Reading Time: < 1 minute

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.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• American Federation for Children: Updated EFTC Eligible Donors and Participation Scenarios, State by State
• Ballotpedia: State participation in the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
• Federal Register: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit proposed rules
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers vetoes action to join new school choice tax credits
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers won't sign on to new school choice tax credits, sparking criticism from the Trump administration

Is Tony Evers blocking scholarships for Wisconsin students by refusing to join a tax credit program? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

It was a dreary, rainy Thursday morning when the state education department announced some depressing news: According to the final, official numbers, 62% of Wisconsin school districts will receive less money in state general aid this year than they did last year. 

Schools are struggling because, for the third year in a row, the state budget put no new money into general school aid, the Department of Public Instruction pointed out in an Oct. 15 press release. That’s after more than 15 years during which annual adjustments to per-pupil general operating revenue in Wisconsin schools has failed to keep pace with inflation. The latest school funding data arrived from DPI under the header: “Nearly two-thirds of districts will receive less aid due to flat state funding, antiquated funding formula.” 

About an hour later, a press release from Gov. Tony Evers’ office cheerfully announced that Wisconsin has ended the fiscal year with a $3.3 billion budget balance and a record  $2.1 billion in the state’s “rainy day” fund. The top line from the governor’s office message was upbeat: “Despite continued national economic turbulence, Wisconsin maintains strong fiscal position, reaching seven consecutive years of record-high General Fund balances during Gov. Evers’ tenure.”

These two announcements, although dramatically different in mood, are directly connected. The reason Wisconsin has a big budget surplus is largely because the state has abandoned its commitment to fund its public schools. 

A slide presentation by Anne Chapman, research director for the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, graphically illustrates the decline in annual adjustments to per-pupil general operating revenue for Wisconsin public school districts since the 2008-2009 school year. Using Legislative Fiscal Bureau data, Chapman shows the steadily widening gap between the annual adjustment in general operating dollars schools would have had each year if revenue had kept pace with inflation and what they actually got. This year the shortfall reached $3,571 per kid. 

At the same time, schools have been carrying about $1.29 billion in special education costs that are not reimbursed by state or federal aid.

Schools have never bounced back from the drastic cuts to education spending during the administration of former Gov. Scott Walker. But the current budget situation is unprecedented 

“The 2025-27 state budget provided no increase to general school aids. This was an extremely unusual policy choice, especially in light of the fact that the state had a $4.3 billion surplus going into the budget process,” she says. “The last instance of flat or negative general aids across both years of a biennial budget was the 2009-11 budget, at which time the state was facing a deficit.”

In other words, in a historic act of stinginess, the Legislature, while staring at a sizeable budget surplus, chose not to add any money to general school aid, the largest form of state support for K-12 schools. That was a deliberate policy choice, not some sort of emergency measure taken under duress. 

Wisconsin’s school funding formula is complicated —  a mix of state and local funds divvied up based on school districts’ property wealth, enrollment numbers and spending patterns. Different districts get different amounts of funding from the state — and some get none at all. When funding is flat, statewide, some districts get more and some get less. This is the “antiquated” system DPI referred to in its press release. It uses outdated metrics, and doesn’t account for the effects of high poverty or large numbers of English language learners. 

State schools superintendent Jill Underly expanded on this in her State of Education speech in September: “The formula places value on the wrong things. It values enrollment, district spending, and property value, rather than student needs. It fails to ask the most essential question: how much does it actually cost to educate the students who live in a district so that they have an equal opportunity to succeed? A student’s opportunity for success should not depend on their zip code. If we are going to improve the academic outcomes for ALL students, then the funding formula must prioritize student need.”

Because of the complexity of school finance, and the patchwork of have and have-not districts, it’s hard to figure the exact amount Wisconsin has underfunded its schools since 2009, when overall per-pupil spending stopped keeping pace with inflation. But you can get a rough, back of the envelope estimate by taking the three-year rolling average for calculating revenue limit and per pupil categorical aid  from 2025-26  — 781,367 students — and multiplying it by a calculation derived from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s data on the cumulative shortfall in annual adjustments to per-pupil general operating revenue, which was $3,468.60. The number you get is $2.7 billion in combined state aid and property tax levies. If the state returned to its much-discussed commitment to fund two-thirds of the cost of public schools, that would mean we’d have to allocate $1.8 billion of the current $3.3 billion surplus to make schools whole. Add to that the $1.29 billion in special ed costs the state has sloughed off on the schools, and it reaches $3 billion.

One of the main effects of the state deciding not to fund schools is that the burden has fallen instead on local property taxpayers, who are confronting another surge in referendum requests from their local school districts in the voting booth this fall.   

