After retaining robust budget reserves the last five years, Wisconsin leaders are trading much of that fiscal cushion for an “all of the above” state budget that cuts income taxes, increases special education aid to schools, and boosts funding for transportation projects, child care, and the University of Wisconsin System.
Spending per pupil by Wisconsin public schools has lagged inflation in recent years and fallen further behind the U.S. average.
More Wisconsin high school students than ever before are participating in dual enrollment programs that offer them both high school and college credit.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin school districts received about $2.3 billion in one-time federal relief funds to address the effects of the pandemic and boost student recovery.
A $51 million revenue infusion, made possible by voter approval of a 2024 referendum, has substantially brightened the short-term fiscal outlook for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).
Federal spending cuts could have far-ranging impacts in every corner of our state, where federal funds play a critical role for seniors, veterans, students, the disabled, and low-income families.
After voters approved two Madison Metropolitan School District referenda last November, the district’s next proposed budget calls for hiring new staff, increasing wages, and starting the biggest wave of district construction projects in decades.
The youth justice system in Milwaukee County now operates at roughly its pre-pandemic capacity, but it is seeing more severe offenses committed by youth in Wisconsin’s largest county.
Wisconsin consumers and businesses purchased $38.9 billion worth of imported goods in 2024, with machinery, pharmaceuticals, and vehicles among the top imports by value.
Wisconsin could join the growing list of states with laws restricting student cell phone use in schools.