State Superintendent Jill Underly during her fourth State of Education address urged legislators to release funding for the state’s new literacy law.
Meanwhile, Underly also said the state must reimburse special education costs at least 60% in order to support students and teachers.
Underly, while speaking at the Capitol Thursday, knocked the GOP-led Legislature for failing to release $50 million set aside for the new reading initiatives and noted the funding was left off the agenda for today’s Joint Finance Committee.
Underly said withholding the funding “leaves our already-cash strapped public schools to foot the entire bill.”
“Our kids deserve better and I want to state firmly and with no malice, on behalf of the state’s children and educators, state legislators — release the funding,” Underly said. “Release the funding so that our schools, your schools, can do the work they need to do. You say you care about literacy when the spotlight is on you, but you continue to obstruct the release of this critical funding.”
Gov. Tony Evers and the GOP-controlled Legislature have been entangled in litigation over the funding. Republicans have declined to release the money, pointing to a partial veto by Evers they argue was unlawful because governors can only use their veto authority on an appropriation bill.
A Dane County judge ruled Evers properly used his partial veto authority when he nixed part of a bill to allow DPI to spend the money once approved by the Joint Finance Committee. But the judge rejected a DPI request to compel Republican legislators to release the funding.
Also during the speech, Underly noted districts are currently reimbursed for about one-third of the costs of special education services, which she argued “is not nearly enough.”
“And it means many districts continue to struggle to afford to provide services and retain staff,” Underly said. “And as a state, we need … to help districts afford the cost of special education services. These services are legally mandated. It’s the right thing to do, and all our students benefit when special education needs are met.
Underly after the speech told reporters that the Department of Public Instruction’s budget may exceed the $2.5 billion the agency requested in the 2023-2025 budget cycle. The state currently has a budget surplus of more than $3.1 billion.
“That may be about a billion right there,” Underly said of the special education reimbursement request. “But the reason that we need to ask for so much is because we’ve been underfunded for the past 10, 12 years. Our schools are just asked to do a lot more with a lot less.”
She said DPI would submit the final portion of its budget request in mid-November. Evers is required to release a compilation of agency budget requests and revenue projections through the end of 2025-2027 on Nov. 20.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Underly’s remarks.
Watch the video at WisconsinEye.
Read Underly’s prepared remarks.
