Board hears legislative update: voter deadlines, school-funding talks, and federal voucher repeal bill

At the Stoughton Area School District board meeting, board member Lisa Pew delivered a legislative update covering election deadlines, state budget negotiations affecting schools, and federal proposals related to school funding.

Pew reminded the public that the partisan primary is set for Aug. 11 and that voter-registration-by-mail materials must be postmarked by July 22; Wisconsin voters can request an absentee ballot for any reason, but must be registered first. She also noted the School Board Association has published fact sheets explaining past use of one-time COVID-relief dollars and staffing pressures that lead districts to pursue referenda.

On the state budget, Pew summarized recent negotiations over a surplus package that included proposed increases in special-education reimbursements and property-tax relief; she said the package did not pass the state senate but that leaders were discussing whether a return to session could produce a change of vote. "A recent statewide Marquette poll showed that 80% of Wisconsinites, including 82% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans, supported that deal," she said.

At the federal level, Pew summarized a bill introduced by Congresswoman Gwen Moore called the "Keep Public Funds and Public Schools Act," described in her briefing as an effort to repeal a federal scholarship tax-credit (voucher) program. She said Wisconsin has not opted into the federal program after Governor Ivers vetoed a state adoption earlier in the year, and she noted differing gubernatorial candidates' positions on the issue.

Board members asked follow-up questions about how portions of any state surplus might be allocated; Pew said the portions that state leaders could agree on focused on property-tax relief and special-education funding. No board-level action was taken on the legislative items during the meeting.