04/05/2025
Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee- April 4, 2025
My name is Ingrid Walker-Henry, and I am here representing the 5,700 MTEA public education workers in Milwaukee Public Schools.
In the recent election for superintendent of public schools, the private, unaccountable charter and voucher lobby joined the Republican Party of Wisconsin to spend millions of dollars trying to elect a former private voucher lobbyist over an incumbent who has unapologetically stood up for Wisconsin’s public schools.
They went all in on a “school choice” message and Wisconsin elected the pro-public schools candidate.
The voters of Wisconsin made two things clear this week that the Joint Finance Committee should hear and honor.
You must close the special education funding gap between private voucher schools and public schools.
Private, unaccountable voucher schools receive 90% reimbursement for their special education costs.
Our transparent, accountable public schools that accept all children are reimbursed at about 30%. Someone has to answer the question, Why is that ok with you?
Superintendent Underly ran on matching the minimum 90% reimbursement that private voucher schools receive. The Governor’s budget only asks for 60%. This committee should start with an initial commitment to pass the governor’s 60% proposal and increase this to 90% in the next budget.
YOU must listen to the voters and fund our public schools. There were 89 referendums on the ballot on Tuesday, a trend that has continued ballooning for years. This trend will only continue if the legislature, if Wisconsin, keeps failing to fund public education. Our students and schools cannot continue to operate on referendum after referendum just to keep the lights on, we deserve better than that from you.
Video- I speak at 8:15- https://www.youtube.com/live/uAnW5kalfU0?si=dGGNX1U3DQcxs-6O
