Holmen board hears state senator on budget priorities; presents resolution urging annual inflationary per-pupil increases

HOLMEN, Wis. — State Senator Brad Path visited the Holmen School District Board of Education on March 24 to outline elements of Gov. Tony Evers’s 2025 budget proposal and answer board members’ questions about school funding, special education reimbursement, school-based mental health and school nutrition.

Path told the board that the governor’s proposed budget would raise per-pupil aid and increase state support for special education and school-based mental health. “We have to move towards 90% funding for special education,” Path said, adding that the governor’s proposal would raise reimbursement from roughly 32 cents on the dollar to about 60 cents. He said the governor is proposing a $300 million investment for school-based mental health services that would include ongoing per-pupil payments and reimbursement for mental-health professionals.

The discussion framed a district resolution presented later by District Administrator Dr. Daniel Mueller, asking the legislature and governor to enact annual inflationary increases to per-pupil funding. Dr. Mueller read the text of the draft resolution, which says Holmen’s general school revenue per pupil has “lagged behind inflation since 02/2009 by approximately $3,200 per student” and estimates the district’s one-year inflation shortfall at almost $12,000,000. He told the board the resolution would be sent to legislators and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards if adopted.

Why it matters: Board members said predictable, inflation-indexed state aid would reduce reliance on local referendums, which they said create funding inequities between districts. Board President Jennifer Deak and members urged a unified message across area districts to press the legislature during the 2025–27 biennial budget process.

Board questions focused on several topics Path raised. Board member Khadija Islam asked about implementation of literacy funding under Act 20 and why $50 million passed in 2023 has not reached schools. Path said the appropriation passed but has been held up in the Legislature’s budget process and suggested the Joint Finance Committee has not released the money. He told the board that when funding is approved, hold-ups in release of funds have caused districts to go without anticipated reimbursements.

Board members also discussed school meal programs and recent federal changes to local purchasing incentives. Path said he has lobbied farm groups to support continued local food purchasing incentives and that he hopes to find bipartisan support for healthy-meal initiatives, though he cautioned that some education issues break along political lines.

On several politically sensitive items, Path said he favors local decision-making but acknowledged the bills moving through the Legislature have been divisive. Board members raised bills related to policies affecting transgender students and a proposal described as Senate Bill 29 regarding cell-phone rules in schools; Path said many districts already have local policies similar to the statutory language being debated and described the statewide debate as “very divided.”

The district did not take a final vote on the resolution during the session. Dr. Mueller said the resolution would remain an advocacy tool for the board and its legislative outreach.

Quotes and context: “The rubber is literally hitting the road and we can no longer continue to push this off any longer,” Path said of special education funding shortfalls. Dr. Mueller read the resolution’s key language urging the legislature and governor to provide annual inflationary per-pupil increases, noting sustained underfunding threatens educator retention, class-size stability and student supports.

What’s next: The board discussed coordinating messaging with neighboring districts and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards ahead of the June state budget deadline. The resolution was presented for consideration; a final board action on the resolution was not recorded in the March 24 meeting minutes.

Ending: Board members thanked Path for speaking with the district and encouraged continued contact with legislators as the budget process continues.