UNITE FOR THE 2023-25 BUDGET WISCONSIN KIDS DESERVE!
See our archived budget action pages from previous cycles: 2021-23; 2019-21; 2017-19.
TAKE ACTION! Be an ambassador for the budget Wisconsin kids deserve in your community.
See our full one-page handout of 2023-25 budget priorities here.
Click a green button below to jump to the corresponding section:
- Waukesha Budget Hearing Roundup
- Eau Claire & Wisconsin Dells Budget Hearing Roundup
- Statement on JFC Hearings from Wisconsin Public Education Network
May 2023
The Joint Committee on Finance met in Executive Session on the 2023-25 biennial budget on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at 11:01am.
The Committee first considered the attached motion to remove certain items from budget consideration. This was followed by: (1) a motion to introduce and adopt a substitute amendment to AB 43/SB 70; (2) consideration of standard budget adjustments, sum sufficient appropriation estimates, and debt service associated with the state’s appropriation obligation bonds.
The Committee will continue to meet through the month to draft its budget bill, and may make further omnibus motions.
April 2023
ACTION ALERT!
We have learned from the Clerk of the Joint Committee on Finance that the portal for submitting written budget comments will only remain open through the final hearing on Wednesday, April 26. If you haven’t already, be sure to submit your budget priorities to the committee by then!
Official Budget Hearings with the Joint Committee on Finance
April 5 in Waukesha;April 11 in Eau Claire;April 12 in Wisconsin Dells;April 26 in MinocquaWritten comments accepted through April 26.- Read more here.
Join us in person at the JFC listening sessions! Let us know which one you’re attending here.
Missed our testimony training? Check out this two-page document of testimony resources adapted from our 2021 toolkit!
February-March 2023
Feb. 14: Gov. Evers introduced his Education Budget
See a statement on the Governor’s budget proposal from our executive director Heather DuBois Bourenane and Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools President Sandy Whisler here.
Feb. 15: Gov. Evers delivers Budget Address. Watch on Wisconsin Eye: https://wiseye.org/live/
What’s next: Fiscal Bureau will analyze the bill, then the Joint Finance Committee will review and schedule public hearings.
December 2022-January 2023: Gov. Evers’ “Doing the Right Thing” Listening Session Tour
Gov. Evers announced a listening session tour open to the public, ahead of his drafting the 2023-25 executive budget:
Dec. 13, 5:30pm: Kenosha. [Registration]Dec. 14, 6pm: Virtual. [Registration]Dec. 20, 5:30pm: Green Bay. [Registration]Jan. 11, 6pm: Virtual. [Registration]Jan. 12, 5:30pm: Wausau. [Registration]Jan. 17, 5:30pm: Superior. [Registration]Jan. 18, 5:30pm: Eau Claire. [Registration]- Members of the public may also submit written comments before these listening sessions conclude.
Join Us!
Feb. 2, 2023, 7-8pm: Budget Ambassador Training.Toolkit available here.Feb. 6, 2023, 7-8:30pm: School Finance in Wisconsin: Where We Are, How We Got Here, What Is Ahead with Anne Chapman of WASBO.Archive available here.March 1, 2023, 6-8pm: Budget Action Workshop.Archive available here (part 1) and here (part 2).
Important 2023 Dates:
Jan. 24, 2023: Governor’s State of the State AddressFeb. 14, 2023: Governor Evers Introduces Education BudgetFeb. 15, 2023: Governor’s 2023-25 Biennial Budget MessageFeb. 27 – Mar. 3, 2023: Public Schools Week
PUBLIC SCHOOL CHAMPIONS are…
…preparing testimony for the Joint Finance Committee’s budget listening sessions.
(April 5 in Waukesha; April 11 in Eau Claire; April 12 in Wisconsin Dells; and April 26 in Minocqua)
Missed our testimony training? Check out this two-page document of testimony resources adapted from our 2021 toolkit!
…meeting with lawmakers to make sure they understand the needs of local students.
…getting their communities involved in the process and educating them on how the budget works.
BUDGET ACTION WORKSHOP ARCHIVE:
Part one: Welcome, budget breakdown with State Budget Director Brian Pahnke, and being a budget ambassador
Part two: Crafting compelling testimony and amplifying your story
Read our reaction to the Department of Public Instruction’s 2023-25 education budget proposal and State Superintendent Underly’s and Governor Evers’ September announcement stating their education priorities for the upcoming budget.
What would a 60% reimbursement mean to your school district? This memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau shows the impacts of the governor’s proposal on every district in the state.
Further reading on special education reimbursement in Wisconsin: Education Law Center, 2022
BACKGROUND INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES: Archive of “School Funding” presentations: here
WASBO School Budget Explainer, May 2023.
School Funding Basics with Dr. Julie Underwood, Sept. 2022.
School Funding 102 with Dr. Julie Underwood and Bob Soldner of DPI, Feb. 2021
School Finance in Wisconsin: Where we are, how we got here, what is ahead with Anne Chapman of WASBO, Feb. 2023 (video). View PDF slides here.
HOW TO BUILD THE BUDGET WISCONSIN KIDS DESERVE:
- Increase the state reimbursement of districts’ special education costs to 60% in 2023-24 and 90% in 2024-25.
- Increase spendable state funds by at least $1,500* per student across the board, raise districts’ spending authority and adjust for inflation, with the ultimate goal of eliminating revenue limits.
- Prioritize investments where the needs are greatest: in English language learning (ELL), mental health support, services for students in poverty, rural schools, pre-K needs, and support for attracting and retaining educators.
- Impose a moratorium on the expansion of voucher and independent (non-district) charter spending.
A just budget is one that closes the gaps that currently exist and makes no investments in gap-widening measures.
See our full one-page handout of budget priorities here.
*Source for our $1,500 figure: Legislative Fiscal Bureau Memo, January 2023.
YOU can be an ambassador for the budget Wisconsin kids deserve in your community.
BOOKMARK THIS PAGE! We are following updates, news, and announcements on the budget process and will keep public school champions up-to-date with how they can take action where they live.
TELL YOUR STORY! Budgets are about people. They are about local kids. Put students first and make sure decision-makers know how the state budget affects them. See our 2022 messaging toolkit here. Read powerful examples of Letters to the Editor written by public education champions here.
CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKERS! Let them know what local students need! Share your story! See our legislative contact list here.
Public Education Champions’ Written Budget Testimonies: Check out these powerful examples of Joint Finance Committee budget testimonies written by public education champions.
School board members, district administrators, and local advocates: Your school board can pass a resolution or set of legislative priorities related to the state budget. Some fantastic models below (have a great example that isn’t on this list? Email it to Christian@WisconsinNetwork.org):
- School District of Cudahy Board Resolution
- School District of Greenfield Board Resolution
- Mequon-Thiensville School District 2023-25 Budget/Legislative Priorities
- Increase per-pupil categorical aid
- Reimburse school districts for 100% of special education costs
- Racine Unified School District Board Resolution
- School District of South Milwaukee Budget Advocacy Page
- Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance Budget Request
- Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education Legislative Agenda
- WASB Op-Ed Available for Use in Budget Messaging
- Whitnall School District Board Resolution
TURN YOUR APPRECIATION INTO ACTION! Teacher Appreciation Week is in May. Download this image and make it your profile photo on social media!
PLAN A LOCAL BUDGET ACTION EVENT! See the video below for a fantastic example of local budget advocacy, a community art build event hosted by the South Milwaukee Education Association and the School District of South Milwaukee.