Wisconsin educators are shedding light on the unique dilemma rural school districts face as they work to meet a large portion of the state’s student needs despite significant funding and resource uncertainty.
The state recently announced significant funding cuts for more than 300 school districts across the state, many of which are rural.
Jeff Eide, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, said more cuts only exacerbate ongoing staffing issues, federal funding uncertainty and dwindling resources. He pointed out reduced funding and resources are forcing districts to make difficult choices.
"We make decisions that are going to have the best impact for kids and the least impact on our school district in the end," Eide explained. "But that becomes just incredibly challenging when we know that over the years, we haven't received as much of the funding."
Eide noted Wisconsin's established revenue limits further compound matters by creating inequities between districts, as more frugal schools are capped at lower rates, resulting in significantly less funding per student compared to other districts. The majority of school districts in Wisconsin are considered rural and serve more than 40% of the state’s 860,000 public school students.
Wisconsin’s special education funding gap also continues to be an ongoing challenge as the state reimburses school districts for only a small fraction of special education costs. Eide underscored rural school districts face additional hurdles in finding specialized teachers like special education staff due in part to the lack of amenities compared to urban areas. But he emphasized rural school districts have much to offer.
"I think we do a great job of connecting to the students, the community," Eide observed. "Once we have students and/or staff come in and be a part of our rural school districts, they just love it. They love being a part of that. They feel connected. They feel like it's a great thing."
Eide added Wisconsin has not met the federal rate of inflation for more than 15 years, yet schools still face rising costs for maintenance, utilities and other necessities. He stressed with additional resources, rural schools could be even more efficient and effective in serving their students.
"Rural school districts are the heartbeat of their community and are incredibly important to the economy, not only in Wisconsin but across the United States," Eide asserted.
