Roughly half of Wisconsin's students live in rural areas, going to schools that are increasingly in need of cash to meet needs.
A Department of Public Instruction official says it appears Governor Walker's upcoming budget will give some fiscal relief to districts in some areas, but not all the information is available.
DPI spokesperson John Johnson says two areas, sparsity aid and transportation, appear to be recommended for more funding. Sparsity aid is sent to school districts with wide geographic areas to help pay for increased costs...
"....the Governor has agree to that and is announcing an $8.4 million dollar increase over the biennium for that aid program. That goes to help offset the cost district's have by having children spread all over...."
Rural districts have been complaining for years about the rising cost of transportation coupled with less ability to gather funds locally due to revenue constraints. Johnson says Walker will announce additional money for districts transporting students more than 12 miles.
State Representative Rob Swearingen last year chaired a task force on the needs of rural schools, and made recommendations which included more transportation aid.
But John Johnson says Walker didn't talk about two large portions of school funding: school aids per pupil and revenue limits. Walker is scheduled to present the full biennial budget February 3 to the legislature.
