Parents and educators in Wisconsin have filed a sweeping lawsuit accusing state lawmakers of mismanaging school funding and failing in their constitutional duty to provide children with a basic education.
Who Is Suing and Why
Filed Feb. 23 in Eau Claire County Circuit Court, the 105-page complaint targets the Republican-controlled Legislature and its budget-writing committee, saying years of policy choices have left public schools in a "crisis," especially for students with the greatest needs.
The case was brought by a coalition that includes school districts, teachers' unions, advocacy groups, parents, students, and the Wisconsin PTA, which is taking a lead role.
Plaintiffs say lawmakers have "failed" in managing the state's school finance system by letting funding lag behind rising costs and by pushing districts to rely on local property tax referendums to keep classrooms open, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Districts from Green Bay, Beloit, Eau Claire, Adams-Friendship, and Necedah are among those signed onto the lawsuit, along with local teachers' unions and individual teachers, parents, and students.
Green Bay, the state's third-largest district, and others argue they can no longer meet student needs under current revenue limits and reimbursement rates.
A teacher in the Adams-Friendship district described larger class sizes, fewer support staff, and reduced student opportunities, including in mental health services, as visible signs of the funding gap.
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Constitutional Claims and What's at Stake
At the center of the case is the claim that the Legislature is violating the Wisconsin Constitution, which requires a "sound, basic and uniform" education for all children.
The complaint links declining reading and math scores to reduced state support, saying the system "shortchanges" students with disabilities, English learners, and low-income children who need more intensive services.
Plaintiffs argue that special education reimbursements are "unconstitutionally inadequate," forcing districts to divert regular classroom dollars to cover mandated services, PBS Wisconsin reported.
The coalition is asking the court to declare the current funding model unconstitutional and to order a new system if lawmakers and the governor do not act quickly on their own.
Their filings note that since the Great Recession, state aid has not kept up with inflation, and they estimate districts would receive several thousand dollars more per student had earlier cost-of-living increases continued.
Advocates say that underfunding has already led to hiring freezes, school closures, and loss of programs, with rural and high-poverty communities hit hardest.
Law Forward, a Madison-based public interest law firm, is representing the plaintiffs, calling the suit a "constitutional challenge to the inadequacies" of the current system and framing school funding as both a legal and moral obligation.
Republican leaders have not yet fully responded in court but are expected to defend the existing finance formula, which the state Supreme Court upheld in a separate case more than two decades ago.
The new lawsuit sets up a major test of how far Wisconsin's elected officials must go to ensure stable and adequate funding for public schools, as per US News.
