Wisconsin Capitol building (Photo: WRN)
A Republican state lawmaker says recent claims by Democrats about school aid falling in the state don’t tell the whole story.
A memo released by Democrats earlier this month showed state aid to the majority of public schools in Wisconsin has fallen to pre-2010 levels since Governor Scott Walker took office. State Senator Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) argues that report only told part of the story, since it just focused on general aid without accounting for other funding sources.
“When you combine state aid, property taxes, and other local revenue…it’s an increase of $65 per pupil since 2010 and 11,” she said.
The Brookfield Republican says Democrats also failed to acknowledge the savings school districts saw through Act 10, which helped to offset reductions in state aid. “Of course district funding declined; decreases were offset by accrued savings from Republican led initiatives, which allowed districts to more effectively manage their budgets,” Vukmir said.
Vukmir accused Democrats of trying to paint Republicans as anti-education – a claim she argued is not true. “Our record shows that we have had a strong commitment to education – education both private, public, charter and home schools – and we will continue to do that.”