Reader refutes Viewpoint on Evers’ school aid plan

Editor,

Last week, former Rhinelander teacher Pete Biolo wrote to complain that Tony Evers’ “Fair Funding” school aid plan would “punish” Northwoods school districts.

Biolo is wrong.  He didn’t read the whole plan.

Biolo points out, correctly, that the Evers plan moves state funding from an existing property tax credit into the general school aid funding formula.  If that’s all it did it would indeed “punish” our area.

But the Evers plan does more.  It substantially modifies the existing school aid formula to benefit most Northwoods districts.

For example, Rhinelander (RSD) got about $4 million in general school aid this year, and property taxpayers in the district got about $4.9 million in school property tax credits, for total state support of about $8.9 million.

Under the Evers plan, RSD would get about $11.7 million in general school aid, a 31.5 percent increase in state support.

Other Northwoods districts don’t do as well as Rhinelander, but Tomahawk would get about 25 percent more, Crandon about 20 percent more and Northland Pines about 4 percent more.

As important, the Evers plan has a “hold harmless” provision so that NO school district in the state would get less state support than they do right now.

I don’t know why Biolo chose not to be honest about the entirety of the Evers plan and its true impact on Northwoods school districts.

Well, it IS campaign season!

Jim Holperin, Eagle River