Ola Lisowski

The plan is a 10 percent increase over current budget funding—even as in-person instruction has been halted in many districts across the state

While restricted balances increased from $417 million to $468 million this year, unrestricted balances fell from $906.9 million to $866.6 million.

The school board for Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has unanimously voted to include two referendum questions totaling $350 million on the November ballot

“What we’re talking about is unsustainable. We’re back to putting the money into pensions, not putting the money into classrooms.”

The district’s main operations fund is facing a projected $304 million deficit, just three years into the future, in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

In addition to eliminating program redundancies, the System will consolidate and streamline administrative operational functions including human resources, IT, and business services.

This year’s budget also includes the first phase of the $87 million operational referendum approved by voters in April.

We should think very carefully about putting any regulations we’ve lifted back into effect.

A clear disconnect exists between official rankings and student readiness for life after high school.

The last two state budgets significantly increased K-12 funding, but the proportion spent in classrooms has slightly dipped