Wisconsin: Increase in SPED numbers; student enrollment down

June 18, 2026, The New Math In Wisconsin Schools, Fewer Students and More Staff » Urban Milwaukee

Public school enrollment is down in districts across Wisconsin. But a new report finds that having fewer students does not necessarily mean lower costs for schools.

Over the past 15 years, public school enrollment in Wisconsin has dropped by more than 9 percent, according to data from the Department of Public Instruction.

“That is largely contributed to by declining birth rates,” Sara Shaw, deputy research director for Wisconsin Policy Forum, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

“And it means a real financial crunch for school districts because as they lose students, they also lose the funding that would come with those students.”

Shaw is one of the researchers behind the report, which looks at the ripple effects of declining K-12 enrollment and the difficult budget decisions school districts face while trying to maintain services with lagging funding. . . .

What was more surprising to Shaw and her colleagues is that despite falling enrollments, school staffing has increased 7 percent. The most growth was in paraprofessionals, also known as teachers’ aides, and non-classroom jobs in school administration or counseling.

District leaders that the researchers interviewed said this higher staff-to-student ratio is due to increased student need in areas like special education, English language learning and mental health services.

Spending on special education is on the rise throughout Wisconsin. Public schools are required by federal law to provide these services for students, but “it doesn’t come with sufficient money,” Turner said. Schools “have to make up the extra through their budgets.”

The state currently reimburses special education services at a rate of 35 percent, which educators and disability advocates say isn’t enough.

Last month, Gov. Tony Evers struck a budget deal with Republicans in the state Legislature that included $300 million for special education funding. It would have raised the reimbursement rate to 42 percent for the 2025-26 academic year and 50 percent in 2026-27, but the deal failed to pass the state Senate. . . .

But as costs rise and enrollments decline around the state, many other districts will find themselves turning to operating referendums, which may or may not pass. This creates “troubling gaps in funding between districts,” according to the report.

“This problem is not going away,” Shaw said.