As early voting opens, lawmakers from Milwaukee endorse MPS referendum

At City Hall on Tuesday, the first day of early voting for the April 2 election, five state lawmakers from Milwaukee urged residents to vote yes on a referendum that would raise property taxes for Milwaukee Public Schools.

The Democratic lawmakers rebuked Republican leaders for keeping tight caps on funding for public schools. School district leaders across Wisconsin have complained that state allowances have not kept pace with inflation, leading many districts to bring referendums to their local voters seeking permission to raise taxes.

"State leaders have not stepped up, so local residents of Milwaukee are saying yes, our kids our worth it," Rep. Evan Goyke said. "The only tool we have to provide the resources in the classroom that kids deserve is through this referendum. And maybe in future years, the Legislature will solve this problem. But today, right now, this next school year, the only thing we have is to vote yes."

About 100 other school districts — nearly a quarter of the state's districts — are asking their local voters for more money this year.

If approved in Milwaukee, the city property tax rate rate for schools would rise by an estimated $2.16 per $1,000 of property value, to a total of $10.10 per $1,000 of property value. For a $200,000 home, that would be an increase of $432, increasing the schools tax from $1,588 to $2,020.

Milwaukee Public Schools leaders say they face a $200 million budget shortfall for the next school year if voters don't approve the referendum. If approved by voters, MPS would be allowed to increase revenue by up to $140 million in the first year, with the amount growing to $252 million in four years.

More: Early voting starts today in Wisconsin. Here's how to find locations, dates and times.

Sen. LaTonya Johnson drew a comparison to funding for Lincoln Hills, the state's troubled youth prison for boys, noting that the daily rate runs over $1,240 a day per person, or over $450,000 a year. She argued that state lawmakers should have put more funding into school districts to avoid needing referendums.

"There is absolutely no reason that our schools should be going to referendum when it costs more to incarcerate our kids than it does to educate our kids," Johnson said. "That means that your children are worth more in a Type 1 maximum-security juvenile facility than they are in the classroom."

Goyke and Johnson were joined at the event by three other state lawmakers from Milwaukee: Sen. Chris Larson, and Reps. Ryan Clancy and Darrin Madison.

According to the Vote Yes for MPS campaign, other lawmakers support the referendum but weren't able to attend: Sen. Tim Carpenter, and Reps. Supreme Moore Omokunde, Daniel Riemer, Christine Sinicki and LaKeshia Myers.

The Vote Yes for MPS campaign, which organized the press conference Tuesday, is a committee that supported the last MPS referendum in 2020 and revived in January. Milwaukee residents approved the 2020 referendum with support from 78% of voters.

The Vote Yes campaign also has the support of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, along with numerous community organizations.

There are two committees registered to fundraise against the referendum: one from Milwaukee attorney Dan Adams, and another from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, which is led by former Republican state Rep. Dale Kooyenga.

Learn more: Should voters support April 2 referendum for MPS? Policy Forum breaks it down.

Contact Rory Linnane at [email protected]. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: As early voting opens, lawmakers from Milwaukee endorse MPS referendum