STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) — Governor Scott Walker’s proposed 300-million dollar cut to the University of Wisconsin System in the new biennial budget proposal announced this week is drawing criticism from many, including some fellow Republicans.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is one Republican saying that level of cuts is unacceptable. All Democrats and several UW leaders echo that concern.
Walker says the cuts and the proposed autonomy for the UW System is really a way to help the UW make changes similar to what the rest of the state experienced. “For me, it’s an Act 10 for the UW System, and what I mean by that is we actually give them reforms.”
The Governor says the same critics and comments were heard four years ago when Act 10 was introduced, and he says the critics will be wrong again. “Many people back then said that schools were going to be in real trouble, and yet today, four years later, we see that graduation rates are up, 3rd grade reading scores are higher, ACT scores are second-best in the country, and so those fears not only did not work out, they actually were proven wrong because schools are better today.”
Giving the University of Wisconsin System autonomy in 2017 is something the university and the Governor wants. “For years, supporters of the University of Wisconsin System have said, campus after campus, if you got us out from under the thumb of the state government bureaucracy, they could do more to save money and put it back into the classroom to be more effective. I believe that our authority will do just that.”
Wisconsin’s K-12 schools won’t see many changes in the upcoming biennial budget offered by Governor Scott Walker. There are still revenue caps. There are still districts that struggle to operate under the present aid formula.
There are a couple of areas being addressed in the Walker budget proposal. The Governor says they are targeting sparsity aid and transportation aid for certain rural districts. “We specifically though, wanted to put in new monies for transportation, and there are other cost-specific to rural areas, and then if the equalization aid formula which we add to in the second year of the budget. If there’s additional revenues, my guess is the Legislature will add more when that comes out later in the spring, and I think in the end, the school districts will be in good shape.”
The budget also has some money designated for the TEACH program, which helps qualifying schools improve broadband access, so they may use more technology tools in the classrooms.
Walker gave the outline of his budget plan Tuesday night, and traveled to La Crosse, Eau Claire, Stevens Point, De Pere, and Oconomowoc Wednesday to promote it.
The budget is just a proposal now, and will go through several revisions and the Joint Finance Committee before getting a vote from the Assembly and Senate.
