Late Budget in Wis. Expands School Choice Options

By Beth Reinhard

Wisconsin's new state budget sticks to the status quo on school funding, but bucks tradition by expanding alternatives to neighborhood public schools.

Lawmakers and Gov. Tommy G. Thompson also defied the biannual ritual of agreeing on a budget soon after July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. The Republican governor didn't sign the $9.8 billion budget until Oct. 11, leaving school districts uncertain of their resources for the current school year.

The delay was widely attributed to infighting in the Senate, where Democrats hold sway by only one vote. The Assembly--the legislature's lower house--is solidly Republican. The late passage of the fiscal 1998 budget forced some districts to take out short-term loans and to postpone plans for lowering 2nd grade class sizes when...