Supt. Rainwater's Budget Veto Letter to Governor Doyle

July 8, 2005

Governor Jim Doyle
115 East - State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702

Dear Governor Doyle,

Thank you for making public education in Wisconsin a priority in the budget you presented to the Legislature - a proposal that protected Wisconsin's overburdened property tax payers and the children of the state. Unfortunately, the budget before you resembles little of what you offered for our taxpayers and K-12 students.

Since the inception of state-imposed revenue limits in 1993, Madison has cut over $43 million in its "same-service" budget and eliminated almost 540 positions - including 121 positions for the 05-06 school year. It is disingenuous for Republican leaders to claim their $458 million school aid increase as "historic," when over 90 percent of the resources are targeted for school property tax relief, not for school programs and services. We have long surpassed cutting fat from our local budget, but have cut into bone as we increase class size in secondary instruction, eliminate classroom opportunities for students and cut support staff who assist our most needy students and families.

I urge you to use your veto authority to the fullest extent in order to restore revenue limit increases that keep pace with inflation, versus the GOP plan that cuts the allowable increase to 1.4 percent - less than half of the current inflation rate. Aside from increases in categorical aids, the revenue limit increase represents a school district's only opportunity to fund critical programs for students.

The partisan confrontation around the allowable per pupil revenue limit increase points to the need for changing how and at what level the state funds schools. In Madison, about 67 percent of our school budget is borne by the local property tax payers. With ever-increasing expenses for state and federally mandated programs such as special education and bilingual education, it is unfair for our local property tax payers to have to pay such a disproportionate share of the required costs. Clearly, school funding reform is critical to the future of our state.

While the lack of school funding is the crux of this budget, there are some provisions in the budget before you that we strongly support: the high-cost special education initiative, the bilingual-bicultural education aid increase, and the $12 million increase for special education funding.

I request that you veto the tax credit for private school and home-schooled students. As resources dwindle for public school students, this credit erodes support for public education. It is disappointing that the Legislature supports expansion of the Milwaukee voucher program, but rejects funding public school four-year old kindergarten the same way 4K voucher programs are funded and also opposes increased resources for the highly successful SAGE program.

As you begin the difficult process of sifting through the biennial budget for item vetoes, please continue to put the interests of our state's children ahead of the special interests. Thank you for your steadfast support for public education.

Sincerely,

Art Rainwater
Superintendent

c: Madison state legislative delegation

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