Evers goes big on K-12 again, looking to increase resources, but not property taxes

Should he be fortunate enough to stay Governor, it looks like Tony Evers is looking to go big on K-12 school spending for the 3rd straight state budget.

Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday called for spending nearly $2 billion more on public K-12 schools — a plan derided by Republicans that was released nine weeks before the election and designed to allow school spending to increase without resulting in higher property taxes.

> Well of course Republicans wouldn't like anything that funds public schools without raising property taxes. They don't want Wisconsinites to realize we can do both. But with $5 billion in the bank, we certainly are capable of doing this, if we choose to.

However, I've maintained that what is possibly more important than the amount of state spending on K-12 public schools is the revenue limit that guides how many funds can actually go into the classroom. There may have been a sizable increase in state spending in the 2021-23 budget, but it won't do much because the GOP Legislature made that increase go to property tax relief instead of actual resources for the district, by keeping base revenue limits at the same levels that they were 2 years ago.

That's especially bad in a time of rising costs. The GOP Legislature argued that COVID relief funds could make up the difference for K-12 districfts 2021-22 and 2022-23. But that is out of the picture in the next budget, and there is going to be a need to make up the difference for the lack of increased revenue. And that's not just happened in the last 2 years, but for the decade before.

So what do we have on this front? Let's go to Evers' own press release.

Revenue limit increases of $350 per pupil in 2023-24 and an additional $650 per pupil in 2024-25, along with a roughly $800 million state investment to hold the line on property taxes.

Evers' $350/$650 per pupil increase in the revenue makes up for some (but not all) of that. What I'm trying to figure out is where the "$800 million to hold the line on property taxes" is derived from. Is it $800 million in extra general aids to offset some/all of the added revenue limit? Or is it enough to increase revenue limits by $350/$650, and also cut property taxes by $800 million.

My guess is that it's just keeping property taxes flat while allowing for schools to spend more with the higher revenue limits - still a good thing, by the way. I say that because of the other additional funds that Evers' education budget is asking for.

Per pupil aid increases of $24 per pupil in 2023-24 and an additional $45 in 2024-25 (matching percentages of increase to the revenue limit growth), resulting in a more than $60 million in estimated investment.....

Gov. Evers and Superintendent Underly’s plan will ensure our schools have the resources they need to ensure every kid can succeed by investing $750 million over the biennium to increase special education aid.

Then add increases for several other categorical aids (which do not count toward revenue limits), and that gets us toward $2 billion in additional funding pretty quick.

No, I don't count on a lot of Evers' K-12 plans to become law, barring a Dem landslide that causes the GOP's gerrymander to fall through the floor. But it does serve to show who believes in investing in education, and in making this state more economically competitive. It also brings into sharp focus the fact that the Tim Michels and all other WisGOPs have nothing to offer on K-12 besides the regressive, community-destroying idiocy of "vouchers for all".

ten bucks says this guy can’t explain the difference between equalization aid and categorical aids and he’s talking about schools like he didn’t send his own kids to private schools in connecticut https://t.co/1y0hbgihGb

— Jay Bullock, Election Rigger (@folkbum) September 7, 2022

It's like listening to Trump promise his "extra special health care plan that's better than ever." Sure, Timmy.

That ridiculous response from East Coast millionaire failson Michels underscores why it was a very good move for Evers to come out with this. And to remind Wisconsinites that we have the resources to strongly invest in first-class public schools and improve our communities if we choose to. So choose wisely.