Gov. Tony Evers on Friday slapped down a package of Republican-backed education bills, including a high-profile measure that would have forced school districts to get state approval before asking local voters to raise property taxes. The veto keeps control of school referendums at the local level just as dozens of districts gear up for spring ballot questions, and it comes on the heels of intense scrutiny of Milwaukee Public Schools’ $252 million operating referendum and the district’s late financial filings. Evers also rejected proposals that would have broadened rules for removing students from class and loosened hiring standards in private choice schools.
As reported by Urban Milwaukee (republishing reporting from the Wisconsin Examiner), the governor vetoed Assembly Bills 457, 614 and 518. The measures would have required state Department of Public Instruction sign-off before certain referendums, expanded the scenarios in which teachers could remove disruptive students from classrooms, and allowed private choice schools to hire staff using short-term substitute permits instead of bachelor’s degrees.
AB 457: State Sign-Off Before Tax Hikes
Under AB 457, the Department of Public Instruction would have been required to certify that a district had submitted all the financial reports the state needs before a school board could even adopt a resolution to exceed its revenue limit. Any resolution or referendum adopted without that certification would have been void, according to LegiScan. Republican sponsors framed the bill as a transparency measure, arguing that voters should not be asked to approve higher property taxes without up-to-date financial information from their districts.
Milwaukee’s Big Ask And The Backlash
Lawmakers repeatedly pointed to last year’s Milwaukee Public Schools referendum, a $252 million recurring operating request that voters approved in April 2024, as the spark for AB 457. They also cited reporting that MPS was months late filing required financial documents with the state, and that state officials at one point withheld millions in aid while the district scrambled to bring its books current, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. For Republicans, that episode was Exhibit A in why they say the state should have a stronger gatekeeping role when districts seek more local tax authority.
Disruptive-Student Bill Sparks Disability-Rights Fears
AB 614 would have broadened statutory definitions of a “disruptive incident,” giving teachers and administrators wider latitude to remove students from class. Disability-rights advocates and civil liberties groups warned that the bill’s language could open the door to pushing students with disabilities out of general education settings more easily, concerns detailed by the ACLU of Wisconsin. GOP backers countered that educators need clearer tools for handling serious disruptions and keeping classrooms safe.
Private Choice Hiring Loophole Blocked
AB 518 took aim at hiring rules in private choice schools. It would have carved out an exception allowing those schools to employ people who hold short-term substitute teaching permits even if they do not have bachelor’s degrees. Supporters said that flexibility would ease persistent staffing shortages. The proposal’s language appears in legislative documents posted by the Wisconsin State Legislature. Evers, however, objected to what he called a lowering of educator credential standards and vetoed the bill.
Evers’ Veto Pitch: Keep It Local, Fund It Better
In his veto message, Evers argued that lawmakers were overreaching into decisions that should stay closer to home and urged the Legislature to focus on putting more money into schools instead of adding new hoops for local funding requests. The governor wrote that “funding our schools is a responsibility that the state and local partners share,” according to Urban Milwaukee. He also pressed for state investments that could ease pressure on property taxes and expand behavioral and mental health supports for students.
What Voters Will See On The April Ballot
Dozens of districts across Wisconsin are expected to ask voters for more local school funding this spring, with roughly 72 to 74 referendum questions that together total about $1 billion, according to reporting by Wisconsin Watch and related coverage. That wave is heading to the ballot at the same time polling from the Marquette Law School Poll shows many voters now rank holding down property taxes as a higher priority than increasing K-12 spending, a political collision course for school leaders trying to keep programs afloat.
For now, Evers’ veto keeps the path to local referendums largely as it is, and the fight shifts back to the familiar question of whether the state will step up with more general school aid. Supporters of the vetoed bills say they were simply asking districts to prove their financial homework before seeking tax hikes. Opponents argue the proposals would have buried schools in red tape and given state officials new levers to stall or derail local budgets.
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