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Yes.
By refusing to join a new federal tax credit program launching Jan. 1, Gov. Tony Evers is preventing Wisconsin students in public and private schools from accessing scholarships created by the program.
The initiative provides federal tax credits up to $1,700 to people who donate to scholarship-granting organizations, which would then distribute funds to eligible families for educational expenses.
Evers vetoed Republican legislation that would have required Wisconsin to participate. Evers argued that most of the program’s benefits would go to private schools.
The amount of scholarship funding Wisconsin students would have received is uncertain because it depends on how many taxpayers donate. Supporters argue that participation could generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The American Federation for Children, a school choice advocacy group, estimates that if 10% of eligible Wisconsin taxpayers participated, donations could generate roughly $514.3 million per year for scholarships.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- American Federation for Children: Updated EFTC Eligible Donors and Participation Scenarios, State by State
- Ballotpedia: State participation in the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
- Federal Register: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit proposed rules
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers vetoes action to join new school choice tax credits
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers won't sign on to new school choice tax credits, sparking criticism from the Trump administration
Is Tony Evers blocking scholarships for Wisconsin students by refusing to join a tax credit program? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
