Is Tony Evers blocking scholarships for Wisconsin students by refusing to join a tax credit program?

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.