Gov. Walker’s budget proposal seeks to balance the state’s $3.6 billion (GPR) deficit by cutting government spending without raising taxes. Key elements of the plan include reducing overall spending by $4.2 billion over the biennium; a 6.7% reduction in total spending (all funds) compated to the FY11 adjusted base; eliminating 1,656 government positions; reducing state aids to schools by $834 million over the next two years and preventing local officials from increasing property taxes; cutting $250 million from the UW System, but allowing UW-Madison to split from the other UW campuses to allow for more autonomy over its ability to hire and pay its workers, build new structures, and set tuition.
In total, Gov. Walker’s plan would reduce the structural deficit – the imbalance between revenue and spending commitments – by 90 percent, from $2.5 billion to $250 million. Below are some of the major proposals listed by topic area.