Doyle: Time for Grown-Ups to Emerge in Budget Process
Gov. Jim Doyle yesterday joined superintendents from nine Milwaukee area school districts at Wauwatosa West High School to publicly pressure lawmakers to end their stalemate.
Doyle said failure to pass a budget has created "tremendous uncertainty" for school districts around the state as they prepare to start the 2007-2008 school year next week.
Spending continues at current levels if a budget isn't passed, a scenario Doyle said would amount to an $80 million cut to schools from his budget proposal. The Department of Public Instruction has until Oct. 15 to announce the amount of state aid school districts will receive for the upcoming year. State law, Doyle said, prevents those figures from being adjusted after that, even if an increase is approved by the Legislature.
"It's time for the grown-ups to emerge here; it is time for the game-playing to stop," Doyle said.
Although Doyle said both sides will have to compromise to pass a budget, he declared he won't accept what he called a $130 million cut to education proposed in the Assembly version of the budget.
"I'll tell you that right now; there will not be a budget signed that says to the school districts, 'You're going to have to take the kind of cuts the Assembly is ready to push,'" Doyle said.
Superintendents who spoke echoed Doyle's comments, saying they have already made significant cuts and that further budget cuts would directly impact curriculum. Kurt Wachholz, superintendent of the West Allis/West Milwaukee school district, said the district has held off on filling vacant position while the budget is in limbo and the delay has created a "pinch" in hiring new staff.
Doyle said his office has been continually talking with both sides to get the process moving and said he appreciates that both sides are still talking and being civil.
Listen to audio of the press conference (large file) here.
DPI Superintendent Libby Burmaster said lawmakers may need a budget agreement in place by Sept. 28 if they want school districts to get any increase in state aid.
Burmaster said in a statement the agency needs adequate time to calculate any increases in state aid for each school district. If an agreement isn't in place by Sept. 28, the agency may not have time to finish those calculations by the Oct. 15 deadline and may have to use last year's numbers.
