The Politics of School Finance Reform

Joe Handrick, a Minocqua town chairman and member of the Lakeland Union High School Board of Education, wrote an article for The Lakeland Times yesterday with an overview of school finance in Wisconsin, with a particular focus on property rich districts in the north. Handrick's article, "School Funding Formula: Don't believe those who say there's an easy fix" included an informative question and answer section to address the most obvious bullet points brought up during school finance debates. In the end, Handrick boils the argument down to politics:

If you want the QEO and the revenue caps eliminated, you need to hope for total Democrat control in Madison. If you get what you hope for, however, then there will be no chance of getting more school aid for our property-rich districts. More aid for our property-rich schools is only possible with Republican control.

If your primary goal is to get more aid to our property-rich districts then you need to hope for total Republican control in Madison. If you get what you hope for, however, then there is no chance of elimination of the revenue caps and QEO which means school boards will continue to need to seek referenda.