Costs for Wisconsin’s K-12 schools are still on the rise, even as enrollment declines statewide, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The finding comes from a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Data from the Department of Public Instruction showed an over 9% drop in public school enrollment across Wisconsin over the past 15 years — reportedly driven by declining birth rates.
Sara Shaw, the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s deputy research director, said the trend worsens schools’ financial situations because as districts lose students, they miss out on the funding that would have come with them.
Wisconsin schools are serving roughly 80,000 fewer students now than in 2011, the report found, for a total drop of 9.2%, and the decline is expected to continue.
Over the same period of time, the number of public schools dropped by only 3.2%.
Meanwhile, despite falling enrollments, school staffing has increased 7%, with most of the growth driven by paraprofessionals and non-classroom jobs in school administration or counseling.
District leaders interviewed by researchers said the higher staff-to-student ratio comes in response to increased student needs in areas such as special education, English language learning and mental health services.
