February 2020 Special Session
5:02 P.M. TUESDAY, February 11, 2020
The Senate met.
The Senate was called to order by Senator Fitzgerald.
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Petition and Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
EXECUTIVE ORDER #69
Relating to a Special Session of the Legislature
WHEREAS, every kid deserves access to high-quality, public education regardless of their age, identity, background, economic status, or zip code;
WHEREAS, there are nearly 860,000 Wisconsin kids enrolled in schools across our state, and more than 100,000 educators, staff, and administrators who dedicate each day to making a difference in the lives of generations of Wisconsin’s kids and future leaders;
WHEREAS, what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state, and the success of our people, our state, and our economy depend upon fully investing in public education at every level;
WHEREAS, since 2011, nearly one million Wisconsinites have voted to raise their own taxes to support local schools, and in 2018, voters approved more than $2 billion in debt and revenue increases for local schools;
WHEREAS, schools and districts across our state should not have to continue relying on referenda to raise their own property taxes or face difficult decisions due to lack of funding;
WHEREAS, more than half of Wisconsinites believe increasing spending on public schools is more important that reducing property taxes;
WHEREAS, the 2019-21 biennial budget increased our investment in K-12 students by more than $500 million, including the largest general school air increase in more than a decade, a roughly $97 million increase in funding for special education-the first increase in more than a decade-and more than $100 million in per pupil aid;
WHEREAS, while we have made important investments in our kids, we know that there is still much work to do and we must renew our commitment to public education in our state;
WHEREAS, two-thirds state funding for our schools was recommended by the recent Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding, has received broad, bipartisan support, and will allow us to invest in our kids while reducing reliance on property taxes; and
WHEREAS, it is time to recommit to two-thirds state funding to invest in our rural schools, double down on closing achievement gaps, ensure districts have the resources to retain and recruit our talented educators, and provide additional funding for our special education, tribal revitalization, and mental health programs.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, TONY EVERS, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State, specifically Article IV, Section 11 and Article V, Section 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution, hereby require the convening of a special session of the Legislature at the Capitol in the City of Madison, to commence at 1:00 PM on February 11, 2020, solely to consider and act upon LRB-5634/1 and 5625/1, relating to general school aids, aid for special education, high-cost special education aid, sparsity aid, school mental health programs aid, summer school grants, special education transition readiness grants, tribal language revitalization grants, Wisconsin Retirement System teacher annuitants who are rehired by or provide services to a school district, and making an appropriation.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this sixth day of February, in the year two thousand twenty.
TONY EVERS
Governor
By the Governor:
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
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Adjournment
Senator Fitzgerald, with unanimous consent, asked that the February 2020 Special Session of the Senate stand adjourned until Thursday, February 13, 2020.
Adjourned.
5:03 P.M.
