{"id":935,"date":"2023-03-02T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=935"},"modified":"2023-03-02T18:01:30","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T18:01:30","slug":"ghost-students-the-inefficient-allocation-of-taxpayer-dollars-in-wisconsins-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=935","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Students: The Inefficient Allocation of Taxpayer Dollars in Wisconsin\u2019s Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/will-law.org\/ghost-students-the-inefficient-allocation-of-taxpayer-dollars-in-wisconsins-schools\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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New policy brief shows that Wisconsin\u2019s outdated \u201cThree-Year Rolling Average\u201d system costs taxpayers over $359 million dollars, should be replaced with dynamic enrollment counts<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The News<\/strong>: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) published a new policy brief, \u201cGhost Students: The Inefficient Allocation of Taxpayer Dollars in Wisconsin\u2019s Schools.\u201d<\/a> This paper shows that the state\u2019s \u201cThree-Year Rolling Average\u201d is an obsolete system for quantifying attendance and funding for schools. Ultimately, the report highlights how Wisconsin taxpayers fund students who do not exist in school districts, while offering some better alternatives to Wisconsin\u2019s current education spending method.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Quote<\/strong>: WILL Research Director, Will Flanders, PhD, stated \u201cWisconsin\u2019s system for education spending should follow the student\u2014no matter which school they determine is best for them and their family. Other states fund education more efficiently, and there is little reason as to why Wisconsin could not implement similar systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Background:<\/strong> Wisconsin uses what is known as the \u201cThree-Year Rolling Average\u201d in counting students and for calculating school district revenue limits. Under this system, three years of enrollment data are used in calculating how much money the district is able to collect from state and local taxpayers.<\/p>\n

However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment in Wisconsin schools has dropped by more than 3%, with some districts suffering even greater declines. Wisconsin\u2019s current system misallocates funds to districts\u2014for students who no longer attend school in the district. This means that Wisconsin taxpayers are still paying for students that are no longer in the system.<\/p>\n

Key Findings: <\/strong><\/p>\n