Gov. Evers has proposed, by his own estimate in an address to the Wisconsin Public Education Network, $7 billion in new funding for schools that was rejected by the state Legislature over his two terms. He was bitterly disappointed when the state Senate rejected a $1.8 billion deal he struck with Republican legislative leaders that included some money for increased special education funding and property tax relief along with income tax cuts. 

But in his latest message, the governor embraces the unspent money sitting in state coffers as “damn good news.” 

“We’ve ended every fiscal year I’ve been governor with a positive balance,” he says. “We’ve shown that state government can work, and work better for the people we serve, and I’m incredibly proud of our efforts.”

Along with the surplus, the governor’s office celebrates the “largest balance in the ‘rainy day’ fund in state history” — at $2.1 billion, it’s six times larger than when Evers took office.

Meanwhile, schools are in worse and worse shape, and all over the state, people are struggling to keep up with the cost of housing as property taxes rise. 

Whatever feeling of satisfaction there is in knowing the state has squirreled away a fat rainy day fund, when you look outside, it’s raining. 

Gov. Tony Evers toured a new Milwaukee juvenile facility on Wednesday along with Department of Corrections leaders, closing another chapter in the troubled history of the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons. The sleek, colorful new facility looked like  a well-resourced though highly secure school. The Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth, or SERC, will house 32 boys who are in the DOC’s custody. 

While serving their sentences the boys will have access to educational programs, a gym, a greenhouse and other opportunities to help prepare them to return to their communities. Since many of the boys will be from the Milwaukee area, the new $65.6 million facility will make it easier for their families to visit compared to Lincoln Hills, hours away in Irma, Wisconsin. 

“This new facility marks a historic milestone for our state and is the beginning of what I hope is a real, meaningful transformation of not only juvenile corrections in our state but of corrections in Wisconsin,” Evers said. “Not only will this new facility allow us to safely move our kids closer to their homes, their families, and their support systems, but it will give kids and families hope for a brighter future. With evidence-based strategies, this new facility will provide young people the role models, educational opportunities, and support needed so they can grow, be better, and do better, all while helping to reduce crime, prevent violence, and keep our kids, families and communities safe.”

SERC is located on Milwaukee’s North Side, tucked away a few blocks  from a busy roadway just north of Good Hope Road. At first glance the tan brick building resembles a small school, but a closer look reveals  large tinted windows and a few State Patrol vehicles parked outside. Walking through the front door, visitors come to  a metal detector station in a  front lobby with light colored walls, tiled floor and chairs. 

Wednesday’s official  tour of the new facility began with a visit to the SERC’s chapel. Next, Evers was guided by DOC Sec. Jared Hoy and DOC juvenile corrections administrator Lance Horozewski to an outside area surrounded by a high brick wall and security gate, where Evers viewed a basketball court and a large greenhouse next to  raised garden beds — one for each boy which the facility will house.

Heading back inside, Hoy and Horozewski showcased medical facilities with individual exam rooms and areas where youth can access needed dental care. There was also a large kitchen, and spaces where youth could learn welding and woodworking. Evers also looked over visiting areas complete with games and kiosks for video visits, a large indoor gym and basketball court and classrooms. Evers also checked out a creative room where the boys will be able to make and record music, and even make videos using a large green screen.

The area where the boys will be housed was  behind a door, which will be controlled by staff monitoring from an adjacent room. A common space contained couches, tables, a couple of phones and games. Down the hall were dorm rooms with wood floors and gray metal furniture, with one bed per room, a toilet, desk, and a window with a view of the outdoors, with a blind the boys can open or close. 

The design of SERC is intended to forge a new direction for juvenile incarceration in Wisconsin. For years, the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools were  notorious for reports of abuse and suffering for both youth housed there and the staff responsible for their care. Earlier this year, a federal judge ended mandatory oversight of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake after the DOC had been found to be in “substantial compliance” with reforms mandated after a 2018 class action settlement.

Lincoln Hills’ troubled history led the Legislature to spend years planning to close the 500-bed facility, convert it to an adult prison, and open up smaller and safer juvenile facilities which would also be closer to home for the youth housed there. 

Evers appeared to approve of SERC as he walked through its halls. “But our work is not over — far from it, ” he said in a statement. “Our state is decades behind in how we think about corrections, and this new facility is the first step, but it is only a step. We must continue our work to modernize our corrections system into the 21st century and close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools for good.”

Hoy said that looking around SERC “you see a school, not a prison.” He went on to say in a statement that “that’s because it is a school and even more. It’s a place to learn and to heal. There’s no barbed wire. No towers. There are big windows, color, space. And it’s all secure both for the youth and for the neighborhood. The design supports what we now know about adolescent development, and the programming offered here will follow suit with staff using evidence-based techniques to help youth make better choices and support rehabilitation.”

