This week, property tax bills were released in Wisconsin. Representative Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan) made the following statement.
“Earlier this week, property tax bills were released across the state. Many communities across the state saw significant increases, including here in the Sheboygan area. In the 2025-2027 Biennial State budget, no new general aid money was given to our districts. As a result, districts across the state were given an impossible choice: increase property taxes to keep up with rising costs, or cut programming. Many districts have had to do both.
“The State Budget lacked the necessary level of investment in public education. We at the state have an obligation to ensure every student receives the best education we can give them. After over 30 years working in education, I could not be asked to turn my back on this commitment. Indeed, the budget included an increase to special education reimbursement funding from the state, representing an increase to 42% in the 2025-2026 school year and 45% in the 2026-2027 school year. However, new projections from DPI show that due to rising costs to provide special education, this money will cover only 35% of special education costs.
“The result is a state budget that leaves our schools without the support they need, now more than ever. To remedy this, I have introduced two bills, 2025 Assembly Bill 495 and LRB-5599. AB-495 would help districts meet the revenue limit increase they get each year that are currently passed onto property taxes. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, this proposal would have lowered property taxes by 4% in 2025-2026 and would lower them by a further 1.1% in 2026-27.
“Our other bill, LRB-5599, would guarantee the 42% and 45% special education reimbursement rates in their respective years that were set in the budget. The goal of these bills is to make sure our schools have predictable funding to build their budgets around and get support from the state to prevent increases to property taxes. This bill is about keeping our promise to our schools
“There is not a simple solution to school funding. It seems one of the few things the education committee can agree on is that there needs to be some kind of change to the school funding formula. Next year, AB-495 and LRB-5599 deserve to be given a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Education and I hope we can get the chance to talk about them soon. In the meantime, I will continue to introduce and support legislation that makes sure our public schools have the tools they need to offer a world-class education to our students.”
