Network partners have been a leading voice in this year's budget conversation, and we are now at the critical moment:

As the process moves to the next stage, the coming weeks are critical for public school advocates. The Joint Finance Committee hearings have concluded, but it’s not too late to get involved — we know the pressure on the government to do right by our children is working.

This work is urgent: The Joint Finance Committee announced that it will begin executive sessions on the 2025–27 state budget this TOMORROW, May 8. The first action will be voting to remove hundreds of policy items of the Governor’s budget, originally submitted to the Legislature in February. Learn more about what's on the chopping block here.

Our job now is to make sure those priorities align with the needs of our kids - and that the Governor signs a budget into law that is adequate to meet them.

WAYS TO TAKE ACTION NOW:

1) It's time to connect with our own lawmakers across the state to tell our local stories and make sure they know what’s at stake for local students. This is about meeting kids’ needs and providing them with the conditions it takes to thrive in our public schools. Let them know you appreciate our public schools and expect an investment in the 2025-2027 state budget that puts kids first.

That means: a significant increase in spendable state aid (with an increase to revenue limits and aid aligned with priority needs) AND at least a 60% sum sufficient reimbursement for special education costs.

• Phone: Call (608) 266-0382 for the capitol switchboard and get connected to your representatives. Call (608) 266-1212 to contact Governor Evers.
• Email: Click here for our copy/paste-able list of all the members of the Joint Committee on Finance. Don't forget to CC your own representatives! Use this contact form to send your message to the Governor.
• Set up a meeting with them in person to let lawmakers know public schools are your issue, too!

2) Share our tracker far and wide. Click here to share the pie chart graphic at the top of this message on Facebook.

3) Sign our petition calling on the Governor to close the special education funding gap in the 2025-2027 budget.

4) Invite the individuals you know to join the chorus of public education champions speaking up across Wisconsin.

5) Save the date and stay tuned for more information on how you can participate in our upcoming statewide day of action on Tuesday, May 27 in Madison or where you live.

View our Budget Action Toolkit here, and check out our Budget HQ for talking points and more information!

The final public hearings on the state public concluded last week, but the state budget process is not over and our work to be a voice for Wisconsin students is not done.

It is both heartbreaking and reaffirming that the focus of testimonies is so similar to what it has been in past budget cycles: yet again, Wisconsinites are pleading with our elected leaders to deliver a budget that meets the needs of Wisconsin kids. According to our tracker, public education funding was the single-most mentioned topic, and funding for childcare, early childhood, pre-K-12 public schools, and higher education made up 30% of all testimonies.  

Public school champions from districts across the state provided moving personal exemplification and consistent asks: fund special education, get spendable aid into classrooms, raise the low revenue limit ceiling, and help districts keep their schools operating and serve their students without having to go to referendum after referendum. We are deeply grateful to every single person who showed up at the hearings to beat the drum for adequately funding our public schools, but also acknowledge that the timing and locations of the hearings make them inaccessible to many parents, caregivers, students, teachers, and other advocates. The powerful testimony below from Melanie Grosse not only touches on the fact that many are not able to make it to the hearings, but is also an urgent and poignant plea for something we heard prioritized again and again during the hearings: at least 60% sum sufficient special education reimbursement for public schools:

I want to start by asking you to picture one child. A child full of wonder, full of questions, full of potential. But instead of soaring, this child is stalled not because they can't learn, but because the very system that is meant to support them is falling short. That child? He's mine, and he's not alone. The real obstacle to providing our children with the education they deserve lies not in the dedication of their educational teams, but an outdated funding model that no longer meets today's standards. Before I go any further into this issue, I want to highlight the reality that many families, my own included, are facing. My husband is working overtime so I can be fully available to advocate for our child's education therapies and essential resources. Today, I am here to speak on behalf of all families who may not have the support or resources they need, because no family should have to be forced to choose between economic stability and being present in their child's development. My name is Melanie Grosse. I'm a coalition leader with the Learn in My Shoes Campaign, a partner in Partners in Policymaking, and most importantly, I am a very proud mother of a brilliant, funny, and curious autistic child in special education. I'm here today, not just as a mom, but as a voice for him and for thousands of other Wisconsin children who are being left behind by a system that's underfunded, overstretched, and under attack. I'm here with a simple and urgent request: invest in our kids. Specifically, I urge you to raise Wisconsin's special education funding and reimbursement rate to no less than 60 percent sum sufficient. Every child deserves a high quality education; for students with disabilities, that means more than just textbooks and classrooms, it means trained, compassionate staff who understand their needs, individualize support that meets them where they are, and specialized services that doesn't just help them learn but thrive. Investing in special education isn't just the right thing to do, it's a smart investment in Wisconsin's future. When we give children with disabilities the tools to succeed, they grow up to become skilled workers, responsible citizens, and contributors to our economy and communities. This strengthens our workforce, reduces long-term dependency, and builds a stronger, more self-reliant Wisconsin. This is not a handout, it's a hand up. It's a promise to our children, to our families, and to the values that we all claim to hold dear. It's the kind of investment that pays off, not just in dollars, but in dignity, opportunity, and hope. When we fund special education properly, we do more than support students. We support the families who fight for them. We strengthen the communities that surround them. We build a Wisconsin that lifts every child, not just the easiest to teach. You have the power and the responsibility to do better. No more next sessions. No more excuses. It's time to invest in a special education system that empowers children with the tools to seize opportunities and give families the freedom to choose the best educational path for their children. A system that stands for fairness, for opportunity, and for the right of every child in every district to reach their full potential and drive Wisconsin's future forward. I want to live in a state that says you belong, you matter, and we will fight for you. So, let's be the state that leads. Let's be the lawmakers, the leaders, the neighbors who stood up and said, we will not leave a single child behind. Let's make this the moment we look back on and say that's when it changed. That's when we chose courage over comfort, compassion over convenience, and our kids over politics. Let's rise to the occasion, let's rise for our children, and let's rise together.

View (and share!) our budget priorities below (Spanish version linked here).