Evers again claims 400-year veto not an automatic property tax increase

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor continues to insist his 400-year veto is not a guaranteed tax increase, but education experts say he’s not telling the truth. Gov. Tony Evers told the crowd at last weekend’s Democrat State Convention that he is proud of his 400-year veto that added $325 per-student to Wisconsin’s school funding formula for the next four centuries. “Do you know what really gets wound up? When I use my veto pen to do what is best for our kids and our schools,” Evers said to a round of applause. “I guess they’re not as jazzed as I was when I used my veto pen to provide a $325 increase for every student, and every school district for the next 400 years.” Evers used his veto power back in 2023 to change what was supposed to be a two-year school funding increase into a 400-year school funding hike. A lawsuit immediately followed, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with the governor, and his 400-year veto stood. Many Republicans blamed the governor’s veto for the double-digit property tax increases that many Wisconsin homeowners saw earlier this year. On Saturday, Evers said his veto is not to blame. “Let’s get something straight, my 400-year veto isn’t an automatic property tax increase,” Evers explained. “I know that, because that’s not how the school funding system works in Wisconsin.” But Will Flanders, an education expert with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said the governor is not exactly being truthful. “The governor is trying to hide the reality of this situation by assuming the Legislature could simply provide enough funding to offset the $325 annual increase, and that school boards could choose not to increase spending by that amount. Neither assumption is realistic. There is no plausible scenario in which the Legislature can indefinitely keep pace with the roughly $130,000 in additional spending per student that the governor’s vetoes have put Wisconsin on a path toward. And history shows that few school boards have met a revenue limit increase they don't like.” Flanders said Evers essentially created a situation where property taxes are going to have to increase. “Local property taxpayers will continue to bear the burden of the governor’s 400-year veto. No hypothetical dream scenario can change that reality,” Flanders added.