Facts On K-12 Funding From Representative Mary Williams

Fact one
According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the governor’s budget increased state funding for K-12 education by $448 million, the Assembly Republican budget increased funding by $464 million, and the Senate Democrat budget increased it by $488 million.
But here is the interesting thing.  The Assembly budget increased funding for education while not increasing net taxes in the rest of the budget.  On the other hand, the governor used a $3 billion tax increase in his budget, and the Senate used an $18 billion increase to pay for their increases in funding education .

Fact two
Despite Superintendent Burmaster’s claim, the lion’s share of the Assembly budget, $264 million, does indeed go directly to school districts via equalization and payments and categorical aids (specific aids like SAGE for smaller class sizes, money for special educational needs, and funding for transportation costs).
Fact three
The Assembly republican education budget provides a $200 million increase in the school levy tax credit as opposed to $100 million in the Senate’s and governor’s version.  The school levy tax credit reduces what property taxpayers have to pay (property tax relief) in order to support schools.  Schools still get to increase to coincide with revenue limits, but property taxpayers save money when you increase this payment.

Mary Williams (R-Medford, 87th District) represents Price, Taylor, Rusk and portions of Sawyer and Marathon counties in the state assembly.