Gov. Scott Walker gets behind funding boost for low-spending schools

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker is getting behind a provision that would allow low-spending school districts to raise their property taxes without a vote, similar to a change he vetoed from the state budget.

Walker told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that he's worked with budget committee co-chair Rep. John Nygren on the latest proposal. Walker says he will ask the Legislature in his State of the State speech later this month to pass it.

The proposal would increase the maximum that qualifying low-spending districts can spend on a combination of local property taxes and state aid per student from $9,100 to $9,400 for the 2018-2019 school year.

Only schools where voters have not rejected raising the revenue limit in the past three years would qualify.

Walker's also calling for increasing sparsity aid for rural schools by $6.5 million a year.