Governor Tony Evers visits Oshkosh to kick off new school year

OSHKOSH, WI – (WGBW & WISS) –  Governor Tony Evers continued his annual statewide back-to-school tour with a stop at Jefferson Elementary School in Oshkosh today. 

He toured the gym, music room, library, cafeteria, and several classrooms, talking with teachers and students. After the tour, he spoke on the need for more funding for public schools from the state.

“School funding is inadequate, the way it is now. Certainly, we made some progress this last time, but we still have a long way to go,” said Evers. “What especially bothers me is when we when schools need to essentially go to the referendums keep the doors open, keep the lights on.”

Evers said that his administration is working on funding issues that have led many districts across the state to turn to operational referendums for funding. 

Press Release from Governor Ever’s Office

MADISON, WI – Governor Tony Evers has spent most of his life in education fighting for Wisconsin’s kids, first beginning his career as a science teacher in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and then going on to become a principal, superintendent, and state superintendent before running for governor in 2018.

Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, Wisconsin schools are now back in the top 10 after dropping to 18th under the previous administration. After a decade of disinvestment, Gov. Evers has spent the last five years working to invest in public education at every level, including in K-12 schools. During his time in office, Gov. Evers has enacted budgets to restore two-thirds funding for public schools for the first time in over two decades, provide the largest special education aid increase in state history, and bring per pupil aid to its highest level ever.

Together with 2023 Wisconsin Act 11, the 2023-25 budget, as signed by Gov. Evers, builds upon the historic progress of the Evers Administration toward fully funding public schools by providing an overall increase of nearly $1.2 billion in spendable authority for public school districts, including state categorical aids. This historic increase is generated by a $325 per pupil increase in revenue limits in each fiscal year, as well as an increase in the low revenue ceiling from $10,000 to $11,000 per pupil in the first year of the biennium. This is the largest increase in statewide revenue limit authority since revenue limits were first imposed on K-12 schools in 1993-94, and it is permanent and base-building.

In addition, the final 2023-25 biennial budget also:

• Provided $97 million over the biennium to achieve a special education reimbursement rate of 33.3 percent each year, which is the highest reimbursement rate the state has seen in over 20 years;  
• Invested $4.6 million over the biennium for high-cost special education aid, increasing the reimbursement rate of these programs from its current 39.5 percent to 50 percent by the end of the biennium to help school districts pay a portion of their eligible special education costs for pupils with specific and elevated educational needs;  
• Set aside $50 million to implement a statewide reading curriculum overhaul and improve reading and literacy outcomes for K-12 students; and  
• Provided $30 million to continue support for school-based mental health services modeled on the governor’s successful “Get Kids Ahead” Initiative.

In May, Gov. Evers sued the Wisconsin State Legislature over its refusal to release the nearly $50 million to help improve reading outcomes and literacy in K-12 schools across Wisconsin. Republican lawmakers to date have refused to release the already-approved funds. Last week, Gov. Evers announced he is appealing a lower court decision as part of his continued fight to get these investments out to schools across Wisconsin.