Hoy said at the beginning of November the first group of youth will be moved into SERC, with more to come over the following months into the holidays. “We’ve been recruiting for staff starting back in the summer,” said Hoy. “And so we’ve had two graduating classes already. We’ll have more than adequate staff. Not just safety staff — so your youth counselors that are here  — but education, treatment, all of those different functions are already on board…And then we will continue to staff up. We have another class graduating, I think at the beginning of November.”

Staffing shortages had long plagued Lincoln Hills and other DOC facilities. Hoy told the Wisconsin Examiner that the DOC has paid particular attention to staff-to-youth ratios for the SERC to help prevent burnout among staff, and has established staff wellness spaces. Hoy also said that “the space itself lends to a sort of feeling of wellness and calmness.”

Another Type 1 facility is being constructed in Dane County which is designed to hold 32 boys and eight girls. The DOC is also pushing for a third facility to be opened in northern Wisconsin in order to serve youth from that region of the state. Hoy told the Examiner that having multiple facilities would allow the DOC to cross-train and pull staff from one facility to another in order to help fill any gaps and prevent burnout.

Many of the staff who will work at the new facility are from the Milwaukee area, and theoretically might have an advantage in  relating with the youth there. Kashunda Brown, 37, one of SERC’s youth counselors, explained that she grew up on the North Side of Milwaukee where she learned what it’s like to experience poverty and living in a single parent home. Brown also has two boys of her own which “resonates with the youth that we encounter here,” she told the Examiner. 

Keana Berkhalter, 32, a licensed counselor who will be working with the facility’s Psychological Services Unit, is also from Milwaukee. “I’ve seen the complex issues and challenges that we have here, as well as the strengths that Milwaukee has,” Berkhalter told the Examiner. Berkhalter said that it’s important that youth know that the staff understand them because it helps them feel safe. “As human beings, it’s easier to connect to people that look like us, or at least that we have some sort of similar commonality.” 

The experiences the counselors share with the youth help them to connect. “I think that gives me leverage to connect to the youth, as well as help them feel safe and to talk to me and to want to trust and confide in me, to talk about things that maybe they don’t want to talk to anybody about.”

Brown said the greenhouse, raised beds, and creative spaces are especially important for the boys SERC will house. To anyone who questions whether the facility should feel more punitive, Brown says, “I think the punitive is them being away from their family.” 

She continued, “this should be, and is, a space where they can have different things that they don’t experience on the outside. A lot of people don’t have access to a basketball court at home. A lot of people don’t have access to gardening.” These translate into coping skills the boys can take home with them to avoid getting in trouble. 

Youth who learn that they enjoy woodworking, cooking, growing food in the garden or other activities available at SERC could take that with them and become more productive members of society, Brown said. “I think all the skills that they will get here, they can use on the outside. The punitive is them being in here.” 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore came to Wisconsin looking for some company. 

Moore, the first Black governor of Maryland and the only Black governor currently serving in office, traveled to Wisconsin on Friday to campaign with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. The two made campaign stops in Beloit, Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee.

If elected, Crowley will be the first Black governor of Wisconsin. Moore told a group of about 120 gathered in a room in New Zion Baptist Church in Beloit that they have the opportunity to make history. However, he also said that’s not the reason Crowley should be elected.

“David understands that making history is not the assignment,” Moore said. “Making child poverty history is… Making history is not the assignment. Making pathways to work, wages and wealth for all of our citizens, and not just some, is. Making history is not the assignment. Getting this dark money out of politics — it is.”

Moore, who is only the third Black governor elected in U.S. history and a former U.S. Army  captain and paratrooper with the 82nd airborne division, came to Wisconsin riding a wave of popularity. Polls show he is leading his Republican opponent by nearly 30 points in his own reelection campaign. That’s, a different reality than in Wisconsin where Crowley is maintaining a slight lead over Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany by a margin in the low single digits. 

The crowd that gathered in Beloit to hear from Crowley and Moore was excited. One woman wore a colorful shirt with President Barack Obama’s face on it and was excited about getting her picture taken with both Moore and Crowley. Obama endorsed Cowley just the day before Moore’s visit. 

Beloit is the home of Diane Hendricks, one of three billionaires contributing millions of dollars  to try to elect Crowley’s Republican opponent, Tom Tiffany.

During his Beloit campaign stop, Crowley criticized the amount of money being spent in the election, saying it could be used to help fund public schools, ensure childcare is affordable and expand Badgercare.

“All that money we’re seeing being spent and dumped into these elections. We could be solving the very issues that we’re talking about,” Crowley said. 

Crowley told reporters that having Moore campaigning with him would “help get us over the finish line and bring more people into the fold.” There are three weeks left until Election Day. 

New Zion Baptist Church Pastor James M. Ivy told the Examiner that the church was happy to open its doors for Crowley and Moore, believing that Crowley will be “what’s best for our city” and “what’s best for our state.”

