Evers visits Suring schools in aftermath of relief failure

Gov. Tony Evers paid a visit to the Suring School District to check out the impressive work teachers and staff are doing with younger and older students alike, even as he feels the sting from the defeat a bipartisan bill he negotiated with Republican leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature. That bill would have, among other things, helped reimburse schools for special education expenses.

During a tour of the school, Evers got to join a class full of kindergarten students as they learned to scribble their feelings in various colors on coffee filters. He got to see the inner workings of Suring’s crown gem, the Suring Marketing and Agriculture Center, filled with items from students and community members to sell. His final stop was to meet the student organization REDgen, which raises resilience, reduces stigma and helps to bring up mental health and well-being for middle and high school students.

A former educator, Evers served as superintendent of public instruction for almost 10 years before becoming governor in 2019. He talked with Suring Superintendent Bob Caelwaerts in between stops and asked him his thoughts on the state of education, including how his school was being impacted because of the bipartisan package that would have, among other things, provided $600 million that would have been divided between special education reimbursement and additional general school aids.

The proposal had been a joint effort between the governor’s office and state leadership, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu. The spending that would have come out of the $2.5 billion surplus the state has been sitting on for years passed the Assembly but died in the Senate after all Democrats and three Republicans voted it down.

A Marquette Law School Poll reported that the spending had the support of 80% of Wisconsin voters. Broken down, 77% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats and 81% of independents said the bill should have been passed.

Evers is not happy with either side of the aisle in the Wisconsin Legislature, but he said some of the blame lies with Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican who represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and seeks to be the next governor.

“They’re doing a lot of things right,” Evers said of what he saw in the Suring school system. “Unfortunately, the state’s not helping to give them the resources they need. It’s great to see the students actively involved in a program that’s helping with mental health, keeping things positive in the schools and doing a service for all the students.”

By all accounts, the spending and tax reduction bill was expected to pass because it had bipartisan support. Evers said he was disappointed that the partisan politics that has plagued much of his tenure as governor torpedoed the effort, especially since some of it came from his fellow Democrats.

“We had promises about who would vote yes and who was going to vote no,” Evers said. “That turned out not to be the case. Some of that turned out to be our friend, Tom Tiffany, who was talking to some of the legislators and changed their minds. With that said, we couldn’t get Democrats to support it, either.”

Tiffany issued a statement May 12, shortly after the bill was defeated in Madison, blasting Evers for calling the bill a “relief deal” that would have used some of the surplus funding to provide refunds to property taxpayers, especially in light of utility rate hikes approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

“Gov. Evers is acting like the arsonist who wants praise for spraying a drop of water on the fire he started,” Tiffany said. “This backroom ‘relief deal’ does nothing to repeal Gov. Evers’ 400-year property tax increase. It does nothing to stop Madison’s addiction to taxing and spending, and after Gov. Evers’ PSC approved billions in utility rate hikes, a one-time $300 check barely scratches the surface.”

Evers doesn’t see circumstances changing in his last few months as governor and is hopeful that some solution can be found to reduce taxes while providing adequate funding for schools to function.

“We’re going to be as purple as we are, in reality. We’re a purple state,” Evers said. “There’s still some talk about making it happen. We’ll see.”

Despite the funding issue, Evers gave credit to officials with Suring and other school districts for being able to do what they can to provide an education to children, along with structured activities and help with mental health.

“You think about what happens in the schools every day, and it’s really amazing for kids,” Evers said. “I just bless our educators, frankly, for keeping up during this time. They should be getting more support, and they’re not, but that’s just how educators are, and we just have to thank them for their good work.”

Caelwaerts said after the governor’s visit that schools reaching out to state leaders like Evers is important to help them realize the struggle they face providing education where funding remains flat but the cost of everything is going up.

“We talked a little bit about education,” Caelwaerts said. “Really, it benefits everyone. It benefits our local community and our greater community, as well.”

Currently, the state reimburses schools for about 35% of its special education expenses. Caelwaerts estimated the relief bill would have upped that to 50%, which wouldn’t have fully made his school whole but would have been a start.

“We were obviously a little disappointed when the funding bill fell through,” he said. “The hope is that we can keep moving forward and trying to find new and innovative ways to fund schools so that it’s not such a local burden. It’s the larger group that’s funding, and that’s a benefit to all.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com