Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) is facing pressure from the state’s teachers union to veto a school funding deal that expands funding for public schools and the state’s school choice program.
Evers negotiated a deal with Republicans in the state legislature to boost funding for public schools by $1 billion, but the inclusion of a $282 million funding increase for the state’s school choice program and charter schools riled the Wisconsin Education Association, which is urging the governor to veto the legislation, which passed both chambers of the legislature on Wednesday.
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The funding expands individual voucher awards for students to $9,045 for elementary and middle school grades and $11,993 for high school students, an increase of $1,000 and $3,000, respectively.
“Wisconsin is sitting on [a] $7 billion budget surplus and this so-called funding compromise only compromises our students,” Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said in a statement. “A child graduating from a public school this month has never seen a state funding increase that has kept up with inflation. Governor Evers, WEAC calls on you to veto these proposals when they come to your desk.”
Amy Mizialko, the president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, likewise criticized Evers in a statement shared with FOX 6 Milwaukee.
“We can’t have the public education governor of this state at the table saying that he’s going to participate in the education hunger games of Wisconsin and sacrifice the vast majority of public school students and public school families and public school voters,” Mizialko said. “Public tax dollars don’t belong in private schools, period.”
Despite the opposition from the state’s unions, Evers, who was elected with support from the teachers unions, has called the legislation a “win for Wisconsin.”
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“It’s my job as governor to always work to do the right thing when it matters most,” the governor tweeted after the legislature passed the bill. “We’re securing over $1 billion for our kids and our schools to improve reading and kids’ mental health while making historic investments in our communities. This is a win for Wisconsin.”
The Wisconsin Education Association Council and the governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
