Funding for schools isn't easy. Any solution that doesn't include players from all levels of government is doomed to fail. Federal mandates, state standards, licensure concerns, nclb, grants, revenue sharing, property tx freezes, etc. All these things impact the bottom line and often are working against each other.
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Proper funding is fundamental to quality education. There is a reason why public education looks one way in Middleton and another in Milwaukee. There are other, but related issues. Money matters.

The defecit announced by Scooter Walker is also a PROJECTION. The 3.6 billion is WILDLY overblown. Most think it will be about half of that. i happen to believe that it will be even less than that. Even at the 3.6 billion over 2 years in a state budget of 30 billion per year youre looking at a 5% defecit. How is it that we are broke again?
Some of you that want to not use projections about revenues to change the way our state is destroyed by these people, thats fine. But stop with the 'were broke' crap also based on projections, okay?

Okay Donnaw I see you are retired, so screw the kids in school now, right? "throwing more money" at schools doesnt solve the problem? Hows about we just NEVER give teachers a raise ever again, that sounds fair to an empty nester doesnt it? At least now I see why you are so bitter toward schools.
I would also like to LAUGH OUT LOUD at your absolutely RIDICULOUS statistical comparison of Utah and New York. Have you EVER heard of a thing called demographics? There are FAR more poverty stricken families in New York, and far more children without the support they need at home. So that is one of the silliest things you have ever written. Your inability to see the world in shades of Gray instead of black and white I will attribute to your DEMOGRAPHIC.
Just so we are clear I think that retired folks should have their property taxes fixed when they retire (if they own the property outright), Donnaw you certainly should NOT be taxed out of your home. I would be more than willing to take a slightly larger Property tax increase so you and others in the community can stay in your homes. I also hope that you are able to keep your medicare. Instead of it being sold to some private Ins company. then you can try to shop for affordable care when you are 80. good luck to you, angry elderly person.
RAF I agree, they should NOT allocate money based on projections. Wait, isnt the 3.6 billion dollar shortfall a 'projected shortfall' hmmm, maybe we should wait to cut in the neighborhood of a billion dollars from the most important program in society, public ed? Or should we just fix roads that don't need fixing instead? I find Walkers budget choices of roads over public ed may be his eventual downfall. His 'tools' that he wants to give schools is more power for administrators and less pay/benefits for teachers. A formula that will devestate our system Im afraid. What college student on earth wants to spend 50,000 dollars on an education and not make 30,000 a year until they have been a teacher for 3-4 years? NONE! Very sad choices our very undereducated Governor is making. I have family in Milwaukee that warned me about this guy, now I know why.

I-luv-jvl.....Please provide specific examples of these "equivalent tax breaks for the rich"....... I really would like some elaboration on this claim. Thanks!

I can not believe they want to spend even more money we do not yet have. Why is WI in this money problem now? We spent more money than we have, now thy want to push that even more. I feel like these people are not trying to help us, but that they want to bury this state for good.

fan - i would absolutely agree with that if the governor's cuts weren't met with nearly equivalent additional tax breaks for the rich. when you provide a feast for the privileged and turn around and cry that you have no food left for the starving, it just doesn't wash.
most of us are average people, and the common joe has been suffering, so he agrees with walker that your neighbor who hasn't suffered as much needs to share the pain. what you need to see is that the cream at the top is getting a greater fat content, and the rhetoric of the cream seeping down if it is allowed to get heavier is just that, rhetoric. it's an excuse to pay back political contributors that put him in office, plain and simple.

poorrichard - the discussion is whether wisconsin's educational system is inferior and in need of repair. walker's plan is not an overhaul of the national educational system (thank God!). according to asking4respect, wisconsin is doing very well compared to the national average. that is absolutely true. if you have children, look at their state standardized testing results. when you see that your child, on average, scores in the 50 percentile within the state, but is in the 90 percentile nationwide, ask yourself what that means. it sort of renders the national statistics invalid, since our teachers are apparently doing a superior job in comparison. well.... have been, at least. that may be about to change with all the cuts now in place.

Throwing money at the education system isn't going to fix it. Honestly, what is there to fix ? School systems are getting hit with what the average taxpayer is, doing more with less. This IS the fix, not a problem to fix.

We all want more for our children, I get that. But in reality, they already are getting more then we had. I fully get we want to give our kids the world, who doesn't ? But we also have to realize we are spending EVERYONE's money trying to achieve that. Because it comes from a pool of taxpayers a larger number is spread out and doesn't hit one person as hard. But now that giving of the world is hitting people that are struggling. The good ol'days are gone. It's time to buckle down and build the economy back up, not spend IMO.

The sky isn't falling, it's actually being repaired. Join the solution, not the cause of it. Like I said, I get that we want our kids to have more, but remember it comes with a price tag. And honestly, what kids need more of, is family IMO.

asking4respect-Students are not doing well in national assessments. Less then 1/3 of forth graders are proficient in math,reading, science and American history. What we have been doing is not working. These are from recent NAEP assessments. Also why the insult?
Did it make you feel good or think you're clever?

