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>> Reporting from Madison.
I'm Zac Schultz for "Here&

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Now".
>> Harkening back to the

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Marquette poll, when asked
which is more important, a

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majority of registered
voters at 58%, say they are

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more concerned about
property taxes, while 41%

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are more concerned about
funding for K-12 public

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schools. This is voter
sentiment as residents

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recoil over hikes in
property taxes that largely

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go to fund schools, and the
April 7th ballots will see

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more than 70 school
referendum questions

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seeking additional funding
from taxpayers. The squeeze

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is the result of an
increase in per pupil

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revenue limits, without
accompanying state funding

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and underfunded costs of
special education, but some

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districts want residents to
see what else is

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contributing to the cost.
Private voucher schools

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green Bay is the first
municipality in the state

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to show those costs on
residents property tax

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bills. Mayor Eric Genrich
was the tie breaking vote

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to show that line item on
the bills. And mayor,

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thanks very much for being
here.

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>> Of course. Thanks so
much for having me.

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>> So there's a lot to
unpack here with all of

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this, but what has been the
reaction in green Bay of

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people's property tax bills
this year?

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>> Well, you know, I think
we're feeling the crunch

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like everyone is across the
state of Wisconsin, not

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just with property taxes,
but just the cost of living

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generally. And I think
that's why we're seeing

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some of those answers that
you were highlighting

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through the Marquette Law
Poll. People are really

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struggling with the cost of
living these days, and

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property taxes are a pretty
big number, and they're

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really tangible and people
see those annually. And so

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we're certainly feeling
that feedback as well. You

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know what we've advocated
for both for public

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education, but more
specifically with municipal

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government funding, is more
assistance from the state

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of Wisconsin. We've made
some progress in that

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regard with some reforms
made to to the shared

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revenue program, but we'd
love a more diversified

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revenue stream with local
sales tax options being

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available to, to pull down
those property taxes, which

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are, you know, they're just
out of line when you

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compare the state of
Wisconsin to a lot of other

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states across the country.
>> I see that green Bay

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schools will not go to
referendum on April 7th,

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but is looking at a deficit
and will seek one in

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November. Why is this the
same all over Wisconsin?

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>> Well, I think you
referenced, you know, the

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school funding formula
really is broken in the

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state of Wisconsin and has
been broken for some time.

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Green Bay Area Public
Schools is also involved in

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a lawsuit that Law Forward
is bringing forward with

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some other school districts
across the state to

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essentially make that case
to our our, our courts and

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ultimately probably to our
state Supreme Court to say

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that, you know, we have a
our kids and our residents

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have a constitutional right
to a sound basic education

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in the state of Wisconsin.
And, and we don't feel as

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though I don't feel. And I
think a lot of people don't

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feel that the state is
meeting its obligation in

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that regard.
>> How well do these

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explanations resonate with
your taxpayers?

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>> I think people
appreciate it. You know,

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nobody ever really likes
paying a property tax bill,

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but they want to know where
those funds are going. And

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so when this was brought
forward to our common

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council, that really was
the winning argument. It's

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something that our public
school district has been

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calling for for several
years. Our previous council

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shot it down. This council
moved it forward and

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allowed us to work with the
Department of Revenue, with

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our county treasurer to
figure out exactly, you

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know, how we could place
this information on the

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bill. But, you know, for
green Bay area taxpayers,

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$14 million is going for
this purpose, just under 10

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million for the City of
Green Bay proper. So that's

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a big number. You break it
down to the average

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homeowner, you know,
$300,000 home. I think

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that's about $270 going for
for this, this voucher

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program.
>> So again, I was going to

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back up and suggest that
what you're talking about

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there is the line item of
the voucher schools on on

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the property tax bill. And
again in your mind, why is

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that important to delineate?
>> Well, again, this was

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something that our school
district felt very strongly

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about for, for some time.
They brought it to our

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common council. And we just
felt like transparency is

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really the best answer here.
I think a lot of people

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assume public dollars are
going to public schools.

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When you show this to them,
it tends to to raise some

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questions. But even if
you're an advocate of of

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private voucher schools,
you know, I think this

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enables one to, to make
that argument, you know,

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the system that we have in
place is the one that

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voucher advocates have
asked for at the state of

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Wisconsin. And so if
they're not comfortable

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with it, you know, they
should bring forward an

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alternate way of funding
education in the state of

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Wisconsin. And and I know
that, you know, public

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school advocates have been
doing that for some time.

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And we're certainly looking
forward to seeing how that

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lawsuit moves forward and
how the legislature

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responds to this debate in
the next session.

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>> Meanwhile, it looks like
green Bay schools will be

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even worse off deficit wise
in the 2728 school year

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when your last referendum
money runs out. What kind

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of cost cutting measures
have your schools had to

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undergo? Do you know,
significant?

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>> You know, just over the
last few years, numerous

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schools have been closed in
the district. Now, some of

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that is related to
demographic change that

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we're seeing in cities
across the state of

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Wisconsin and nation are
are really seeing. But the

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way that that vouchers are
funded, you know,

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exacerbates this funding
crunch for our districts.

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And so even more hard
questions are going to have

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to be asked, not just in
this budget cycle, but as

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you said, in years to come
where that deficit gets

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even larger and worse.
>> And it's my

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understanding that the caps
on the voucher program come

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off soon, correct?
>> Yeah. I mean, that's my

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understanding too. You know,
obviously not a not a state

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policy maker these days,
but that's my recollection

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as well that in 26, 27, you
know, that that number

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actually, you know, gets
removed. So we've already

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seen, I think, a 900%
increase in the levy growth

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that that is devoted to
voucher school spending

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here in the district over
the last ten years. So you

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can, you know, if we
continue on that trajectory,

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it's really just not
sustainable.

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>> All right. Well, we will
be watching the referendum

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results as they come in on
April 7th and be looking