MADISON, Wis. (CN) - Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed a Republican-backed bill Monday that would give tax credits to those who make contributions to school scholarships as part of President Donald Trump's nationalized school choice voucher program.

"As a former science teacher, principal, superintendent, state superintendent and a son of the state that created the nation's first-ever private school voucher program, I have spent decades of my life watching the impacts that draining public funds from public schools to fund private voucher school programs instead has had on kids, schools and public education in Wisconsin," Evers said in a veto message.

Evers has been a longtime critic of voucher programs, which he says cost taxpayers billions and divert funds away from public schools, where he spent most of his career. The two-term Democrat governor announced his retirement in July 2025, and recent polling suggests voters are not tuned into the race for his replacement just yet.

The bill would have required Wisconsin to participate in Trump's nationwide federal voucher program created under the "Big Beautiful Bill" passed in 2025, which incentivizes individuals to donate up to $1,700 toward organizations funding private school tuition scholarships in exchange for a matching deduction from their tax bill.

"The federal government is now going to use public funds that should be used for public schools to essentially reimburse donors for helping fund private schools instead. No joke," Evers said.

In a message accompanying his veto, Evers explained the federal program lacks student achievement metrics, school accountability measures, minimum or maximum scholarship size or caps on how much the federal government can spend.

All of this, he says, means taxpayers will spend around $51 billion a year on a program without evidence or metrics to decide if it is successful, all while the administration "dismantles the U.S. Department of Education piece by piece while Republican members of Congress do nothing to stop them," according to Evers.

Former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson, in 1989, enacted Wisconsin's school voucher program, which is the oldest in the nation. The pilot program spread to 76 programs in 32 states serving 1.4 million children, according to School Choice Wisconsin.

The program started in Milwaukee and expanded to include three surrounding counties.

The national program limits scholarship eligibility to one student per household with an income cap of 300% of the area median gross income. States can opt in, effective January 2027.

Recipients can use the funds for school-related expenses, including tuition, fees, books, tutoring, special needs services and any uniform required for attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school.

To qualify for the tax credit, donors are required to give to a state-recognized scholarship-granting organization. This shifts the authority to state governments to decide whether students within their borders can enroll in the program.

The program is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which Evers says has not yet completed the rulemaking process.

"Each passing school year, public school districts continue to endure capped state funding, strict revenue limits and the need to go to referenda in many cases just to keep up with inflationary pressures to provide a quality education," Evers said. "Public funds should go to public schools, period."

The governor conceded that he could be wrong, and it is possible that the program could benefit public schools and students, too. However, he went on to say that he has no such comfort at this point.

Evers is the first governor to firmly opt out of the federal voucher program, while 29 states have joined, according to tracking by Education Week. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also opposes the program and is so far Evers' only company in standing against it.  

Republican Representative Jessie Rodriguez testified in support of the bill and argued the federal program offers an opportunity to bring resources into all of the state's classrooms. She did not respond for comment on Monday's veto.  

"What's best for our kids is what's best for our state, and it remains unclear how this bill will do what's best for the more than 800,000 Wisconsin public school kids for whom the state has a constitutional obligation to adequately provide and invest in public education," Evers said.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council did not immediately respond for comment.

Source: Courthouse News Service