Fitzgerald said some communities are worried the savings made from collective bargaining changes will not cover the cuts in Walker’s budget.

But the senator said some people will never agree with the budget because of their disagreement with the GOP.

“The sky is not falling, and Wisconsin is going to be here,” he said.

Aid to schools, UW slashed

Introduced in March, the spending plan aims to reduce the state’s structural deficit about 90 percent by 2013, from $2.5 billion to $250 million.

To do this, it cuts more than $1 billion from public schools and the University of Wisconsin System. It also holds property taxes practically flat, which severely limits local officials’ ability to recoup lost revenues.

While the document approved by the Legislature differs little from the blueprint introduced by the governor, Republican leaders did put their stamp on the measure. They broke with Walker over cuts to the SeniorCare prescription drug program, money for recycling proposals and the governor’s bid to revamp UW-Madison by splitting it from the UW System.