June 24, 2025 5:10p
(WGTD)---The state budget, as it now stands in the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee, would negatively offset the $190 million Racine Unified operating referendum that was recently approved by the voters. That’s what RUSD Superintendent Soren Gajewski told a forum Monday night.
The session—held at Gateway in Racine—was organized by Democratic State Representative Angelina Cruz. Also attending were several of her Assembly colleagues from the area, including Minority Leader Greta Neubauer.
According to what was presented, K-12 funding in the biennial budget as recommended by Joint Finance would include just a slight bump up in reimbursements for special education funding and no increase in per pupil spending.
Superintendent Gajewski said the proposals, if they would become part of the next budget, would put the district in the same position as it was in before approval of the operating referendum. "We passed that referendum but that was simply to keep the budget we had this past year flat...Without a change in (Joint Finance) funding, the same problems that brought us to that referendum will continue into the future," he said.
Also speaking was State Representative Tip McGuire, who represents Kenosha and sits on Joint Finance. He said the Republican proposals would result in additional school district referendums and could potentially raise property taxes, at a time with the state enjoys a huge budget surplus. "It is beyond ridiculous that property taxpayers continue to have to bear that burden when the state has $4 billion extra dollars," he said.
McGuire, Neubauer and Cruz recommended that people upset with the current state of affairs on public school funding contact Republican State Senator Van Wanggaard.
Two-thirds of Wisconsin’s school districts went to referendum in the past two years.
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