More than three in five Wisconsin school districts are set to receive less state general school aid next year, according to certified figures released by the state Department of Public Instruction. Of the state's 421 districts, 261 will get less aid in the 2026-27 school year than this year, the department said, a shift with real consequences for property taxpayers, The Madison Focal reported. The statewide general school aid appropriation remains flat at $5.58 billion for the third consecutive year, DPI said. But because the money is distributed through an equalization formula based on property values, enrollment and spending, most districts will see their share shrink even as the total holds steady, according to the department's official release. Education finance experts caution that lower state aid does not mean districts are losing money overall. Under Wisconsin's revenue limits, districts can raise the difference through local property taxes, Wisconsin Public Radio reported, meaning the real impact falls on taxpayers rather than school budgets. The figures, certified by the Oct. 15 deadline, replace the preliminary estimates released in July. While 151 districts will see aid increases and 9 will be unchanged, the broad decline has renewed debate over whether the state's school funding formula is keeping up with local needs. The state's most recent budget directed new money toward special education reimbursement rather than general aid, a choice education leaders say left the general aid pot stretched thin. Districts will finalize their property tax levies later this fall, when the effect on local tax bills becomes clear. School boards across Wisconsin will set their final tax levies in the coming weeks, when the real impact on homeowners becomes clear. Education groups are already lobbying for changes to the funding formula, arguing that flat state aid shifts too much of the burden onto local property taxpayers.
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