UPDATED: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 -- 10:16p.m.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's annual school staff report released today, shows a huge contradiction to Governor Scott Walker's survey results released nearly two weeks ago.

Walker's survey showed that his budget reforms are working, after the Governor made major cuts to public education.

Walker says survey numbers show that this year Wisconsin saw better class sizes and fewer teacher lay offs.

But DPI numbers tell a different story, their report says there was a 50% increase in staff losses from the previous school year, with the majority of those cuts made among teachers.

The DPI report also shows that 73% of school districts lost teachers.

Walker says two thirds of layoffs were seen in specific districts that placed contracts before his reforms, like Milwaukee, Janesville and Kenosha.

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Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2012 --- 9:20 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The state Department of Public Instruction is reporting that the number of teachers and other staff working in Wisconsin schools dropped 2.3 percent this school year.

The data released Wednesday comes in the middle of an ongoing political fight with Gov. Scott Walker over the impact of cuts he made to public school funding last year and changes to collective bargaining rights that he says helped districts make up for the losses in aid.

State Superintendent Tony Evers says in a statement there must be a bipartisan investment in public education because losses in school staff erode the public education system.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie tells the Wisconsin State Journal (http://tiny.cc/e2qycw ) that districts have more flexibility thanks to Walker's changes.

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Information from: Wisconsin State Journal http://host.madison.com/wsj/

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.