FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2018
Contact: Rep. John Nygren (888) 534-0089
Rep. Nygren Bill Addresses Inequity In School Funding Formula
Madison–State Representative John Nygren, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, released the following statement immediately after Governor Walker signed Assembly Bill 835 into law, which targets additional resources to low revenue and rural school districts:
“I am proud to see this historic bill signed into law today, a bill that will have real-world impacts on the lives of our students and educators. These reforms mean more resources going directly to the classroom, increased educational opportunities, and educational excellence for every student.
“Only months ago as a part of the state budget, Republicans in the State Legislature provided more than $600 million in additional funding for our public schools. The bill signed into law today continues that record investment by addressing two issues that were unresolved in the budget bill: relief for frugal, low-spending school districts and increasing sparsity aid. I would like to thank Governor Walker for his collaboration and leadership on this important bill; without his partnership we would not have been able to achieve what we have today.”
Every school district in the 89th Assembly District will benefit from this bill. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates that almost $900,000 in additional resources will be provided to school districts in the 2018-19 school year throughout the 89th Assembly District.
Click here for a map of school districts that will benefit from this important legislation.
Assembly Bill 835 will:
- Increase sparsity aid payments to rural school districts. Currently at $300 per pupil, payments will be increased to $400 per pupil.
- Increase the low-revenue adjustment from $9,100 per pupil to $9,400 per pupil in FY2019. The adjustment will then increase by $100 annually until it hits $9,800 per pupil.
o This represents the largest single increase in the low-revenue adjustment since it was created.
- Provide an additional $25 million in the 2018-19 school year for public schools throughout Wisconsin.
- Provide an additional $130 million in resources to over 200 schools in the next 6 years.
