For over six months, the Racine Unified School District has been engaged in budget development. During that time, I have continuously expressed concern about impending state budget reductions. Despite these early and repeated concerns, the state budget about to be implemented has dire financial consequences and exceeds my early fears about the defunding of public education in Racine.
Largest Loss of State Support
Racine loses more state aid per pupil than any other district, except Beloit, before any consideration of vouchers. After vouchers are implemented, Racine will lose more state aid per pupil than any other district. Racine is facing a $25 million budget shortfall in 2011-12. After using the Governor’s tools and exceeding the recommended savings for health insurance costs, that budget deficit is reduced to $7.5 million. To save the $7.5 million, the district eliminated 125 positions, including 10 administrators and initiated approximately $3 million in efficiencies throughout the district.
Vouchers NOT Just for Low Income Families
The new income cap for eligible families is three times the poverty rate, or approximately $70,000 per household. The average income in Racine County in 2009 was $52,063 and in Wisconsin it was $49,994. In the third year of voucher implementation in Racine, there are no limits on the total number of students who could apply for vouchers. Racine taxpayers could be asked to subsidize private education for households with above average income.
Year Three Voucher Tax
Based on Milwaukee’s experience with the current revenue caps, (which are approximately $41,000 per household) 20 percent of Milwaukee’s school population use vouchers. If 20 percent of Racine’s enrollment use vouchers, the property tax levy could increase by $10 million just to support the current level of per pupil spending in Racine (which is below the state average). In effect, vouchers increase property tax to benefit only voucher students enrolled in private schools, without any benefit to students enrolled in Racine’s public schools.
Vouchers increase the defunding of public schools in Racine and divert additional resources from Racine’s public schools while increasing taxes for Racine taxpayers. Vouchers are money, less money for the Racine Unified School District and more money for private schools. Vouchers increase inequity in state support for RUSD and subsidize private education while decreasing accountability and transparency for the use of public resources and the achievement of educational goals.