Ivy said Crowley has impressed him as a candidate because he is “very connected to our story” and “not backed up by billionaires,” noting his support for people who are struggling including policies to improve access to jobs and housing and address homelessness.

At the end of the rally, Ivy told the crowd that they need to do everything they can to help get Crowley elected. 

Moore told reporters that Crowley is “the right candidate for the right moment” and that’s why he wanted to travel to the Midwest to help. 

“I believe in David Crowley,” he told the crowd, “I respect people who are public servants who understand that public service is not for private gain. I respect people who understand that public service is about what are you going to do to be the legacy for those who will come after you… We have seen how David has risen to the occasion time after time. We have seen that he is willing to fight for families like yours and families like mine time after time. We have seen that he has never compromised his values, that he is willing to take on anybody, that he understands.”

Moore told attendees that he couldn’t “stress enough” the importance of who the governor is, especially given the current occupant of the White House. He said that “who you have in that statehouse matters” when there is an “overreaching and unchecked federal executive.” He noted that governors play a role in many significant decisions, including certifying elections and signing state budgets. 

Of Tiffany, Moore said that people have watched him “cosign on some of the most destructive policies” and vote for President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” which included deep cuts to healthcare as well as supporting Trump’s war in Iran. 

Quoting Maya Angelou, Moore said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” The crowd repeated the phrase. “Here’s what I know, and here’s what I believe, Wisconsin,” he added, “you cannot send Tom Tiffany to the governor’s mansion.” 

Moore told reporters that he has known Crowley for a few years and was introduced to him by outgoing Gov. Tony Evers during Evers’ first term. Evers became a mentor of Moore’s when he was first elected, he said. 

Moore said after Evers introduced him to Crowley, “We just struck up a quick and early friendship.”

“We’ve had a lot of conversations about, not just the race, but also about a transition — how do you think about governance,” Moore said. 

“This stuff happens fast,” Moore said, adding that he thinks Crowley is uniquely prepared given his experience as the Milwaukee County executive. “These are serious times. These are times when we are watching a federal administration that has systematically attacked the relationship between the federal government and the states. … David is walking into this with a very sober understanding of what awaits, but also with a very optimistic view as to what can get done in this moment.”

During his second term in office, Trump has been in conflict with Democratic governors, including last week with Moore. Trump traveled to Baltimore to announce a multibillion dollar submarine manufacturing investment and requested that Moore be removed from the event’s speaking list, even though Moore helped negotiate and secure the deal.

Moore said that in dealing with the Trump administration, he is focused on protecting his constituents. 

“I’m a soldier by nature, and I’m a soldier by training. That’s what I do. While I will work with anybody — and this is the advice that I would give to David as well — I will bow to nobody,” More said. “Whenever the president or anybody thinks that a prerequisite of our relationship is being subservient to them, they will learn from me, they got another think coming.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed $17.9 million in disaster aid is being made available for Wisconsinites in Forest, Outagamie, Vilas and Winnebago counties to assist with damage caused by a tornado and severe storms on July 27. 

President Donald Trump announced via a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that he would be approving the money after speaking with U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor. The aid is meant to help communities after a tornado and severe storms hit parts of Appleton and Menasha in July, destroying and damaging homes.

Gov. Tony Evers, who had issued a call for aid in August, said Wednesday that he had not heard from the federal administration, cast doubt on when the money would be available and accused Trump and Tiffany of playing politics. Evers initially sent a request for federal aid to Trump in August, after assessments found more than $8.2 million in damage to more than 2,300 residential properties and more than $13.8 million in public sector damage. The request had so far gone unfulfilled and in the absence of aid, local communities had turned to fundraising efforts.

Evers’ office did not respond immediately Thursday to a request for comment about whether they have yet heard directly from the federal government.

In a press release Wednesday evening, FEMA said that individuals who sustained losses in the four counties should first file claims with their insurance providers and then apply for assistance through FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App. 

The assistance will support grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and families recover from the effects of the disaster. 

State, tribal and eligible local governments as well as certain private nonprofit organizations will also be able to access public assistance federal funding “on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged in Vilas and Winnebago counties.” 

According to Troy Christensen, a FEMA public affairs specialist, the $17.9 million in assistance for Wisconsin reflected preliminary damage assessments in the affected communities. He said in an email to the Examiner that the amount is a “projected initial figure that may change as recovery costs are finalized.”

Christensen said that staff will help each applicant to “navigate their unique situation and specific needs.”

Reading Time: 3 minutes

President Donald Trump says he will approve nearly $18 million in disaster relief for Wisconsin related to the tornado and severe storms that hit the state this summer.

The president made the announcement in a Truth Social post Wednesday. Gov. Tony Evers made a request for a federal disaster declaration in August related to the tornado that ripped through the Fox Valley in late July. 

