Urgent Budget Update
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 9, 2025
Good afternoon,
The Joint Finance Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 1:00 pm to take up education funding for the 2025-27 State Budget. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has released key budget papers for the meeting, including:
- General Aid, Revenue Limits, Categorical Aids
- Special Education
- Equalization Aid
The committee appears poised to focus spending on High-Cost Special Education Aid and the School Levy Tax Credit, rather than significantly raising the primary special education categorical aid. If that happens, it will result in minimal new, spendable resources for classrooms and students.
For reference:
High-Cost Special Education Aid currently reimburses up to 90% of eligible costs above $30,000 per student – as you know, the reimbursement is further prorated, and the aid is only accessed by approximately half of school districts.
In contrast, the primary special education categorical aid reimbursement is confirmed at 30.64% currently and every district would benefit from increased investment from the state. Please consider how increased sum sufficient funding at 60% would impact your district.
This is a critical moment in the budget process, and work has shifted to a much faster pace. SAA encourages you to work with your leadership team and board to share a unified message on the importance of investing in special education and what a significant impact increased investment in the primary special education categorical aid will make in your district.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
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Help Us Keep Up the Pressure — Advocate for Increased Special Education Funding
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | June 4, 2025
Good afternoon,
With the July 1st goal for budget passage quickly approaching, the window is narrowing for the Joint Finance Committee to negotiate a budget and pass it through both the Senate and Assembly. We are entering a critical phase of the budget process, and we need your voice.
SAA is urging members to contact their legislators and advocate for increased special education reimbursement rates to build on our unified voice at the Joint Finance Committee public hearings.
One of the most effective ways to influence decision-makers is to share concrete, local examples of how your district must transfer general fund dollars to cover the unmet costs of special education services.
Please consider sending a short, direct email to your legislators. Every contact makes a difference — and now is the time to amplify our unified message. Other education stakeholders are also mobilizing their members. Let’s ensure school administrators remain a leading voice in this conversation.
Below are sample email templates you can customize. A brief, focused email, grounded in your district’s experience, will be the most effective.
If you’d like support crafting your message or sharing data about your district’s general fund transfers, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.
Let’s keep the pressure on.
Sincerely,
Dee
Email Sample #1
Subject: Support Investment in Special Education Reimbursement
Dear [Legislator’s Name],
I’m writing to ask for your support in increasing special education reimbursement in the 2025-27 State Budget. In [District Name], we must transfer approximately [$X] from our general fund each year to cover special education costs. That’s money we cannot use to maintain class sizes, expand career and technical education programs, recruit teachers, or expand student mental health services.
The current reimbursement rate—projected to fall below 30%—is simply not sustainable. Please support increasing the reimbursement rate to 60% to help all students succeed.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your Title & District]
Email Sample #2
Subject: Budget Support for Increased Special Education Aid
Dear [Legislator’s Name],
As a school leader in [District Name], I want to share how underfunding special education impacts our students. We transfer [$X or X%] of our general fund annually to cover the shortfall in state aid. This limits our ability to invest in programs that benefit all students.
Increasing the special education reimbursement rate to 60% sum sufficient would provide relief for every school district in Wisconsin and allow us to better meet the needs of every child.
Please make this a priority in the state budget.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Title & District]
Email Sample #3
Subject: Need for Investment in Special Education Funding
Dear [Legislator’s Name],
School administrators across Wisconsin are united in urging the Legislature to address the chronic underfunding of special education. In [District Name], we’ve had to shift [$X] annually from our general fund to meet special education needs. This is not sustainable and puts pressure on every part of our school system.
We urge you to support increasing the state reimbursement rate to 60% sum sufficient.
Let’s take a meaningful step toward funding fairness and educational opportunity for all students.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Title & District]
Additional Resources:
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Capitol Update May 29, 2025
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 29, 2025
State Budget Update: Joint Finance Committee Executive Session
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) is scheduled to convene today for its second executive session on the 2025–27 biennial state budget. The committee continues to work through smaller components of the budget, including operational appropriations for agencies such as the Office of Employee Trust Funds. Major funding decisions—such as K-12 education, Medicaid, and potential tax cuts—remain unresolved and are expected to dominate later stages of deliberation.
While legislative leaders continue discussions with the Governor, the path to final budget passage remains uncertain amid several complex and competing priorities. As the budget debate intensifies, the School Administrators Alliance (SAA) remains fully engaged at every step of the process to represent and advance the interests of Wisconsin’s public-school leaders.
Bottom line: Stay tuned. SAA will continue to provide timely updates as the Joint Finance Committee progresses through its deliberations.
This Week in the Legislature: AB 196 Hearing Highlights Broad Support
On Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Local Government held a public hearing on Assembly Bill 196 (AB 196) with limited notice ahead of the holiday weekend. In addition to bill author Representative Wittke, testimony in support was provided by Dr. Deb Kerr (Superintendent, St. Francis School District) and Aaron Norris (Director of Finance and Operations, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District). The Wisconsin Association of Fire Chiefs and Tarna Hunter from the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) also testified in favor of the bill.
