Message from the Board of Education

Governor Walker has proposed to include a one-percent increase in state general K-12education aid funding in the first year of the upcoming biennial budget.  However, his proposal does not allow for a revenue limit increase for school districts.  Because the revenue limit statute controls the total amount of state aid and property tax revenue available to school districts, this proposal makes no additional funds available over the previous year's amount.  Actually, a flat revenue limit will result in a decrease of $50 per student next year as there was a one-time $50 categorical aid distribution outside of the revenue controls.  Ironically, the Governor is proposing to make additional money available to private voucher schools while freezing or reducing resources for public schools.

The Governor's budget proposal will create a deficit for the Sparta Area School District that will exceed $600,000.  In addition, if the District wants to continue participating in the SAGE program, which guarantees small class sizes at the elementary level, we will need toinvest in two additional classrooms due to expanding enrollment, adding another $150,000 to the deficit.

Some members of the Wisconsin legislature, Democrat and Republican, understand the concerns of public schools in Wisconsin and have proposed a modest increase in school aids.  We encourage you to contact your legislators and ask them to support an increase of at least $150 per student as proposed by legislative leaders.  Senators Julie Lassa (sen.lassa@legis.wisconsin.gov) and Jennifer Shilling (sen.shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov), and Representatives Amy Sue Vruwink (rep.vruwink@legis.wisconsin.gov) and Lee Nerison (rep.nerison@legis.wisconsin.gov) understand the importance of maintaining strong schools in Wisconsin, but need to hear from their constituents on this issue.

What does $600,000 represent to the Sparta Area School District?  It is the value of salary and benefits for more than eight teachers - all of our current fifth grade.  It is approximately twice the annual cost of running our Community Learning Center (CLC) programs at Southside, Maplewood, Lawrence-Lawson and Meadowview.  $600,000 exceeds the combined annual cost of all of our co-curricular activities, athletics, organizations and clubs, including coaches and advisors.

Please contact our legislators and ask them to support proposals to provide an increase  in state funding for public education.  We should not be expanding the private voucher school program at the expense of public education.

Sparta Area School District Board of Education