AREA LEGISLATORS SOUND OFF ON GUV'S EDUCATION PROPOSAL
Thursday, February 10th, 2005 -- 9:36 AM
Education was the centerpiece of Doyle?s budget address Tuesday night. He proposed returning to two-thirds funding for public schools, which would cost the state around $850-million, saying the budget crunch that schools have been forced to deal with have torn communities apart.To pay for it, Doyle would draw $250-million from the Transportation Trust Fund. Republican Scott Suder of Abbotsford says that isn?t right.
"What it will do eventually is delay road projects up north. That's definitely a non-starter with us," Suder says, "I don't think taxpayers in our area of the state want our road projects delayed as a result."
Amy Sue Vruwink (Dem., Milladore) says she has reservations about raiding the Transportation Fund, but says restoring two-thirds funding will help schools and property taxes. She especially likes an education provision that would help schools struggling with high transportation costs.
"Some kids spend over an hour on a school bus," Vruwink notes, "If you look at how rural these districts are, it's important that you have good transporation and you can help the schools fund the costs for that."
Also, the budget would: repeal the Qualified Economic Offer for teachers, hold the line on shared revenue for local governments, raise car registration and license fees by $10 a piece, and raise hunting and fishing license fees by $12 and $3 respectively.
The budget proposal has a long road before becoming law. The Joint Finance Committee will be looking at Doyle?s budget and will eventually submit their own version before the legislature gets a crack it in a few months.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.