Democratic control at the state Capitol could open the door to changes in how Wisconsin pays for its schools. UW-La Crosse political scientist Anthony Chergosky discussed the outlook in an interview with WRDN in Durand.

Chergosky noted that Democrats will hold a 12-4 edge on the Joint Finance Committee, the Legislature's budget-writing panel. He said Democrats will also have an ally in Gov. David Crowley if they choose to take up school funding.

What remains unsettled, Chergosky said, is whether Democrats will change the school funding formula itself, how much they might increase state aid for education, and how much of that effort would be aimed at holding down property tax increases.

The discussion comes after the Department of Public Instruction notified 62 percent of school districts, ahead of the election, that they would receive less state aid for the 2026-27 school year than they did the year before.

Local districts also put 79 K-12 referendum questions before voters last week. Of those, 44 were approved and 35 failed.