needs of Wisconsinites who are being harmed.
>> On the issue of K-12 school funding in the state
budget, a push to increase funding for special
education. Proponents want more state money for
students with learning challenges to release the
pressure that special education costs put on local
property taxes "Here& Now". Reporter Steven Potter has
more. >> Education is a right that
we all have. They have a right to every bit of as
good of an education as anyone else.
>> Students with disabilities make up nearly
16% of all children in the Wisconsin school system.
There are more than 120,000 students with disabilities
in the state. These students can have cognitive or
emotional behavior issues, speech, health, or physical
impairments, learning disabilities, or a range of
other conditions that help at school.
>> Torment. >> Tiffany Ciano's son is
one of those students. >> My son Jack is seven
years old. He is a lot of fun. He's a brilliant little
boy and he's also autistic. We've struggled finding him.
The right supports that. He needs to be successful in
the community and in school. >> The.
>> Jack cannot write, so he is able to use assistive
technology like speech to text. And he also has a 1 to
1 aide. So someone who's with him all the time to
help him navigate school. >> Right now, Ciano's son is
enrolled in a public school in Sheboygan.
>> I think that they try their best.
>> But she's worried about Jack's educational future,
primarily because there aren't enough school staff
trained to do the work he needs.
education educator shortage. We have a shortage of
paraprofessionals. Who are those adults who work one on
one with our kids? There are shortages of school
psychologists. We don't have enough speech therapists,
occupational therapists. We're expecting general
education teachers now to also kind of step into that
special education role. And I don't think that we set
them up for success with that.
>> Shawano says that the money public schools in
Wisconsin get for special education just isn't enough.
>> The funding isn't there for every dollar that a
school spends on special education. They're
reimbursed about $0.30 from the state. We believe that
that number should be a lot higher.
>> During my first term, I fought to secure the first
special education aid increase in over a decade.
>> Democratic Governor Tony Evers agrees. As part of his
state budget proposal for the 20 2527 biennium. Evers
would like to double the amount the state spends on
special education. >> And we're going to
guarantee the state reimburses special education
costs at 60% to ensure every kid gets a public education.
They deserve. >> But that still needs to
pass. The Republican controlled state
legislature. Stakes are high for parents and their kids.
>> My older son is eight and my younger son is five. My
older son has is neurodivergent. He's got
ADHD. He also has some other complex health needs. And
then my younger son is five and he has autism and ADHD,
and he also has a speech language disorder. Say hi
Corbin. >> I'm Melissa Kuster says
that because of the special education staffing
challenges at her elder son's Grafton School
district, she removed him from the local school and
now teaches him at home. Kuster and Shawano created
the Learn in My Shoes outreach campaign earlier
this year. Together, they've been speaking up with other
parents about the need for more special education
funding. >> Parents are tired of
competing for limited resources. We are tired of
excuses, of being dismissed and of your heads nodding
like you understand when you really don't. It's time for
special education to be reimbursed at at least 60%,
some sufficient, and we aren't going anywhere until
we have it. >> In addition to testifying
before the state Budget Committee, parents with
learning my shoes are also taking their demands
directly to lawmakers in the Capitol. Dropping off
stories about their special education struggles tucked
into their kids shoes. Milwaukee Democratic state
Senator Chris Larson is a longtime advocate for
increased special education funding. He says that not
increasing funding at the state level will continue to
cause problems at the local school level.
>> We need to get to that 60% or bust, because
otherwise those kids are costing those schools,
right? And we shouldn't penalize schools for taking
in every child that enters their classrooms.
>> What will happen if funding for special
education remains at the current level of 30 or less
than 30%? >> If it goes lower, or if
it stays what it is it's going to go. It's going to
result in property tax increases, which is what
we've had, right? But beyond that, they are cut to the
bone. People are kind of sick and tired of having to
make up for the difference, and people are starting to
see that this is the state's problem, not their local
school board, that they've been been blaming.
>> Potentially blaming school districts for going
to referendum, seeking more funding from taxpayers. If
Governor Evers proposal of doubling reimbursements from
30 to 60% passes, the state legislature, that would be
an extra $1.1 billion spent on special education over
the next two years. Republican State
Representative Jesse Rodriguez of Oak Creek says
that that amount is a very big financial request.
>> It's very difficult to say that that's something we
could possibly do when it costs $1 billion.
>> Rodriguez, who sits on the Joint Finance Committee,
says she and her Republican colleagues are listening.
>> Special education is something that's supported
by pretty much everyone. >> Last week, however,
Republicans on JFC removed hundreds of Governor Evers
funding proposals, including more money for special
education. But Rodriguez says that special education
funding increases are still on the table for the budget
that the legislature will write.
>> I think the desire is to do more. But it's going to
be a lot, a lot of discussions to see what that
number is going to be. >> Well, the state does
billion budget surplus. Rodriguez isn't in favor of
using that money to fund special education increases,
because it's not a long term solution.
time surplus. There is an expectation in that if we're
going to put more funding into special education, that
we need to continue to provide that funding moving
forward. you.
>> Parents like Shawano and Custer, however, have grown
tired of their children's education needs not being
met. They say it's past time to increase and properly
fund special education. >> There's just not enough
to go around right now. >> I don't believe that it's
fair that these barriers that don't need to be there
keep people from accessing their right to an education,
and that affects their entire life.
>> Reporting from Grafton. >> Reporting from Grafton.