(The Center Square) – Some schools in Wisconsin are spending more per-student than it costs to go to the University of Wisconsin’s biggest campus.
The state’s Department of Public Instruction released its general school aid figures for the next school year.
“General school aids are the largest form of state support for Wisconsin public schools, offsetting local property taxes under state-imposed revenue limits. Wisconsin statutes require the Department of Public Instruction to publish estimated aid amounts by July 1 each year,” DPI said in a statement. “As such, the estimated general school aid used in this estimate totals $5.58 billion.”
“The average district in WI now has $18,500 in revenue per student. Many
districts in the state are now spending over $30,000 per student” the
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty’s Will Flanders said. “These numbers are insane.”
Gibraltar Area Schools in Door County are the largest spender per-pupil in state dollars at $37,484 according to WILL.
When you add in federal dollars, La Du Flambeau Schools in the Northwoods becomes the largest per-pupil spending in the state at $41,026, according to Flanders.
Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin’s largest school district is ranked 33rd in the state for spending at $24,682 according to WILL’s calculations. Though there are dozens of other school districts that spend more than $24,000 per-student.
“Bayfield spends more per student than full tuition, room and board at @UWMadison,” Flander’s colleague at WILL Dan Lennington said on social media. “Yet only 32% of the kids are proficient in English and in math. Why are the voters in Bayfield tolerating this government thievery? I could ask the same question for dozens more districts.”
And the per-pupil numbers are sure to go up before school starts. DPI said its figures do not include categorical payments, like special education dollars.
The legislature and the governor have agreed to a $500 million special education increase alone.
