The Courage to Lead
This letter to the editor, by Joyce Santo, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on November 13, 2025.
The Hudson School District is grieving the loss of two neighborhood schools. Public school funding in Wisconsin has been edging toward this crisis for nearly 30 years and it is coming home to roost across the state. Districts are being forced to close neighborhood schools, cut programs, delay building maintenance, lay off staff, pass Band-Aid referenda and keep the school districts going with duct tape, baling wire and twine.
Declining population plays a part in the funding challenge because school aid is tied closely to enrollment. The “rolling average” softens the blow, but fewer students leads to less revenue. More affordable housing in the community for young families would help improve things in Hudson, but zoning and infrastructure challenges abound, so it’s unlikely to happen soon.
Special education costs have been a driver of school budgets. Public schools must provide services due to federal and state mandates, but federal and state funding for reimbursing local schools for special education has been woefully absent. Had special education costs in Hudson been reimbursed at the rate of 60% this year, the district would have received about $8 million more per year. The reimbursement rate was increased slightly in the recent state budget, but it’s too little, too late.
The current funding formula we live by creates winners and losers among school districts, sometimes called “high receivers” and “low receivers.” Because of high property values in the Hudson area, Hudson is a “low receiver”. On top of that, school funding hasn’t received a cost of living increase for 15 years.
Meanwhile, elected school board members have to make decisions based on this funding reality. The Hudson School Board made the very painful decision to close two schools as a result of these funding difficulties. Being honest and forthright about this difficult choice is important. They made the best decision they could to maintain the quality schools in Hudson given the facts before them and they are an example of having the courage to lead. The Hudson School Board is committed to keeping Hudson schools functioning at a high level on a shoestring budget in a time of grave financial uncertainty.
The responsibility for 30 years of neglect lies squarely with the Wisconsin State Legislature. Our Assemblyman, Shannon Zimmerman, has voted for the policies that got us here, even though many voices for the past decades have said this was coming.
State Senator Rob Stafsholt has also been part of shaping this terrible funding situation for all the School Districts in St. Croix County as well as other counties in Senate District 10: Pierce, Buffalo, Trempealeau and Pepin counties.
It takes courage to be honest and open about hard decisions in the face of such a crisis. The actions of our state legislators over the years have forced the Hudson School Board into this difficult position. Our schools are simply not funded the way they should be. Put the blame where it belongs, with Rep. Shannon Zimmerman and State Senator Stafsholt. Where has their courage been? Zimmerman is up for re-election next November. It’s time for a change.