An EF-3 tornado hit Menasha on July 27, plowing through the city, destroying homes, overturning cars and uprooting trees. The storms also caused damage in Forest, Outagamie, Vilas and Winnebago counties.

Trump’s social media post announcing the money did not reference Evers’ request but did call attention to U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor. In his post, Trump said he “just spoke with Tom Tiffany, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Wisconsin.”

Trump said he would be approving $17.9 million for severe storms and tornadoes Wisconsin experienced.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has not yet posted that the disaster declaration had been approved on its website as of Wednesday afternoon.

The federal agency put out a statement later Wednesday evening announcing that federal disaster assistance was available “to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and tornadoes on July 27, 2026.”

The FEMA statement did not include a dollar amount of aid available. It stated that aid would include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans and other programs to help families and individuals. It also stated that assistance would be available to state, local and tribal governments, along with some nonprofit organizations, in Vilas and Winnebago counties.

In Evers’ request to the president, the damage to residential buildings from the July 27 storms was estimated to be more than $8.2 million while government property suffered another $13.8 million in damage.

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said it did not have any additional information beyond the content of the president’s post. 

In a post responding to the president’s apparent approval of relief, Evers said, “Wisconsinites will believe it when we see it.”

“Clearly, President Trump and Congressman Tiffany are continuing to play politics with emergency aid that’s meant to help communities recover in the wake of disasters like tornadoes and floods,” Evers added. “That’s Complete and Total (Bull****).”

In a statement, Tiffany said securing federal disaster relief is a priority and he had been in “regular contact with the administration.”

“Today, President Trump called to let me know that roughly $18 million in aid for Wisconsin has been approved,” Tiffany stated. “I appreciate the administration responding to Wisconsin’s needs.”

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, also issued a statement, thanking Trump for announcing the funding after Wisconsin’s bipartisan congressional delegation advocated for federal support in response to the July storms.

“Local officials, first responders, and community members have worked hard to help their communities recover, and federal assistance can help build on those efforts,” Grothman stated. “I especially want to thank the volunteers who have given their time to help neighbors clean up and begin rebuilding.”

The city of Menasha was the hardest hit community by the tornado. According to the state’s request for federal aid, 663 homes were damaged, including 140 that were unsafe and likely needed to be demolished.

Menasha Mayor Austin Hammond said the city was aware of the president’s announcement, but had received no confirmation from state or federal emergency management officials that the disaster relief had been approved. 

“We’re waiting for additional details,” he said. “Once we’ve received a bit more confirmation from (Wisconsin Emergency Management) and FEMA, then everybody — city staff, other governing agencies — will disseminate that information out as quickly and accurately as possible.””

Hammond said the community’s recovery effort hinges on federal relief coming to the community.

“The support of the federal government is imperative to the road to recovery, which will be long,” he said. “It’s going to be months and years, so that support is imperative.”

Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz said the county was “encouraged” by Trump’s announcement, but did not yet have any details on the disaster relief.

“The president’s out there and he’s committing federal resources, and I’m encouraged by that,” he said. “On the other hand, we don’t have the details on exactly what it means, where the dollar figures align with what the reported damages are.”

Trump’s announced nearly $18 million comes in more than $4 million short of the $22 million in damage to private and government property identified in the state’s request for federal aid.

While he’d like more information, Hintz added that he’d rather “have a positive commitment made by the president than nothing.”

“Maybe the administration made the approval and he was excited to get out there, and the information will be forthcoming,” he said. “But this is how President Trump has done most things, and apparently, disaster relief is no different.”

This story was originally published by WPR.

Trump announces nearly $18M in disaster relief for tornado, storm damage in Wisconsin is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

President Donald Trump said that he would be providing nearly $18 million in relief to Wisconsin to help with damage from July tornadoes in the Fox Valley after speaking to Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.

In July, a tornado hit parts of Appleton and Menasha, destroying and damaging homes. Gov. Tony Evers sent a request for federal aid to Trump in August, after assessments found more than $8.2 million in damage to 2,346 residential properties and more than $13.8 million in public sector damage. The request has so far gone unfulfilled and in the absence of aid, local communities have turned to fundraising efforts.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that he spoke to the Wisconsin Republican candidate this week, saying Tiffany has his “Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Wisconsin.” Trump first endorsed Tiffany in the Republican primary, a move that helped clear the field and secure the nomination for Tiffany. 

Tiffany faces Democratic candidate David Crowley in November, and the race is expected to be close.

“I told Tom that I will be approving 17.9 Million Dollars for the Severe Storms and Tornadoes that Wisconsin has experienced,” Trump wrote. “The people are tough and smart, and will come back stronger than ever — 18 Million Dollars should help, A LOT.” 

Tiffany said in a post on X that he has been in regular contact with the administration about the issue. This is not the first time during the campaign that Trump has approved millions in disaster aid for the state after speaking to Tiffany. 

