State Sen. Jeff Smith fields questions on funding for RF schools

By Andrew Harrington
Posted 6/1/23

RIVER FALLS - Wisconsin State Sen. Jeff Smith fielded a variety of questions on the future funding of the River Falls School District after a May 22 presentation discussing Gov. Tony Evers’ …

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State Sen. Jeff Smith fields questions on funding for RF schools

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RIVER FALLS - Wisconsin State Sen. Jeff Smith fielded a variety of questions on the future funding of the River Falls School District after a May 22 presentation discussing Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed biennial budget.

The representative of Senate District 31 hopes to help change a process that allots a budget to schools based on a formula not changed since the 1993-94 school year. Because of this system, River Falls has a per pupil spending that ranks near the bottom of all of Wisconsin’s school districts.

Smith does not know if the formula will be changed, but said it needed to for schools to be run correctly. The goal for Smith is to raise state funding for schools, allowing local governments to cover fewer costs.

“Thankfully referenda are keeping schools open, but public education is a required constitutional guarantee to families,” Smith said. “Every time a referendum passes in one district and doesn’t pass in the next district, it just increases the gap between those districts.”

Smith expects a budget to be agreed upon by July 1, and if not, some decisions will be made. Smith said it has been a long time since it has taken longer than July 1 to land on something. Smith expressed concern knowing school districts have already had to make difficult financial decisions without seeing the official state budget.

With Wisconsin having a surplus of around $7 billion, Smith said the parties are having a disagreement about how to use it. Smith’s presentation listed the top options to spend the $7 billion surplus as tax relief for the middle class, addressing crises such as declining childcare options, wise infrastructure investments and paying down state debt.

Smith was critical of Republicans who have supported tax breaks for the upper class.

“They always hoped it would trickle down to the middle class with new jobs, and you know what, if they really believe that more power too ‘em,” Smith said.

The budget proposed by Evers would dramatically increase taxation on millionaires, with a chart showing tax cuts to most brackets, but increases to those making $300,000 or more, and major increases to people making over $1 million, calling it “their fair share.”

Smith is worried about the state of childcare in Wisconsin, as the Child Care Counts program has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to childcare centers to keep them going. Smith expects around 25% of childcare providers to disappear if the program is not extended.

A reason Smith feels strongly about childcare is his belief that less childcare workers will raise the staff wages, boosting childcare costs. The rise in childcare costs could result in less parents working due to an inability to pay for daycare.

“We seem to have all finally come around to the fact that this may be the number one issue that can affect that workforce shortage,” Smith said. “Wages are up, childcare costs are no exception, and they are competing with all other industries.”
According to a Wisconsin Department of Children and Families measure from 2018, 38% of Wisconsin’s ZIP codes are considered childcare deserts due to a lack of childcare. A childcare desert is defined as a ZIP code with more than 30 children under five years of age and either no child care center or a ratio of more than three to one on children under five to child care center capacity.

Smith feels that marijuana legalization is an area that Wisconsin is lagging behind. With 40 states having legalized marijuana usage either medically or recreationally, Smith stated his case for legalization.

According to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, Illinois collected over $36 million in tax dollars during fiscal year 2022 from Wisconsin citizens crossing the border for marijuana.

“We’re not escaping whatever we think we’re escaping with marijuana, we’re just not allowing safe and legal use,” Smith said.

Other areas that Smith focused on were combating mental health crises, increasing the revenue shared with local government, investing in the Wisconsin Tuition Promise to get local students to an in-state college and continuing the expansion of broadband internet.

The next steps in the budget approval process involve the legislative branch making and approving changes to the budget before it once again returns to the governor who can either sign the budget into law, veto portions of the proposal or veto its entirety. The budget would last for two years if approved.

This meeting was the first of six scheduled budget meetings to be held by Smith throughout Wisconsin’s 31st district.

Gov. Tony Evers, biennial budget, Sen. Jeff Smith, politics, Wisconsin