Tony Evers, the new governor of Wisconsin, says he wants taxpayers to know how much they are paying to support the state’s voucher plan.
Evers, a Democrat who has called for scaling back vouchers in Wisconsin, said taxpayers need to have a better understanding of how much they are paying to prop up private schools in the state, reported Wisconsin Public Radio. He called the proposal to list the figure on property tax bills the start of a “good conversation” on education funding.
“At some point in time as a state, we have to figure out whether we can afford two or three separate allocations of public [funds to] schools,” Evers told the radio network in an interview. “People in Wisconsin don’t know how much school districts are losing because of vouchers and how much is being deducted from their aid. They need to know that so that we can as a state have a good discussion about what’s involved with the voucher program.”
Evers said he would include the proposal in his first state budget, which he will likely unveil this month.