“Securing federal aid for the severe storms that devastated communities across Wisconsin, particularly in the Fox Valley, has been a top priority of mine,” Tiffany said in a post on X. “I appreciate the administration responding to Wisconsin’s needs. Wisconsin is strong, our people are resilient, and I will work with anyone to make sure our communities have everything they need to recover and rebuild.”

The Evers administration says it has not received any new information about the aid request from the Trump administration and is accusing Tiffany and Trump of playing politics. Evers responded to Trump in a post on X, saying that Wisconsinites would “believe it when we see it.” 

“Clearly, President Trump and Congressman Tiffany are continuing to play politics with emergency aid that’s meant to help communities recover in the wake of disasters like tornadoes and floods,” Evers wrote. “That’s Complete and Total Bullshit.”

According to a Politico analysis from March of this year, the Trump administration had approved 89% of disaster relief requests from red states while approving just 23% of blue state requests for disaster aid. It’s the highest rate of denials in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The White House has rejected claims that politics are shaping decisions on disaster aid. 

Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback said in a statement that the office received “zero additional information” from the administration. 

“You’ll need to reach out to President Trump and Congressman Tiffany since they’re clearly in cahoots meddling with Wisconsin’s disaster aid,” Cudaback said. 

State Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton) said in a statement that she appreciated Trump’s announcement but is waiting for confirmation. She signed on to a letter with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in early September urging the administration to provide aid.

“The tornado in July was devastating, and federal assistance is absolutely necessary to help the Fox Valley recover,” Dassler-Alfheim said. “We are still waiting for official confirmation from federal officials regarding the distribution of these funds to the state and what the timeline and other details of that process will be.”

Trump’s announcement comes less than a month out from the midterm elections. He has been on the campaign trail in recent weeks with Republican candidates in Texas, Alabama and other states. He hinted at visiting Wisconsin soon in his post.

“See you soon Wisconsin — I LOVE YOU ALL!” Trump wrote at the end of his post about the disaster aid.

Wisconsin’s race for governor is expected to be close with recent polling showing Crowley up slightly over Tiffany. The purple state’s elections typically come down to razor thin margins, including in the last Trump midterm elections in 2018 when Evers ousted former Gov. Scott Walker in a race determined by just under 30,000 votes. 

Whether Trump’s efforts will help Tiffany in November is unclear — the state voted for Trump in 2024 but his popularity has plummeted in recent months. Either way, the president has been a force throughout the Wisconsin campaign cycle.

Tiffany in recent weeks has made statements to distance himself from Trump, calling for the end of the war in Iran, even after he repeatedly cast votes in Congress against ending the conflict. He also  said recently that  Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, despite voting against certifying Biden’s win in key states in 2020. Asked whether he would certify the results of the 2028 election, he said he would.

The Crowley campaign released an ad on Tuesday highlighting Tiffany’s support for Trump, saying he “swore his loyalty to Donald Trump.” 

Crowley said in a statement about the aid that he is glad to see the president agreeing to provide relief. 

“I look forward to seeing this money actually delivered to our communities to help them rebuild,” said Crowley. “We should always put politics aside when it comes to making sure Wisconsin families, businesses, and communities get the support they need.”

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Gov. Tony Evers used his partial veto powers in July 2025 to remove funding for four auditor positions from the 2025-27 state budget.

In his veto message, Evers said the provision would cost $408,400 over the two-year budget cycle. 

Evers said the Legislative Audit Bureau “has sufficient funding and position authority to fulfill its role of completing statutorily required audits and discretionary audits as directed by the Legislature.”

Evers and Republican legislative leaders reached a budget compromise in 2025 in which the governor agreed not to alter items in the agreement through partial vetoes, but Evers’ staff contended he could still use partial vetoes in other parts of the budget.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, cited the veto in September as part of a campaign pledge to increase the number of state auditors to increase state government transparency.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Gov. Tony Evers: 2025-2027 budget veto message
• Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Budget summary
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers issues 23 partial vetoes in state budget, about half the number from previous years
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tom Tiffany announces state government transparency plan

Did Gov. Tony Evers veto four auditor positions in the 2025-27 state budget? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Wisconsin voters will decide if three proposed constitutional amendments should be enacted when they head to the polls this fall — marking 15 times Republican lawmakers have put potential amendments to voters during the two terms of Gov. Tony Evers. 

Voters have approved seven of the previous 12 proposed amendments. Republicans have said they continue to use the amendment process to make policy changes while avoiding Evers’ veto pen. 

“There are lots of things that I would do that Tony Evers would have vetoed. There are very few things that I would bring as a constitutional amendment to try to get around that,” Rep. Dave Murphy (R- Hortonville) told Wisconsin Watch. “I’m glad that I can take this to the people for a signing rather than to Gov. Evers because I think the people will support this, but I think he maybe would have vetoed it.”

