Wisconsin Public Education Network: A Comprehensive Overview

Every child in Wisconsin's public schools deserves an excellent education, without exception. Thriving public schools are safe, welcoming environments that cater to the unique needs of all students. Educational equity ensures that these schools have the necessary resources and support to provide an equally excellent and well-rounded education to every student. The Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) champions this vision, advocating for policies and funding that prioritize the success and well-being of all students in the state.

The Vision: Safe, Joyful, and Welcoming Schools for All

The WPEN envisions a Wisconsin where every child has an equal opportunity to thrive in a well-resourced neighborhood public school. This vision extends to educators, who should enjoy the freedom to teach the truth in supportive and respectful environments. Parents and caregivers should feel welcome and included in their child's education and the school community. Public schools embrace all students, making the vision of ensuring they have the resources to thrive within reach.

Addressing Disparities in Wisconsin's Public Education System

Wisconsin faces significant disparities in educational outcomes for Black and Brown students, students with disabilities, English language learners, and rural students. This is exacerbated by a funding system that creates "have" and "have not" districts across the state. Aligning policy priorities at the school, district, and state levels with the priority needs of children is crucial for the success of students and public schools. The WPEN advocates for changes such as reducing class sizes, increasing support and classroom resources, and promoting policies that center kids to close these gaps and foster a love of lifelong learning.

Funding Fairness: The Key to Thriving Public Schools

Equitable, adequate, transparent, predictable, spendable, and fair state funding is essential for Wisconsin's public schools. This means increasing spendable state funds by raising revenue limits and adjusting for inflation to get resources into classrooms. General school district revenues per pupil lag inflation by more than $3,380 per pupil since 2009. Priority spending should be aligned with priority needs, adequately funding areas such as English language learning, mental health support, students in poverty, school nutrition, rural schools and low-revenue limit districts, early childhood/pre-K, and higher education, as well as attracting and retaining educators. Wisconsin cannot afford to provide anything less than the schools communities need to thrive.

Accountability and Democratic Control

The WPEN emphasizes the need to hold schools, leaders, and the state accountable for providing students with the conditions they need for academic success. This includes demanding and delivering accountability and democratic control for all public spending, including private voucher and independent (non-district) charter spending. The organization opposes the use of public dollars on private and privately operated schools that are not held to the same standards and protections as public schools.

Read also: GPA Insights: UW-Madison

Standing Up for Public Education: A Collaborative Effort

The WPEN believes in the promise of public education and the urgent need to stand up against attacks on public schools and remove barriers to student success. The organization works statewide to improve educational outcomes for all students by advocating for policies that meet the needs of all learners, especially those most underserved by the current system. Change starts with understanding local needs and taking action at the local level.

Empowering Local Communities

The WPEN empowers local communities to take an active role in advocating for public education. It recognizes that achieving educational justice for all requires a diverse, strategic coalition of statewide partners. The organization strives to share leadership and foster strong partnerships between parents, caregivers, educators, community members, and policymakers to drive systemic changes in public education.

Understanding School Funding: A Critical Step

School funding is often complicated and confusing, but understanding how it works and why it's not working is essential to fixing the system. The WPEN provides critical, plain-language resources that explain school finance and holds decision-makers accountable for meeting the needs of students and teachers. The organization serves as a watchdog for transparency, adequacy, and fairness, opposing policies that widen gaps, attack equity and inclusion initiatives, and create barriers to learning.

The Wisconsin State Budget: A Key Influence on Public Education

The Wisconsin State Budget, approved every two years by the legislature and Governor, allocates money to various state-level Departments, including the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The DPI then distributes most of its funding to school districts based on a formula determined by the state, which significantly impacts what districts can afford and how property taxes are affected locally.

The Budgetary Process

The development of the biennial budget is a year-long process. In the summer of even-numbered years, state agencies, including the DPI, meet with stakeholders and prepare their budget requests to submit to the Department of Administration in the fall. The Governor reviews these requests, holds public listening sessions, and presents an executive budget to the legislature, typically in January.

The Committee on Joint Finance (JFC) holds public hearings around the state and collects public comment before convening to approve or modify the Governor’s budget proposal. In past sessions, the JFC has sometimes rejected the Governor’s budget entirely and drafted their own budget. Joint Finance then presents their budget to both houses of the state legislature for modification and approval. The legislature’s budget typically moves to the Governor in early June to be vetoed or signed into law.

To meet the state's budgetary cycle, the budget should be signed and effective by July 1 of the odd-numbered year. If there is a delay, state agencies operate at their appropriation authority from the prior budget until the new budget is in effect.

Key Budget Priorities for Public Education

The WPEN advocates for a state budget that prioritizes the needs of Wisconsin's children. Key priorities include:

Increased Funding: A significant increase to both state aid and revenue limits to make up for years of state aid that has not kept pace with inflation for public schools. Closing the gap to catch up to inflation since 2009 would require an increase of $3,380 per student, per year.
Special Education Funding: At least a 60% SUM SUFFICIENT reimbursement for special education costs. The current reimbursement rate for public schools is 29%. The state must end funding discrimination by providing public school students the same 90% SUM SUFFICIENT reimbursement already provided to private school students who receive a “special needs” voucher.
Targeted Support: Funding for the areas of greatest need, including English language learners, mental health supports, students in poverty, healthy school meals and nutrition, rural and low-revenue limit districts, early childhood and child care, pre-K, higher education, and attracting and retaining educators.
Equitable and Predictable Funding: Districts need equitable, adequate, transparent, predictable, spendable, and fair state funding. This means increasing spendable state funds by raising revenue limits and providing predictable adjustments for inflation. Funding must be aligned with the areas of priority needs as revealed in countless hearings.
Transparency and Accountability: Increasing funding to unaccountable schemes is reckless and puts kids at risk. The WPEN advocates for more accountability, not more privatization.

Taking Action: Advocating for Wisconsin's Students

The WPEN encourages everyone to take action and be a voice for Wisconsin kids and their public schools. This includes:

Contacting Legislators: Connecting with lawmakers to share local stories and emphasize what’s at stake for local students. Advocates should emphasize the need for 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 608-266-9960 for the capitol switchboard and get connected to your representatives. Don't forget to CC your own representatives!

tags: #wisconsin #public #education #network #overview