State Tax Problems

Wisconsin Gov. Increases School Funding For 400 Years, Vetoes Tax Cuts

Wisconsin Gov. Increases School Funding For 400 Years, Vetoes Tax Cuts

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) has increased school funding in the state for 400 years, while simultaneously vetoing a GOP-backed tax cut. 

According to a report originally issued by the Associated Press, Evers signed a two-year spending plan that sparked immediate backlash from Republicans. Per the AP, the Democratic governor "got creative with his use of the partial veto" with this budget plan, the third he's signed that was created by a Republican-controlled legislature.

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Credit: Henryk Sadura/Getty Images

He controversially removed a hyphen in school years "24-25," increasing K-12 public school funding per student by $325 a year for four centuries, until 2425. Evers also lowered the proposed state income tax cut from $3.5 billion to $175 million, completely eliminating tax relief for the two highest earning brackets.  

Republicans leaders, according to the AP's report, have stated the governor is "going back on deals he had made with them."

Evers, who previously worked as a teacher and later served as the state's Secretary of Education, wanted school revenue limits to increase with inflation, an idea that was not backed by Republicans.

His veto, which could be undone by a future Legislature and governor, is meant to give schools “predictable long-term spending authority.”

The AP notes that both Republican and Democrat governors in Wisconsin have a long history of using the state's "broad partial veto power to reshape the state budget." Lawmakers in The Badger State frequently make an effort to craft legislation in a way that makes it immune to vetoes but that clearly did not happen in this case.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council has weighed in on Evers's decision, with WEAC President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen saying, “Guaranteed minimum increases for public school districts is a game-changer for Wisconsin Public Schools."

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Credit: VisualArtStudio/Getty Images

She continued, "The governor took the budget that came out of the Joint Finance Committee and improved it. The governor has put educators in a better position to continue improving public schools and the lives of our students.”

The increase of $325 per student is the highest single-year increase in public school revenue limits in Wisconsin history. 

What do you think about Evers's partial veto?

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Feature Image Credit: Jonathan Kirn/Getty Images

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Rebekah Barton

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