Tony Evers asks Scott Walker to veto education measures he calls bad for public school kids

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers on Tuesday called on Gov. Scott Walker to veto a host of education measures in the 2017-'19 budget that Evers described as "bad for children in public schools."

Evers requested the vetoes in a nine-page letter to the governor, whom he is looking to unseat in the 2018 election. They include, among others, measures that would:

• Increase enrollment at taxpayer-funded voucher and charter schools.
• Open programs aimed at public schools to their private-school counterparts.
• Limit when public schools can go to go to a referendum to raise taxes and curb their ability to raise taxes for energy efficiency projects without seeking taxpayer input.
• Require DPI to bestow teaching licenses on a low-cost, fast-track online program that would compete with the state's traditional teacher preparation programs.

"I have significant concerns about the policy implications for many of the changes included in the budget bill — policies that are just bad for children in public schools," Evers said in the letter.

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said the governor is reviewing the budget. "All vetoes will be included in his veto message," he said.