Gov. Scott Walker visited Waupaca High School Tuesday, Feb. 21, to promote his proposed state budget.
Among the highlights of the 2018-19 budget is a $509 million increase in per-pupil state aid to public schools.
This represents a $200 per-pupil increase in 2018 and a $204 per-pupil increase in 2019.
The governor is also proposing a $649 million in new state aids for all of Wisconsin’s K-12 schools.
Under Walker’s plan, state spending on public schools would total $11.5 billion over the two years of the biennial budget.
“We are putting more money into education than ever before in the history of Wisconsin,” Walker said.
The Waupaca School District could see an increase of $942,300 in 2018 and nearly $1.37 million in 2019, according to figures provided by the governor’s office.
With the exception of last year, when state general aid to the district rose by $217,576, Waupaca has seen its state aid drop by more than $3.85 million over the past eight years.
Over the same period of time, the district’s property taxes have gone up by nearly $3.5 million.
Walker’s proposed state budget now goes before the Wisconsin Legislature, where further changes will be proposed before the final version is enacted into law.