I do disagree with doing away with the credit and it is an increase in the school tax. I don't believe throwing more money at the schools will make the students any smarter. I'm retired and can't afford any more property taxes. But thanks for your apology--that was very nice--doesn't happen too often on these blogs.

the part of this proposal some of you are focusing on (adjustments to the tax credit) in this report is not something new. it's part of this report from the legislative fiscal bureau dated nov. 22nd, 2010. http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/Misc/2010...
given the current status of education in our state, and its extreme reduction of funds in the governor's plan, it seems appropriate and timely to eliminate the credit.

wait - quick apology - you didn't say that, you just pointed out the statement. sorry.

donnaw - are you saying you don't think under the current conditions of your school district you disagree with proposing an elimination of the credit? that's crazy. are you really that selfish?

let me add that i think it's a total shame that some of you are watching your city's school district crumble and still you seem so selfish. i'm soon gone from janesville, but i hope for you that somehow your district rebounds or your whole city will soon die a slow death. the first thing young families look for when relocating is how good the schools are. you really need to find some sort of balance that doesn't turn your current property worthless. good luck to you all.

okay, message received. it just didn't make sense to say that money already collected and in reserve, waiting for earmark, would increase your future taxes.

Askingforrespect...as the article pointed out, they are proposing eliminating the school levy property tax CREDIT, which means more in higher tax payments for property owners.

Better yet reread my first post with your property tax bill out. Post any questions you have.

Before you comment again, get your property tax bill out and ready. I will go through it line by line if that is what is needed.

Asking4respect,
I have just two questions for you.

Where does "the state money" come from?

What does this quote from the article mean?

"Starting in the 2012-13 fiscal year, the proposal would eliminate the school levy tax credit, the first dollar tax credit and high-poverty aid and distribute that money—more than $900 million—through general aid, according to a May 16 memo to Pope-Roberts from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau."

poorrichard - you said "throw more money at education while results go down." how is that so? wisconsin, while it ranks 28th in the nation for spending toward education, respectfully holds a high #2 in level of education. we've hung there (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) for as long as I can remember. Do you have something to back your statement, or was it just the commmon "i don't care about anyone but me" right-wing rhetoric?

jv93 - that didn't make any sense. Please explain to me how receiving additional state and/or federal dollars would INCREASE your taxes.

Wow! You guys have no idea how you could be killing your city, do you, by continuing to ignore your miserably falling school district? That's okay. I'm out of here anyway, but I feel sorry for you that remain that don't understand how important a community's schools are to attracting new businesses and residents. Your city will the new Belmont, once Wisconsin's thriving capitol city, and today a small unnoticable whisp of a town.

Of course a projection of revenue that state might get is enough for the Democrats and their union bosses to immediately spend this money. Let's do something about the deficit still remaining if we actually get this extra revenue.

Assembly Democrats will probably finalize their plan at a meeting next Tuesday at the Clocktower in Rockford.

What is more disturbing is that the Gazette reporter failed to know this is essentially a huge tax increase or maybe even worse...she knew and didn't care?

RetiredAirForce took the words right out of my mouth.

There we go again, wanting to spend money based on "projections"...why wait till it actually arrives.

Old Wisconsin values maybe-More taxes, higher taxes,hidden taxes-throw more money at education while results go down. Time for new Wisconsin values- Conservative values

I don't think throwing money at the issue is the answer. Utah has the lowest per student education expenditure ($6300) and the lowest (25) percent of schools not meeting federal education goals. On the other hand NY has the highest per student expenditure ($18,000) and the highest percent of schools not meeting federal goals (37%). Yes we need good school systems but there is a limit to how much we are going to pay in taxes so the schools need to live within their budgets like the rest of us. More money doesn't mean more in quality.

This proposal is definitely more in line with Wisconsin values, but at the moment it doesn't have a snowflake's chance in the hot place of being enacted. On the other hand, if Walker starts feeling a lot of heat from the recall effort, he might become more sensitive to those Wisconsin values.

What did you think you would get with ethically challenged Hintz? What a con game. You wonder why this state is in such a financial mess. These guys talk out of both sides of their mouth. I like how the sentence explaining that the tax credit will be eliminated is buried in the middle of the article.

Here's Chapter 1 of the democratic shell game of tax increases in case you forgot:

http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-ne...

Thank the very ethically challenged Rep Gordon "can I have a rub down" Hintz!

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/2...

This old news. This proposal is vaguely reminiscent of the state superintendent Ever's plan that was stupid a year ago and is just as stupid now. It amounts to a 1 billion dollar tax increase. "The amount of levy would not change"...OK got that, but on your property tax bill, that line that says school levy property tax credit would go away. So you have the levied amount minus the credit equals the amount you pay at the court house. They just take away the credit from you, give it to the schools and VOILA they tell you your property taxes have not increased. For me it would mean I would instantly be paying about $400 more in property taxes. PLEASE, don't pee on me and tell me its raining.