024. The listening sessions were an opportunity to communicate with the governor and his staff about educators’ priorities for the 2025-2027 biennial budget that the governor introduced on February 18, 2025. Many WEAC members and leaders attended the listening sessions throughout the state and virtually.
The governor has released his budget, but it is not too late for you to add your voice.
Sample Message
After record numbers of school districts have had to resort to local referendum questions to keep schools open and running, taxpayers are tired of having to go to referendum. The state can afford to fund public education.
Stop shifting all the cost onto local taxpayers and stop discriminating against special needs students in public schools. It’s morally wrong that Wisconsin uses taxpayer dollars to fund 90 percent of special needs for private voucher schools while the local public schools that serve 95 percent of special needs students are reimbursed less than 30 percent.
Use the surplus to adequately fund our schools and address the state’s educator shortage. The state sat on a multi-billion-dollar surplus, the last budget diverted historic amounts of funding to unaccountable private voucher schools without enough funding for public schools to compensate for inflation and more than a decade of under-funding. Fund our schools so districts can staff them.
Act Now
Now is the time to advocate for a budget that addresses our students’ and schools’ needs. The state is sitting on a multi-billion-dollar budget surplus, just as in the previous budget cycle, but the last budget diverted historic funding to unaccountable private vouchers and didn’t substantially provide additional funding for public schools.
Now and throughout the budget season, WEAC is uniting educators, parents, and public-school advocates throughout our state to make a positive change for students. Together, we are building a movement for a better state budget in 2025-27 that supports students, stabilizes the education professions, and protects public schools.
Points of Emphasis
After record numbers of school districts have had to resort to local referendum to keep schools open, WEAC members have been advocating for a budget that addresses the needs of students and public schools:
• Wisconsin’s educators are calling on the state to stop shifting so much of the school funding responsibility onto local taxpayers and stop discriminating against special needs students in public schools.
• Currently, Wisconsin uses taxpayer dollars to reimburse 90 percent of special needs costs for private voucher schools while the local public schools that serve 95 percent of special needs students are reimbursed at less than 30 percent.
• In the 2025-27 budget, WEAC members are telling the state to use its $4 billion+ budget surplus to adequately fund our schools and address the state’s educator shortage.
• Two years ago, the state sat on a multi-billion-dollar surplus and ultimately diverted historic amounts of funding to unaccountable private voucher schools without enough funding for public schools to keep up with inflation or compensate for more than a decade of systematic underfunding.
School Funding and the Educator Shortage: Use the surplus to adequately fund our schools and address the state’s educator shortage. The state is sitting on a multi-billion-dollar budget surplus for a second straight budget cycle. But the last budget diverted historic amounts of funding to unaccountable private vouchers without substantial additional funding for public schools to compensate for inflation and more than a decade of under-funding. Fund our schools so districts can staff them.
Special Education: Stop discriminating against special needs students in public schools. It’s morally wrong that Wisconsin uses taxpayer dollars to fund 90 percent of special needs for private voucher schools while the local public schools that serve 95 percent of special needs students are reimbursed less than 30 percent.
Referendums are No Way to Fund Our Schools: After record numbers of school districts have had to resort to local referendum questions to keep schools open and running, taxpayers are tired of having to go to referendum. The state can afford to fund public education. Stop shifting the state’s responsibilities onto local taxpayers.
Advocate for a Better State Budget
On November 11, the proposed state budget for schools was released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and it is calling for a 75 percent special education reimbursement rate in 2026 and 90 percent in 2027. Two-thirds of Wisconsin school districts went to referendum this year – three times more than last year – and if we can influence lawmakers to fund public schools like the Wisconsin Constitution says they should, the special education funding alone would free up more than $1.5 billion per year in un-reimbursed special education costs statewide. Imagine a Wisconsin where our most vulnerable students get the services they need and lawmakers don’t shift the burden onto property taxpayers.
WEAC fought hard to demand a reimbursement rate that is at least what voucher schools receive – and of course support a 100 percent reimbursement – so this shift from the state superintendent’s original 60 percent proposal is significant. It will be up to public education supporters like us to advocate with lawmakers and Governor Evers to get a better budget across the finish line this time around.
WEAC is uniting educators, parents and public-school advocates throughout Wisconsin to make a positive change for students through Unite for Public Schools. Together, we can create a movement for Wisconsin Public Education toward a better state budget in 2025-27 that supports students, stabilizes the education professions, protects public schools. We advocate for the following:
- Pass a state budget that puts a priority on public schools.
- Decrease school referendums by using tax dollars they’ve already collected to fund education.
- Provide the same level of state funding to public school special ed students as private voucher schools get.
- Establish fair salary plans in all school districts to keep and attract the best educators.
- Block expansion of private, tax-funded voucher schools that siphon funds from local public schools.
- Fund programs for student mental health and school meals.
You can start by signing the pledge to advocate for a better state budget and receiving our email updates.