A recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report projects a 20% increase in school property taxes this December, a $883 increase on the average home, driven by the two 2024 referendums and declining state aid. For a city that prides itself on deliberate work to address affordability, this tax increase is concerning. We risk pricing families out of housing, reducing school enrollment and thereby undermining the basic funding the district depends on.
What can residents do? Speak up. Ask the School Board to be prudent and strategic. Taxing authority does not require maximum spending. The board still has $40 million in authorized increases left over the next two years. Taxpayers should insist this money be used carefully, not automatically.
Moreover, in alignment with the district’s new strategic planning, the board must start evaluating what can be subtracted, not just what can be added. Every new or continuing program should be weighed against what’s not working or no longer needed.
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Madison taxpayers have long funded far above average k-12 taxes (and $pending), now nearly $25k per student. Yet we have long tolerated disastrous reading results.
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Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
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?
