MADISON — Ahead of today’s Joint Committee on Finance executive session on the 2025-27 biennial budget, State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly is calling on Wisconsin lawmakers to prioritize public education by delivering funding that is flexible, spendable and predictable.
“This budget is much more than dollars — it’s about our values,” Dr. Underly said. “It’s about the child who goes to bed hungry and comes to school distracted and tired. It’s about the teenager battling depression or anxiety in silence, with no one to turn to. It’s about the teacher who dedicates their life to the future of kids, staying late to grade papers or coach athletics, buying supplies with their own money and losing sleep over the well-being of their students. These are the daily realities in classrooms across Wisconsin. And they demand more than words. They demand action.”
As student needs grow and costs rise, state support for public education has fallen behind. Today, K-12 funding makes up the smallest share of Wisconsin’s overall budget in at least 30 years. At the same time, the special education reimbursement rate has steadily declined, and more school districts than ever are turning to local referendums just to cover basic operational costs.
“We have a responsibility to our children, our communities, and the future of our state to get this right,” Dr. Underly said. “This is the moment for the legislature to step up — not with short-term fixes, but with bold, generational investment in the students, educators, and public schools that shape Wisconsin’s future. They’ve waited long enough. It’s time to act.”
Dr. Underly also penned an op-ed on Thursday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, re-emphasizing the need to properly fund Wisconsin public schools.
More information on the 2025-27 biennial budget is available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s dedicated webpage. An official photo of Dr. Underly is also available on the DPI’s website.
