By Allison Garfield

The mayor said the referendum is “the only budgetary path in 2025 that protects our values as a community, while we work to address the chronic underfunding of local governments at the state level.”

“I’m glad the council agreed that putting that issue to the voters is the right thing to do,” Rhodes-Conway said.

The November election will be historic, marking the first time Madison voters will be asked to consider property tax referendums from both the Madison school district and the city. Madison school district leaders will ask voters to approve over $600 million through two referendums, estimating the measures would bump the average homeowners’ property taxes by over $1,000 in a few years.

If voters reject the city’s referendum in November, Rhodes-Conway forecasted the city would need to slash $6 million in services next year and the following year, and bigger cuts would follow later on. By 2030, she said the city would face a $63 million budget deficit, requiring more than $20 million in cuts to services on top of other measures, such as dipping into rainy day funds and hiking fees for certain government services.

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Notes on Madison’s tax and $pending increases amidst declining enrollment.

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Madison taxpayers of long supported far above average K – 12 spending.

The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”

My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results

2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results 

Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators

Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results

Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.

When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?