The Joint Finance Committee has sent its version of a K-12 school funding plan to the full Assembly and Senate, triggering the next step in the state budget development.

While Wisconsin must increase investments in order to receive the full $1.5 billion in federal emergency relief, the JFC instead passed a schools budget that withholds a significant amount of funding. In fact, the JFC budget includes less than 10 percent of K-12 school funding that the governor proposed.

It's time to let your state Representative and Senator know how you feel about the state budget. Tell them to reject the JFC plan and to support the governor's full Badger Bounceback Budget.

Key Provisions in Badger Bounceback Budget:

• Establishes collective bargaining rights for state and local government frontline workers and their bargaining units to provide workers with the opportunity to negotiate together and require employers to meet regularly on policies affecting wages, hours and working conditions.
• Makes substantial state investments in our K-12 schools by restoring the two-thirds funding commitment and increases the special education aid to achieve reimbursement rates of 45 percent in the first year with an increase to 50 percent in the second. It also directs $54 million to programs for student mental health, English Language Learners and rural schools.
• Addresses the deteriorating quality of educator health benefits by studying the state’s own employee health insurance program as a potential solution to save districts’ resources and ensure the financial well-being of educators.