Ope-lander strikes! Evers uses his pen to get more funds into the classroom

While Governor Evers' tax vetoes involve a lot of dollars in this budget, another veto was even more remarkable, and much more creative.

Gov. Evers of Wisconsin, using his partial veto, ensured school funding increases for 400 years.

He struck "the," "24," the following several words, "20," and the hyphen, creating "For the limit for 2023-2425, add $325 to the result under par." pic.twitter.com/zkjKAuFHBW

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) July 5, 2023

That's for the revenue limits for public K-12 schools (changes in state aid + property taxes per student), and the WisGOP Legislature had agreed to raise the revenue limits by those amounts for the two years in the budget. But it was only for those two years and did not have any promises of higher revenue limits for future years. So the former State School Superintendent decided to take care of that uncertainty.

Is it a BS maneuver? Yeah, probably. Is it hilarious and (currently) legal? ABSOLUTELY.

Naturally, WisGOP's Number 2 in the Assembly was not happy at being outfoxed.

I am extremely disappointed that Evers not only broke our deal on school funding, but also stuck the hardworking taxpayers of WI w/ a massive tax increase. Evers’ line-item veto is in stark opposition to the GOP historic tax cut, which would have been the largest in state history pic.twitter.com/4svHaIn5p0

— Rep. Tyler August (@rep_august) July 5, 2023

1. The deal was for expanding voucher payments, slightly more state aid to public K-12s, and increased revenue limits of $325 in each year. That didn't change Tyler.

2. If you raise state aids $325 per student each year (an amount that will be less than 3% of the revenue limits for all schools in 2025, and a whole lot less than we're increasing voucher payments in this budget), property taxes wouldn't have to go up at all.

3. These limits can always be changed, Tyler. You know, like collective bargaining rights for public workers. Or voting laws. Or change the powers of the Governor. All of these were things Tyler August and the rest of the gerrymandered WisGOPs were glad to vote to change in the past.

Before the next election, if WisGOPs don't like what Evers did, they can try to override the added future funding for schools. Or try their chances with the soon-to-be liberal majority in the Supreme Court and claim that Evers went too far with his veto power. See how far that gets you guys.

Or WisGOPs can try to argue against the higher limits to win at the ballot box. But good luck trying to sell the majority of Wisconsinites on that one, or on pretty much anything else WisGOP is supporting these days. And new maps are coming.