A Dairyland Sentinel perspectives column by Christopher Mohrman
Starting in 2027, Wisconsin families could become eligible to receive millions in new funds – at zero cost to the state – for all kinds of educational opportunities. The funds could be used for anything from tutoring to supplemental courses not offered in their school, to covering tuition at a private school.
But there is one catch. A single person gets to decide whether or Wisconsin families get to access those funds. That person is Governor Evers. Now, one would think opening millions for Wisconsin families for new educational opportunities would be, as another Governor put it recently, “a no brainier.”
Apparently not.
Here’s the problem. Last year, Congress passed and the President signed, authorization for the establishment of a new tax credit. Under this new federal law, fax filers may receive a $1,700 credit on their tax liability and direct those funds toward scholarship organizations, which in turn provide funding for a variety of education needs. Under the new federal law, for families to access the funds the state must sign up, or “opt in.”
Governor Evers is one of only a handful of governors that has declared he will not opt in. The Legislature reacted to that by passing Assembly Bill 602, requiring the state to allow parents to access these new funds.
To be clear, starting next year Wisconsin filers can still benefit from this tax credit, but Wisconsin families will not have access to any of these funds if Evers goes through with his threat to veto Wisconsin Assembly Bill 602.
The other Governor who called participation in scholarships a “no brainer” was 2024-25 National Democratic Governors Association Chair Polis of Colorado. He also said, “The more Democratic governors learn about it, I fully expect that most will come around and participate, because from our perspective, it’s free money.”
While some families will find that the best use of a scholarship is for tuition at a private school, frankly many more will find the best use is for needed tutoring to catch up in reading or math, or to take a course like astronomy or a foreign language not offered at their school, or to receive great supplemental materials in anything from character development to history.
And you don’t have to take my word for it.
Back to Democratic Governor Polis: “I think that the much broader benefit to so many Colorado families will be after-school activities, and learning for kids that are in public school, summer school activities, tutoring — so many areas that really kids and families will benefit from.“
Again, if Governor Evers vetoes AB 602 that will not mean the federal law won’t impact Wisconsin. What it means is that Wisconsin taxpayers who take the dollar-for-dollar credit in Wisconsin – and there will be many – will just see that money sent to families in other states.
No matter what the Governor does, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites will be faced with the zero-cost choice of, “Should I send $1,700 to the DC swamp or should I give it to a non-profit that helps kids access needed education?” Taxpayers will find that a pretty easy question to answer.
Governor Reynolds of Iowa was one of the first to opt-in for her state. If Evers follows through on his veto, the families of Iowa can send thank you cards to Governor Evers for the millions in new educational funding he declined for Wisconsin families and sent away to them, or any of the other already 28 states that have opted in.
Vetoing AB 602 would be wrong for Wisconsin families.
Governor Evers, don’t deny Wisconsin kids these new opportunities. Don’t send Wisconsin money to kids in other states. Do the right thing and sign AB 602.
It really is a “no brainer.”
Mohrman is a national legal scholar, specializing in education policy, and a former senior advisor to Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. A native of Bloomer, Wisconsin, he most recently co-authored a nation-wide column with former Education Secretary William J. Bennett, in which they advocated for all states to authorize this new federal tax credit.
