Educators Urge Governor Evers to Back DPI Budget -Press Release 02.10.2025 News Uncategorized February 10th, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2025
CONTACT: 608-257-0491 mti@madisonteachers.org
Educators Urge Governor Evers to Back DPI Budget
The Executive Boards from the five urban education unions in Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine call on Governor Tony Evers to support the Department of Public Instruction’s proposed 2025-27 budget.
Governor Evers has announced that 2025 will be “The Year of the Kid.” Living up to that promise means an increased and significant investment in key areas highlighted by DPI Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly, especially when fixing the Special Education funding inequity that has existed for decades.
Currently, the State of Wisconsin reimburses public school districts for less than one-third – just 29% – of the actual costs of special education services to their students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Private voucher and charter schools serve a small percentage of Wisconsin’s students with special needs but receive most of their funding from state taxpayers. They are guaranteed at least 90% reimbursement for their special education costs – on top of the amount they receive for the voucher. Private voucher and charter schools are also likely to “counsel” students back into public schools when their test scores or behaviors are considered undesirable.
The office of State Senator Chris Larson analyzed actual unreimbursed special education costs in public school districts across the state for the 2022-23 school year and found that they accounted for over two-thirds of the annual dollars sought in 2024 operating referendums in the districts that held them. In many cases, unreimbursed special education costs accounted for the entire annual cost of their operating referendum.
In her 2025-26 budget request, Dr. Underly called for eliminating the Special Education Funding Gap by guaranteeing districts the same 90% reimbursement rate that voucher schools already get. It is past time that Governor Evers must prove he is the “Education Governor” he was elected and re-elected to be by including this provision in his budget proposal.
As unions representing tens of thousands of workers, homeowners, taxpayers, caregivers, and community members, we call on our government leaders to do the right thing and invest the taxpayers’ billions of surplus dollars into our children and public schools. It’s the right thing to do right now. It’s the right thing to do to ensure a bright future for all of Wisconsin’s children.
In Solidarity,
Green Bay Education Association Executive Board
Kenosha Education Association Executive Board
Madison Teachers Inc. Board of Directors
Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association Executive Board
Racine Educators United Executive Board