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Nygren Aims to Boost K-12 Funding, Open to Voucher Plan
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 19, 2015
From WisPolitics . . .
JFC Co-chair John Nygren says in addition to wiping out the guv’s $127 million cut to categorical aids in the first year of the budget, he’s also aiming to boost K-12 funding in the second year beyond what Walker proposed.
Speaking ahead of this week’s JFC deliberations on school aids, Nygren said he’s also open to Speaker Robin Vos’ plan to expand school choice.
Republicans have already indicated plans to delay by a month payment of a school levy credit Walker had proposed making in June 2017 to July 2017, which would move it into the next biennium. The move wouldn’t impact school funding or property taxes, while freeing up $105.6 million in this budget to help eliminate the $127 million cut in categorical aids.
Nygren said Republicans have also cut almost $50 million in GPR so far compared to Walker’s budget plan and could grab the $55 million in WEDC loan money. The guv on Friday called on lawmakers to drop the agency’s loan program and instead direct the money toward performance-based tax incentives.
Some of that could help provide a boost in the second year of $75 per student, Nygren said.
Nygren also indicated support for Vos’ proposal to expand the choice program. It would pattern vouchers after the open enrollment program with state aid following the student.
The guv proposed lifting caps on the statewide choice program. The state aid for students who leave a district would be pooled and the each voucher handed out would be the same size. Choice advocates have been unhappy with the funding formula, saying it would fall short of the costs to educate those students.
Nygren noted the districts that lose the students to the choice program under Vos’ proposal would still retain some money.
Still, he said the committee will still likely look at some limits on the expansion. That could include something like a 1 percent cap on the number of students a district could lose or a gradual increase in the number of kids who could participate statewide.
“His concept is about as easy to understand as you can possibly can for funding school choice,” Nygren said.
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