ABC Madison

All the Best for Children

abcmadisonschools@yahoo.com

P.O. Box 45372

Madison, WI 53744-5372

 

The Big Picture

  • Madison and Wisconsin Value Education.
  • The State School Finance System is designed to fail.
  • Each year we move further away from providing the education our community and state need and our children deserve.
  • After almost 15 years of this, it is past time for change.

 

The Value of Education – Investment Pays Off

  • Healthy communities and neighborhoods.
  • Attract business and jobs.
  • Enhance property values.
  • Address inequalities.
  • Reduce unemployment and crime.

 

State School Finance 101 (the basics)

Revenue Caps

  • State determines per pupil spending via general equalization aid.
  • Based on history and desire to limit taxes, not educational needs.
  • Growth legislatively determined, $ figure, about 2.5% annually.

 

Underfunded Mandates and Categorical Aids

·        Funding to address poverty, bilingual education, special education and diverse needs of districts.

·        State funding insufficient.

·        Federal mandates funded at even lower levels.

·        SAGE (class size reduction)

o       $2,000 per poverty pupil in SAGE schools (proposed raise to $2,250, first increase in 10 years)

o       Estimated in 2006 it cost a large 50% poverty Madison school (678) an additional $466,000 to fully implement K-2 class size reductions and a small school (266) at the same poverty level $132,000.

·        Special Education

o       In 1993 state aid covered 45% of costs.

o       Currently covers 28.6%; represents a loss of $9.4 million.

·        Bilingual-Bicultural

o       In 1993 at 33% reimbursement rate.

o       Currently 12%, a loss of $2.2 million.

·        Qualified Economic Offer (QEO)

o       Sets floor on teacher pay and benefit package at 3.8%.

o       80%+ of expenses; mandates to grow at least 3.8%

o       Growth in revenues limited to about 2.5%.

o       3.8% - 2.5% = about a 1.3% structural gap.

A System Designed to Fail

·        Structural gap between allowed revenues and increasing costs means annual cuts in programs

 

 

·        New efficiencies combined with eliminated programs and services in MMSD have resulted in $60 million in cuts from cost to continue budgets and the loss of over 600 staff positions in the last 15 years.

·        We are not alone: Over 100 districts went to referendum in the last year in order to exceed the state funding limits.  Many districts are struggling and where referendums have failed, like Park Falls and Wisconsin Heights, things are even worse than they are in Madison.

 

It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way: Adequacy/Foundations Plans

  • The Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES) and Prof Alan Odden of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research have drafted plans for school finance that put education first.
  • These plans begin by asking, “what are the best educational practices,” and then estimate the cost of guaranteeing that the education of each child in Wisconsin is funded adequately.
  • A foundation plan eliminates categorical aids and accounts for the diverse needs of children and districts in calculating the foundation funding.
  • Both the WAES and the Odden plan restore local control for districts that want more than the adequate foundation.

 

What You Can Do – Take Action

Save the date.

  • February 4, MMSD Board of Education vote on WAES membership.

 

Join ABC Madison to work for change.

  • Email: ABCMadisonschools@yahoo.com

 

Find out more about state school finance from the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES).

 

See how this has impacted our local schools.

 

Let your Legislators know how you feel.

 

Keep updated on the latest developments and actions

  • Visit: www.madisonamps.org