June 29, 2023
As anticipated, the State Assembly session today culminated in a floor vote on the state budget bill, passing a budget that falls woefully short of meeting kids’ needs in public schools and fails to invest a historic surplus in a responsible, gap-closing budget for kids.
After about eight hours of debate over amendments and the overall budget, the budget bill passed the Assembly tonight in a 63-34 vote along party lines, with all Republican representatives voting YES and all Democratic representatives voting NO (with the exception of one, Rep. Cabrera, not voting):
The bill now lands on Gov. Evers’ desk, where he has up to six days to take action but also faces a technical budget deadline of July 1. He could take action on the bill as soon as tomorrow, or next week.
Remember to follow WisconsinNetwork.org/budget for full context and information on the budget process, and be sure Gov. Evers’ office has heard from you and knows where you stand on the budget. Find Gov. Evers’ contact information here or at 608-266-1212.
- Today, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin circulated an open letter to Gov. Evers signed by a number of coalition partners, including the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools and Wisconsin Public Education Network staff. See their open letter here.
- Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action Wisconsin, published a compelling op-ed in the Wisconsin Examiner today: Gov. Evers has the power to win state budget victories, starting with BadgerCare expansion. Healthcare access was also one of the most common budget priorities raised in public testimony this spring and was one of the pillars of “What’s Best for Kids” in our Tuesday Day of Action.
- DISTRICT APPRECIATION SPOTLIGHT! The School District of South Milwaukee Board passed a fantastic resolution calling out the inadequacies for special education in this budget proposal. “The School Board of the School District of South Milwaukee publicly disapproves of the proposed state budget for public education, and proclaims the proposed budget inadequate, inequitable, and hurtful to public schools. The children and taxpayers of South Milwaukee deserve better,” the resolution proclaims.
- There has been a lot of spin and misinformation about special education and public school funding generally in this proposal. The SDSM resolution is a great place to start when looking to set the record straight by speaking out for kids. A refreshing and needed example of truth-telling!
- Thank you, South Milwaukee! (And see remarks from Interim Superintendent Dr. Jim Shaw here.)
- Wisconsin Examiner coverage of our Tuesday Day of Action: A desperate, last-minute push for school funding
- For a full roundup of the Senate vote on Wednesday as well as our Tuesday Day of Action, with selected quotes from our featured speakers, see our Wednesday night blog post here.
We can afford to do right by Wisconsin kids, and we can’t afford not to. Thank you for being a champion for kids.
