WISCONSIN – The presidents of Wisconsin’s fourteen technical colleges are pushing back on Governor Tony Evers’ recently announced budget surplus proposal, arguing that despite a headline figure of fifty million dollars, the plan would not deliver any new money to technical colleges or workforce education programs.
Under the proposal, additional state funding would be used to offset local property tax levies by an equal amount. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, that means the plan effectively shifts a portion of technical college funding from local taxpayers to the state, without increasing the total dollars available to colleges. No new money would flow to campuses, and schools would see no increase in their capacity to hire, expand programs, or train additional workers.
College leaders say the distinction matters, especially as workforce shortages continue to grow across the state.
“Wisconsin’s technical colleges recognize the financial pressures facing families and communities across the state, and we appreciate bipartisan efforts to provide taxpayer relief,” the college presidents said in a joint statement. “At the same time, long-term investment in workforce education remains critical to meeting Wisconsin’s growing labor needs and ensuring technical colleges can continue expanding training opportunities for students and employers across our state.”
Without new investment, college leaders warn that schools will remain unable to respond to mounting demand in high-need sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, construction, public safety, and information technology. Wisconsin employers across nearly every industry continue to face significant workforce shortages, and technical colleges prepare a large share of the workers needed to fill those roles.
The fourteen colleges: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Fox Valley Technical College, Moraine Park Technical College, Mid-State Technical College, Northcentral Technical College, Blackhawk Technical College, Nicolet College, Gateway Technical College, Southwest Technical College, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Western Technical College, and Waukesha County Technical College, say they remain committed to working with Governor Evers, legislative leaders, and state policymakers throughout the budget process to identify long-term funding solutions that strengthen Wisconsin’s workforce.
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