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"Spending is going through the roof."
The first Republican in the 2026 race for governor is turning an eye toward a different future for the University of Wisconsin system.
Josh Schoemann was a guest on News Talk 1130 WISN on Wednesday, and said state leaders need to be honest about what the next 50 years of higher education in the state will look like.
“We've got about a five to 10 year window, and that is it. We need to do everything we can to right-size the UW system,” Schoemann explained. “Look at the proposal in the governor's budget for the UW system, it makes no sense. We're going to have less kids attending the university in the next 10 years than we do now, and spending is going through the roof.”
The University of Wisconsin’s total operating budget in this final year of the state budget is just over $7.5 billion.
Gov. Evers supports a nearly $1 billion increase, as well as millions more for new university construction.
The UW said while UW-Madison continues to thrive, enrollment at five campuses fell last fall. Enrollment at eight others was up, but in some cases those numbers jumped by just a few students.
“We need to right-size the UW, and have a holistic conversation about higher education,” Schoemann added.
Schoemann knows about right-sizing the university. He is Washington County’s executive, and was in charge when the university closed the UW-Milwaukee Washington County branch campus last summer.
He said they knew the closing was coming, and tried their best to get ahead of it.
Schoemann said right-sizing the UW, and finding a better focus for higher education is part of his plan to make Wisconsin more attractive to younger people.
“I want our kids to want to come back to Wisconsin and plant roots,” Schoemann said. “I want Wisconsin to be a place to not just be from.”
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