A report released last week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows Wisconsin among the top four states that have cut the most education dollars per student.

The report shows Wisconsin has cut over $900 per student since 2008. This is more than the amount deducted per pupil in any other state, except Alabama, California and Idaho.

The report also shows Wisconsin in the top eight in terms of each state’s percentage change in spending per student. According to the report, Wisconsin has decreased spending by about 14 percent, with only seven states having decreased spending further.

A total of 13 states have increased spending, including North Dakota, which increased its spending per student by 28.2 percent, and Iowa, which increased its spending per student by 10.6 percent.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council released a statement about two weeks ago featuring teachers and officials reflecting on the more recent effects of these cuts on education.

Ron Martin, the president of the Eau Claire Association of Editors, a teacher and the director of the National Education Association, described some of the consequences of the education cuts to be increased class sizes and decreased course offerings.

According to the statement, the state budget cut millions of aid from Wisconsin school districts and reduced the dollar amount school districts can collect without being required to go to referendum.

“In my own school district, there has been a significant reduction in support staff who serve a vitally important role in educating children,” Martin said in the statement. “Here is the bottom line – and I hear this from teachers from all over the state: Increased class sizes, staff cuts and reduced course offerings are limiting opportunities for Wisconsin students.”   

According to Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, the report does not show the complete picture. Mikalsen said there are two parts to the equation: The actual dollar amount and the percentage.

Mikalsen said despite the $900 being cut per student, Wisconsin is still in the top 5-10 percentile in terms of dollar amount allotted per student in the U.S.

“The report is intentionally misleading,” Mikalsen said. “Wisconsin still has one of the highest education expenditures in the country. That is the point that I am trying to make.”

Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, and chair of the state Senate’s Committee on Education and Corrections, said there is no doubt that the education cuts made last year by Gov. Scott Walker have had devastating effects on Wisconsin.

Lehman said these cuts were not only historically the greatest cuts made to education in Wisconsin, but they are also putting a great amount of pressure on the school districts in the state.

“Districts across the state of Wisconsin are dealing with bigger enrollment numbers, larger class sizes and a reduction in program funding,” Lehman said. “We’re hoping something will change and that these kinds of cuts do not continue. [The report] is just another way to look at what is happening in Wisconsin right now.”