Dr. LaKeshia N. Myers
By LaKeshia N. Myers
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s recent report on July 22nd should serve as a wake-up call to every Wisconsin resident who claims to care about education. Wisconsin’s per-pupil spending on public school students continues to fall behind the national average, with the state now 10% behind where we should be investing in our children’s futures. This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a moral failing that demands immediate action.
For too long, the state legislature has played political games with our children’s education while spouting hollow rhetoric about being “pro-family” and “pro-education.” The truth is laid bare in the numbers: we are failing our students, our teachers, and our communities through willful neglect and misplaced priorities.
The root of this crisis lies in Wisconsin’s antiquated and punitive revenue limit system, which has essentially frozen school funding while costs continue to rise. These revenue limits, designed decades ago under different economic circumstances, now serve as handcuffs preventing districts from adequately funding basic educational needs. While inflation eats away at purchasing power and enrollment changes create new challenges, our legislature refuses to acknowledge reality.
Even more egregious is the Republican-controlled legislature’s continued refusal to properly fund special education. Currently, the state reimburses special education costs at forty-five percent (an increase from the previous thirty percent)—forcing districts to rob from general education funds to meet their legal obligations to serve students with disabilities. This creates a false choice between serving our most vulnerable learners and providing quality education for all students. It’s unconscionable.
The impact of this underfunding isn’t abstract—it’s visible in every overcrowded classroom, every cut program, every teacher who leaves the profession because they can’t afford to stay, and most certainly in the number of taxpayers repeatedly asked for additional funds via referendum. Milwaukee and Madison’s Public Schools, which serve predominantly Black and brown student populations, bear the brunt of this systemic underfunding. When we shortchange education, we’re not just limiting academic opportunities; we’re perpetuating cycles of inequality that have plagued our communities for generations.
Meanwhile, Republican elected officials find money for tax breaks for corporations and wealthy donors, proving that funding isn’t the issue—priorities are. They’ll claim there’s no money for a meaningful increase in per-pupil spending, then turn around and approve millions in subsidies for sports stadiums and corporate headquarters. The message is clear: children’s futures matter less than political donors’ bottom lines.
The legislature’s refusal to act isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s about the music teacher who won’t be hired, the counselor position that remains unfilled, the outdated textbooks that won’t be replaced, and the college dreams that become increasingly out of reach for students whose schools can’t provide adequate preparation.
Wisconsin once prided itself on having some of the nation’s best public schools. That reputation is crumbling as we continue to disinvest in education while other states surge ahead. Our children deserve better than the mediocrity our current funding formula guarantees.
The solution is straightforward: eliminate the revenue limit caps that strangle school funding, increase per-pupil spending to match or exceed the national average, and fully fund special education at 100% reimbursement. These aren’t radical proposals—they’re basic investments in our state’s future.
Every day we delay action is another day we fail our children. Every session that passes without meaningful education funding reform is another step backward for Wisconsin. Our legislators need to stop making excuses and start making investments. Our children’s futures—and Wisconsin’s economic competitiveness—depend on it.
The Journal-Sentinel’s reporting reminds us that this crisis didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t be solved without sustained pressure from constituents who demand better. Not just from those who live in Milwaukee, but every Wisconsinite in every school district. This is a statewide problem. It’s time to hold our elected officials accountable for their continued neglect of public education. Our children can’t wait any longer.