(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s general school aid numbers for districts were announced by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on Tuesday, including a 4.2% budgeted increase from last year equal to a $224.9 million increase.
The numbers will later be reduced for some districts due to funding being withheld from districts where students participate in four programs: New Independent Charter Schools ($32 million), Wisconsin Parental Choice Program ($225.5 million), Racine Parental Choice Program ($40.8 million) and Special Needs Scholarship Program ($44.5 million).
Many districts saw funding increases but the two districts with the largest monetary funding changes were Madison Metropolitan schools, which will see a $23.4 million funding increase amounting to $61.3 million in aid. That’s nearly $10 million more than the previously estimated funding total.
The numbers come as Madison schools are asking for a pair of referendums on the Nov. 5 ballot that would amount to a total of $600 million in funding.
If passed, the referendum would increase the property tax bill of a resident with a home assessed at $350,000 an additional $241.50 in the first year, $733.99 in the second year, $895.10 in the third year and $1,053.24 in the fourth year.
The district issued a statement in July when projected numbers were released stating that it expected to get $50 million in general aid and that the district needs the referendum to fix its schools and maintain pace with inflation.
Madison schools will actually receive $61.3 million in state general aid in the final numbers, a 61.8% year over year increase.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, will receive $49.3 million less in general aid from a year before. It will receive $587.2 million instead of the $636.4 million the schools received last year.
Milwaukee Public Schools have less than 60,000 students, down from a high of 101,300 in 1997-98, according to the Badger Institute.
The schools have a membership number of 69,000 that includes students who attend public charter schools authorized by MPS.
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