Our coalition joined a broad group of stakeholders in registering support, including the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA), League of Wisconsin Municipalities (LWM), the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), and others.
This hearing builds on momentum from the earlier Senate hearing on companion bill Senate Bill 170 (SB 170), during which Dr. Lisa Elliot (Superintendent, Greenfield), Lance Bagstad (District Administrator, White Lake), and Dr. Jeff Weiss and Tarik Hamden (Superintendent and CFO, Kenosha Unified School District) shared compelling testimony. Each highlighted the pressing need for additional flexibility around rehired annuitant restrictions, citing real-world staffing challenges and the importance of retaining experienced educators in hard-to-fill positions.
Keep an eye out for updates from SAA and additional opportunities to engage your legislators to support AB 196/ SB 170 as we continue to build on the momentum from the hearings in the coming weeks.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need additional support on these or other pressing issues.
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Revenue Updates and Budget Negotiations
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 22, 2025
Biennial budget negotiations are in full swing, with significant developments and ongoing debates shaping the state’s fiscal future. Legislative leaders met with Governor Evers yesterday to continue to discuss their priorities in the budget. The Governor has said he is optimistic that the state budget is on track despite federal funding uncertainty. He has echoed comments made by key Republican lawmakers, suggesting that deliberations are getting stuck on tax cut proposals.
SAA continues to strongly advocate for our priorities in the Capitol and is actively engaged in ongoing discussions with the Governor’s office and key legislative leaders. Recently, we’ve heard that some lawmakers are considering increasing funding for high-cost special education reimbursement aid instead of general special education aid.
While additional support for high-cost reimbursement would help students with the most significant needs—and is broadly supported—it would not meet the wider funding challenges that most districts face. School districts across the state have clearly called for an increase in special education categorical aid to a 60% reimbursement rate, funded at a sum sufficient level.
As these conversations continue, it’s essential to understand the difference between the two funding streams—categorical aid and high-cost reimbursement—and how each would affect your district’s budget. If the legislature only increased high-cost aid, that investment would fall far short of addressing the statewide need for sustainable, equitable special education funding.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has projected the state will finish the 2023-25 budget with a more than $4.3 billion surplus — a slight improvement over its January estimate — but also now expects lower tax collections over the following two-year period. The net impact is $335 million less in tax revenue for the Capitol to play with as GOP lawmakers and Dem Gov. Tony Evers try to reach agreement on the 2025-27 budget.
In a memo to the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, LFB Director Bob Lang wrote the agency projects the state will take in $30.7 million more through June 30 between increased tax collections and additional department revenues compared to what it had expected in January. The agency also believes net appropriations will be $39.5 million below that earlier estimate. That will combine to boost the state’s projected surplus to just over $4.3 billion.
LFB then projects the state to take in nearly $1.5 billion in new tax revenues for 2025-27.
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Budget Committee Begins Deliberations – Act Now
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | May 9, 2025
Dear School Leaders,
As the school year winds down and demands increase, we have a crucial opportunity to help shape the state budget. The Joint Finance Committee began its deliberations yesterday, and it’s essential that we act now.
School leaders made a powerful impact at the budget hearings, clearly elevating key priorities and sharing compelling local examples of how increased special education funding—and a state budget with predictable, flexible, and inflation-responsive revenue limits—can drive real change. We now have the chance to build on that momentum. The case for greater investment in special education was made loud and clear. Increased funding benefits every district and strengthens outcomes for students across Wisconsin.
In 2023–24, state aids covered less than a third of school districts’ special education costs. To meet student needs, districts are forced to pull the remaining funds from their general budgets—budgets that have lagged inflation for 16 consecutive years. This underfunding means school leaders are faced with impossible tradeoffs: increasing class sizes, cutting career and technical education programs, and deferring maintenance.
Now is not the time to let up. School leaders were the leading voice at the Joint Finance Committee hearings—and legislative leaders are taking notice. To keep that momentum going, continue reaching out to your legislators and be sure to copy members of the Joint Finance Committee.
With the special education reimbursement rate projected to fall below 30% in 2024–25, the funding gap continues to widen. Share clear, compelling data from your district: What percentage of your overall budget is now being redirected to cover special education costs? What essential services or programs are being cut as a result? These local realities bring urgency to the need for sustainable, equitable state funding that supports every student.
You can find your legislator and their contact information here. The email addresses of Joint Finance Committee members are listed below for your convenience.
Thank you for your continued leadership and advocacy.
JFC Members
Representative Born (Co-Chair)
Representative Kurtz (Vice-Chair)
Topics: Legislative Action, SAA Latest Update | No Comments »