FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2013

Contact: Tony Palese, 608-266-5490





LFB confirms massive funding disparity in Republican education budget

44.6% increase for private voucher schools, public schools receive $0



MADISON - The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) confirmed today that Governor Walker’s budget proposal would increase state taxpayer funding for private voucher schools by over 44%, while freezing funding for our public schools. According to the LFB, annual state funding for the voucher program would increase from $154.0 million currently to $222.6 million under Gov. Walker’s budget. The per-pupil funding cap on public schools would be frozen. Senator Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse), the ranking Senate Democrat on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, reacted to this recent update:

“This shocking news highlights the misplaced priorities that we have seen from Governor Walker and represents an unprecedented and disturbing trend toward privatized education in our state. This plan to shift funding away from our communities to give unaccountable and underperforming private voucher schools a 44% increase in state taxpayer funding will further erode the quality of education in our schools.

“It is clear that the Governor’s budget proposal fails to uphold our commitment to provide a quality education for all children. This proposed funding disparity will have a significant long-term impact on our ability to educate children and prepare them to compete in a global economy. I sincerely hope that my colleagues in the Legislature will join me in opposing this shift to a two-tiered education system. We must work to address the real challenges that local communities and schools face, and uphold our constitutional commitment to a quality education for all children.”



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