But opponents say that these Republican end runs around the governor’s office are a misuse of the amendment process that flout good governance ideas and that the language of the amendments is  intentionally designed to confuse voters. 

“Right, wrong or indifferent, saying to the people that you want their voices in these ‘important’ decisions is — that sells pretty well, but it’s not the job of the Legislature,” Debra Cronmiller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, told the Wisconsin Examiner, who is critical of state legislators for trying  to legislate by constitutional amendment instead of using the regular lawmaking process. 

Voters, unlike state lawmakers, cannot propose amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution and get them onto the ballot, as voters have done in other states. Wisconsin’s process to amend the state constitution requires that voters decide on the proposed amendment after the language is set and the proposal is passed as a resolution in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature. 

“Putting anything in the constitution just makes it more difficult to undo,” Cronmiller said. 

On the ballot this year are proposed amendments to ban state and local governments from enacting diversity, equity and inclusion policies; limit the governor’s use of the partial veto to raise taxes and fees and prohibit the closure of places of worship during public health emergencies. 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley has expressed his opposition to all three proposed amendments while Republican candidate Tom Tiffany has said he supports them all. 

Anti-Equity 

The anti-equity program amendment will appear on voter’s ballots asking if “section 27 article 1 of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?”

Amanda Merkwae, the policy and advocacy director at the ACLU of Wisconsin, said that the question is written in such a way that most voters would say yes, of course they don’t want the government to discriminate against people. 

“I think this question has this misleading language that’s really intended to eliminate opportunity,” Merkwae said. “The text of prohibiting discrimination or preferential treatment, on its face, sounds like of course we’d want to do that, but doesn’t give voters this full picture and understanding that federal and state laws already strictly ban discrimination.” 

Merkwae pointed to several federal and state laws that already protect against discrimination, including the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and added that locking the amendment’s language into the state Constitution could severely limit the ability of future lawmakers to address policy problems. 

“What the amendment is ultimately designed to do is eliminate proactive programs geared towards equity, like minority and women-owned business recruitment, or targeted workforce development, or retention initiatives in higher education that are designed to ensure that everyone gets a fair shot,” she said. “And by embedding this broad language into the state constitution, it just locks in these rigid restrictions that lawmakers in the future and local communities can’t change, even if you know data shows that there is a deep need in the future.”

Republicans are putting the amendment to voters after years of opposing programs aimed at helping minority groups. Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) released a report in January highlighting hundreds of thousands of dollars local and county governments have spent to attract diverse pools of employees and provide them with training on equity and inclusion. 

Cronmiller said that in the League of Women Voters’ advocacy against the amendment, the group has been pointing to the Sortwell report to show people which programs in their community are likely to be cut if the amendment passes. The League’s messaging on the amendment states that if passed “60 years of progress for women and people of color” will be lost due to the end of programs meant to address disparities in health outcomes, make accommodations for kids struggling in school, support poor families and victims of domestic violence and provide government contracts to diverse pools of businesses. 

“This amendment is not prohibiting governmental entity discrimination,” Cronmiller said, adding that the consequences of the amendment could reach further than intended. 

“This amendment is eliminating preferential treatment for all sorts of groups that have systemically been disenfranchised, and we’re just trying to even up the score,” she continued. “Women’s health issues, government contracting with minority-owned businesses. So many things could be on the chopping block because they give preferential treatment. I think even government programs like Head Start that targets young people. Well, guess what? Age is a prohibited category. So does Head Start go away? Do programs intended for geriatrics go away? I don’t know.”

Opponents of the bill have also pointed out that the state and federal constitutions already have anti-discrimination provisions. The conservative legal outfit the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, for example, has in recent years successfully sued on several occasions to end government programs meant to provide aid to specific minority groups.  

Murphy, who is not running for reelection, said he wrote the proposal because he wants the government to make decisions about hiring and spending based on merit. 

“I’m just very much of a supporter of the idea that when people put government in charge of something, they want it to be the best it can be,” Murphy said. “One of the ways to do that is not to put a bunch of things that get in the way of picking based on merit.”

Partial veto 

The proposed amendment to strip the governor of the power to partially veto pieces of the state budget asks voters if the constitution should “be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?”

Republicans proposed the amendment after Evers used his partial veto power to change the 2023-25 biennial budget to allow schools to raise revenue limits by $325 per pupil per year for the next 400 years. 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed  Evers’ authority to make that change, but Republicans have been upset about it ever since. Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor,  has built his campaign in part around reversing what he calls a “400-year property tax increase.” 

The amendment to limit executive authority is in line with Wisconsin Republicans’ actions during the 2018 lame duck session to strip powers from Evers and then-incoming Attorney General Josh Kaul. 

