Dodgeville— Democratic members of the Joint Committee on Finance continued their 2025-27 biennial budget listening tour in Dodgeville, where dozens of community members spoke in support of Governor Evers’ historic investment in public education.
Just hours before the listening session, Dodgeville School District announced it will cut 13 staff positions and reduce electives and extracurriculars, following the failure of its referendum last Tuesday. Class sizes are expected to grow by four to five students. The district’s superintendent said the cuts will hurt, but the community simply couldn’t afford to raise taxes again.
In response to this news, and the discussions at the roundtable Wednesday, the Democratic members of the Joint Committee on Finance issued the following statement:
“We have a responsibility to ensure every kid in every community receives a quality public education. The cuts in the Dodgeville School District are a direct result of misplaced priorities by our Republican colleagues. We heard many stories from parents concerned about their children’s futures, worries of losing good teachers to neighboring districts who can pay more, concerns about growing class sizes, and the need for an increase in the special education reimbursement.
“Communities are too often forced to choose between raising their property taxes to keep teachers and staff in classrooms or programs in schools. This past year a record number of school districts went to referendums to make up for the lack of funding they receive from the state. As a state legislature, we can end this cycle that creates a gap between communities who can afford a property tax increase to provide a great education for their kids and communities who cannot afford a property tax increase.”
This event is a part of a series organized by Democratic members of the Joint Committee on Finance to ensure voices from every corner of Wisconsin are heard. With the official Joint Finance public hearings announced last month, which are limited in number and reach, these additional sessions fill in the gaps and make sure families, workers, and communities who are too often left out of the process have a seat at the table.
