MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - A state Assembly Democrat urged lawmakers today to give back more of the hundreds of millions of dollars they cut from public and tech schools and the UW in 2011.

Cory Mason gave his plea to the Joint Finance Committee, as it started considering the educational funding changes in the proposed state budget for the next two years.

Republican Assembly Finance chair John Nygren said funding decisions from the past should not be rehashed – and lawmakers should instead focus on how to move education forward.

GOP Governor Scott Walker proposed an extra $180 million for the UW System. But Mason highlighted what the governor doesn’t do for public schools – like give them added funding.

He also said the new budget puts too much of an emphasis on private schools, which would get more tax-funded vouchers to educate kids in lower-performing public districts.