Here & Now

Sen. Olsen Reviews Finance Committee Changes to K-12 Budget

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
THE 51-POINT REPUBLICAN PLAN ALSO INCLUDES THE CREATION OF A SPECIAL NEEDS VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR DISABLED STUDENTS, PROHIBITS THE STATE FROM FORCING COMMON CORE ACADEMIC STANDARDS ON DISTRICTS AND AMONG OTHER ALTERNATE PATHS TO THE CLASSROOM, WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE IN STEM FIELDS TO GET A TEACHING LICENSE WITHOUT A BACHELOR’S DEGREE. ON THAT MEASURE, THE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE UW-MADISON SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SAYS, IN PART, THE TEACHER LICENSING OPTIONS PASSED BY THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE REVEAL THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE HAVE VERY LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED BY TEACHERS TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH ALL STUDENTS. THE CHAIR OF THE STATE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE. REPUBLICAN SENATOR LUTHER OLSEN JOINS US NOW AND THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE.

LUTHER OLSEN:
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
SO WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN THIS PROGRAM HOW THE JOINT FINANCE K-12 EDUCATION BUDGET DOES A LOT OF THINGS. WHAT’S THE BEST THING THE PACKAGE YOU AND THE MAJORITY REPUBLICANS VOTED FOR DOES, IN YOUR MIND?

LUTHER OLSEN:
WELL, WE DIDN’T DO WHAT THE GOVERNOR WANTED AND CUT $130 MILLION — WELL, $127 MILLION OUT OF THE EDUCATION FUNDING, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT OVER TWO YEARS $130 PER CHILD. WE DID NOT DO THAT. SO THAT’S A GOOD THING. WE GAVE THEM — WE HELD THEM EVEN THE FIRST YEAR AND GAVE THEM $100 INCREASE THE SECOND YEAR. WE ALSO DID SOMETHING FOR SPECIAL ED, HIGH-COST SPECIAL ED. WE PUT SOME MONEY INTO THAT, $5 MILLION IN THE SECOND YEAR, BECAUSE WE HADN’T INCREASED FUNDING FOR SPECIAL ED FOR EIGHT YEARS. AND SO THAT DESPERATELY NEEDED TO GET DONE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
YOU’RE QUOTED IN THE NEWSPAPER AS SAYING THAT THE BUDGET, QUOTE, DOESN’T MAKE IT EASIER TO RUN A SCHOOL DISTRICT.” HOW SO?

LUTHER OLSEN:
WELL, IT DOESN’T, BECAUSE COSTS GO UP, WHATEVER YOU DO, COSTS TO CONTINUE. EVERYTHING IN THE STATE BUDGET, WE GIVE AGENCIES COSTS TO CONTINUE. CPI HAS GONE UP ABOUT 2%. NEXT YEAR SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO GET NO INCREASE SO THEIR COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP, THEY HAVE NO MORE REVENUE AND THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME CUTS. THE OTHER THING THAT’S REALLY — I THINK IS GOING TO BE HARDER TO RUN A SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SCHOOLS SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO CUT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME GOING FOR REFERENDUMS, BECAUSE THAT’S THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN GET MORE MONEY TO SPEND. AND SO RATHER THAN CONCENTRATING ON EDUCATING KIDS, THEY’RE GOING TO BE CONCENTRATING ON HOW TO CONVINCE THE TAXPAYERS THAT THEY HAVE TO HELP THEM RAISE REVENUE, RAISE THEIR TAXES SO THEY CAN OPERATE. USUALLY, IT USED TO BE IN THE OLD DAYS, YOU PASSED REFERENDUMS FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, NEW SCHOOLS, BOILERS OR WHATEVER. NOW YOU HAVE TO PASS REFERENDUMS JUST TO TEACH THE KIDS AND THAT’S GOING TO MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT AND TIME-CONSUMING FOR SCHOOLS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
SO I HAVE A TOUGH QUESTION FOR YOU. IF YOU HAD YOUR DRUTHERS, WOULD YOU REJECT THE GOVERNOR’S PROPERTY TAX CUTS IN FAVOR OF PUTTING MORE MONEY INTO SCHOOLS?

LUTHER OLSEN:
IN A HEARTBEAT. AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE WHAT THE GOVERNOR DID BY CUTTING TAXES IS TAXES WERE GOING UP, ON AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, THE FISCAL BUREAU THING, THE FIRST YEAR ABOUT $25 PER AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD AND THE SECOND YEAR $30. THAT INCREASE WAS REALLY REFERENDUMS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES EXCEEDING THE REVENUE LIMITS. AND SO THE GOVERNOR HAD TO PAY THAT INCREASE TO GET HIS $11 THE FIRST YEAR AND $3 THE SECOND YEAR. SO WE HAD TO COVER INCREASED COSTS ON THE AVERAGE HOME AND ALL THIS IS JUST AVERAGE. SO DON’T GO OVER YOUR TAX BILL NEXT YEAR AND SAY THIS IS — BUT $25 IT WENT UP ACROSS THE STATE TO GET $11 CUT. SO WE HAD TO SPEND $25 TO COVER THE COST OF REFERENDUMS, COUNTIES, CITIES SAYING WE NEED TO EXCEED THE CAP TO GO INTO DEBT TO FIX OUR ROADS, TO BUY POLICE CARS SO THAT THEY COULD AND THEN THEY TAX THEIR FOLKS. SO WHAT WE WERE DOING IS SPENDING GPR MONEY, SALES AND INCOME TAXES, TO COVER THOSE INCREASED COSTS. I DON’T THINK AS A STATE THAT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
ARE YOU THE LONE REPUBLICAN WHO HAS THAT FEELING?

LUTHER OLSEN:
NO. I THINK THERE’S A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT ARE — ONCE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT, THEY’RE THINKING WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? IN FACT, REALLY WHAT WE’RE DOING IS ENCOURAGING LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE, IF THEY THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN, TO EXCEED THE CAPS AND THEN WE WILL COVER IT FOR THE TAXPAYERS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME LEFT, BUT I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF PRIVATE VOUCHER SCHOOLS IN THE STATE. CRITICS SUGGEST WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS FUND TWO SEPARATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THIS EXPANSION AND HOW WE’RE PAYING FOR IT?

LUTHER OLSEN:
WELL, I THINK WE’VE GOT A WAY TO PAY FOR IT, IS ONE THING. AND I THINK IT’S BETTER THAN THE OLD SYSTEM BECAUSE SCHOOLS COUNT THE CHILDREN AND THEY CAN RAISE REVENUE AND THEY’LL BE IN A LITTLE BETTER PLACE. BUT THE BIGGEST THING IS WE CAN’T AFFORD EXPANSION. WE CAN’T AFFORD TAX CUTS IN SCHOOLS AT THE SAME TIME. AND WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THE REPORTS FROM PEOPLE WHO STUDY THIS THAT EITHER THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR WISCONSIN SPENDING PER STUDENT IN THIS STATE WILL BE BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. IN 2002 AND ’03 WE WERE 12TH IN THE COUNTRY. NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE SO THAT SORT OF TELLS ME WE CAN'T. CHOICES COST MONEY. WHEN YOU CAN HARDLY AFFORD ONE SYSTEM, IT’S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO AFFORD TWO OR THREE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:
ALL RIGHT. SENATOR LUTHER OLSEN, THANKS VERY MUCH.

LUTHER OLSEN:
THANK YOU.