Update: 4:33 p.m.
In the view of Governor Tony Evers, the desires he lists to use a $450 million surplus for both tax cuts and education funding is meant to make a two-pronged effect on taxes.
“This is absolutely a property tax relief issue,” Governor Evers said on WTMJ’s Wisconsin’s Afternoon News Thursday.
“It’s an opportunity to meet some goals and reduce property taxes.”
One of those goals for Evers, a career educator and former schools superintendent of Wisconsin, is to restore two-thirds funding for education in the state.
“I believe, and many other people – and the Republicans at one point believed – that two thirds funding was a top priority. This is a way to get to two-thirds funding,” said Evers.
“It puts money in really important areas around special education, mental health services (and) needs for our rural communities.”
Evers believes the funding will lower the tax burden for homeowners due to fewer needs for locally-sourced funding for schools.
“It’s an investment, but the fact of the matter is, school districts have been going to referendums like crazy for the last several years. We need to provide funds to them from the state level.”
Original story
– State lawmakers are set to meet just five more times between today, and the end of March, but if Governor Evers gets his wish, they’ll meet at least one additional time.
Evers calling for a special session today that would be held on February 11th where lawmakers would discuss where, and how, to use the $450 million surplus that was accumulated during the tenure of former Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker.
“I’ve always said what’s best for our kids is best for our state,” the governor stated during a press conference this morning.
The Governor proposing using some of that revenue for public K-12 education. As part of the plan suggested today, would invest $250 million into the schools. Evers says the money would be used to increase mental health programs, as well as scarcity aid for rural districts.
Speaking to reporters just before the Governor made his special session proposal, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), said his caucus was focused on giving the money back to taxpayers, “We are focused on a package of significant tax cuts and trying to return some of the excess revenue back to taxpayers.”
The legislature is scheduled to meet just a handful of times before the end of March.