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PTSA
Position on
School Funding DPI
REFERENDA DATA |
School Funding
Please
visit:
Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent
Schools (WAES)
School funding in Wisconsin is a complicated system of three tier funding,
categorical aid, local property taxes, federal aid, and miscellaneous local receipts.
In 1993, in an effort to limit rising school
district operating budgets and provide property tax relief to homeowners, the Wisconsin
Legislature passed a law that froze (or capped) school operating budgets.
Revenue limits established the maximum revenue a district could raise and
spend for its schools from local property tax and state aids. The school funding
caps are based on the actual spending levels in 1992-1993. Districts are allowed to
increase spending above this 1992-1993 level at a set dollar amount per student per
year. Starting in 1996, the State committed to fund 2/3 of K-12 public school
costs, with the remaining 1/3 raised from local property taxes. Even with 2/3
funding, school districts across Wisconsin are finding it more and
more difficult to fund education because of the revenue limits placed upon them. Recently
the legislature voted to decrease the 2/3 funding even futher. To
learn more about the state wide impact of the current school funding system, watch the
video linked below:
Produced by The
Institute For Wisconsin's Future.
Stevens Point
The Stevens Point School District is one of the Wisconsin Districts
struggling to maintain a quality educational program. Because of
forces out of the control of the Stevens Point School Board, the
quality of education in our community is declining. This decline is being
forced upon us by
Spending limits legislation passed in 1992-93
State imposed revenue limits have prevented this district from keeping pace with
basic underlying costs. District revenue increases as allowed by the state are not keeping
up with district expenses.
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Revenue - Expenses Chart |
2. Decreasing funds for categorical aids
When the Individuals with disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) was approved
in the mid-1970s, the
federal government committed to paying school
districts 40 percent of
the excess costs related to
services for children
with disabilities. At the same
time, state officals in Wisconsin
committed to paying for
68 percent of the remaining costs for
these mandated
services. Lawmakers at both
levels have
broken these commitments. Federal
special education
assistance covers less than 10
percent of costs
in Wisconsin, while state aid has
dropped to 34 percent
of special education costs.State Categorical Aid for mandated
programs has
decreased 11% in a five year period, amounting to almost a million dollars in loss funds
for Stevens Point. Under funded state mandatory programs, are forcing the district to
provide programming for certain student populations at the expense of reducing the quality
of educational programming for other students. |
Stevens Point Categorical Aids Trends
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3.
Decreasing enrollments
With declining enrollment, districts receive less money from
state aid. With smaller student numbers, each student represents a larger portion of
state aid dollars. Each loss of a student represents a larger and larger portion of state
aid dollars.
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Enrollment chart. |
What has been the overall impact these forces
have had on the Stevens Point School District?
Complete Annual School
Costs
CASC
CASC Chart |
Based on data from the State DPI, we have
up dated the chart on Complete Annual School costs. For many years, our
district has been slightly below state average in how much it spends per student, the
(Complete Annual School Costs). Our district is in the bottom 4% for school
tax levy increases since the revenue limits went into place. The three
pages of program reduction and proposed reductions compiled by the district, reflects
what effect this low level of spending per student is having on our educational program.
This low school tax levy has effected what we are providing to our students and will
continue to effect the children of this community. |
These effects were outlined at a community forum "School Funding -
Everybody's Business," sponsored by the Stevens Point League of
Women's Voters, PTO Council and PTSA. |
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