Wisconsin’s unique partial veto authority has been rolled back a number of times over the state’s history through the courts and the constitutional amendment process. While the Evers 400-year veto is the most recent controversy, former Republican Gov. Scott Walker used the power to extend a one-year moratorium on school referendum requests for energy efficiency projects, transforming it into a 1,000-year moratorium.

With the possibility that the party in control of both the governor’s office and Legislature could change hands this fall, the current amendment is timed for exactly the moment in state politics when it’s unclear which party will benefit from its passage.

Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), the author of the resolution, told Wisconsin Watch the goal of the amendment is to protect the separation of powers. 

“It’s always about separation of powers,” Kapenga said. “This is a mechanism put in place specifically for this reason, so that if we feel that those other two branches breached their authority in that separation, we say we’re going to go directly to the people and let them make that decision.”

But Cronmiller said the partial veto is a valuable tool for a governor who has been stymied by the Legislature, as Evers has been by Republicans during his nearly eight years in office, and that it shows a lack of long-term thinking to assume a Republican governor will never be in the same position. 

“I think that some Republicans right now maybe don’t have the long-term lens on, because this is a moment in time right now where they’re trying to stifle a Democratic governor,” she said. “But if changed and made permanent in the constitution, this is going to impact every governor.”

She added that the Legislature acting to take a power long held by the governor is not good practice, even if people disagree over the specifics of the governor’s veto authority. 

“Does the League have a long-standing position on what the veto powers of a governor should be? No,” Cronmiller said. “But the powers of the governor, as defined, should be upheld. So that kind of good government position that we’ve always taken is what compelled us to say vote no on this.”

Places of worship 

The third proposed amendment asks voters if “section 18 of article I of the constitution, which deals with religious liberty, be amended to prohibit the state or a political subdivision of the state from ordering the closure of, or forbidding gatherings in, places of worship in response to a state of emergency, including a public health emergency?”

Republicans proposed the amendment after the measures instituted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 included the closure of churches, sparking protests from a wide range of conservative groups. 

“Many of us, you know, dedicate our entire lives toward our faith, and in a situation like COVID, there’s a lot of fear, and there’s a lot of uncomfort, and there’s a lot of strangeness, things we’re not used to,” Rep. Ron Tusler (R-Harrison) told Wisconsin Watch. “When we’re in a situation like that, people of faith need their faith at that moment more than ever, and to deprive people of it is a particularly heinous sin that our government shouldn’t commit.”

But opponents of the amendment say that the government needs to be able to respond during a public health emergency. 

“In the moment when the governor’s executive order came out, it was like all of us need to do our part to keep those most vulnerable in our communities safe and not prone to catching a disease that could kill them,” Cronmiller said. “So, what is every first directive of public health: prevent disease. You know that’s what public health does, and so I think that conflating disease prevention with the right to worship is completely wrong-minded. No one’s right to worship was compromised during that executive order period. Churches, synagogues, every religious institution figured it out, just like every business did, just like every academic environment did.”

Gov. Tony Evers announced a deadline of Oct. 5 as the last day for a Wisconsinite to submit an application for a pardon for a crime, before Evers’ second and last term as governor ends in January 2027. 

Distinct from a commutation or a parole order, a pardon restores rights that a person loses if convicted of a felony, including the right to serve on a jury, hold public office and hold certain professional licenses. 

In 2019, Evers issued the first pardons in Wisconsin in nine years. In a press release, he said that reinstating the pardons process and “offering over 2,000 second chances to folks across our state” has been one of his administration’s most important endeavors. 

“I encourage folks who are interested to apply by the deadline and sincerely hope to see this good work continue in earnest in the years ahead,” Evers said. 

To be eligible, a person must be seeking a pardon for a Wisconsin felony conviction and have finished any criminal sentence at least five years ago. Applicants must not have any pending criminal cases or charges in any jurisdiction or be currently required to register as a sex offender. 

Evers’ Pardon Advisory Board held two hearings on Friday; the agendas for the hearings listed 30 applicants for pardons. 

The pardon application and answers to frequently asked questions are on the governor’s website. Each applicant appears before the board for about 10 minutes, giving an introduction and taking questions from the board. The board votes whether or not to recommend a pardon for an applicant; if a majority of the board votes in favor, the application is sent on to Evers for a final decision. 

On Friday the Commutation Advisory Board met for the second month in a row to hear from another 12 incarcerated people applying for a commutation, a shortening or modification of a criminal sentence allowed by Wisconsin Constitution under the governor’s executive clemency authority.

Gov. Tony Evers issued two executive orders on April 4 establishing the Commutation Advisory Board and application process 25 years after the last commutations  were offered by Gov. Tommy Thompson.

On Aug. 21, the board heard from the first 12 applicants.

The second round of the applicants also appeared in open session via livestreaming. The board then convened in closed session to make recommendations to the governor. Board chair Mel Barnes said that only those receiving a majority vote of the members are forwarded to the governor for consideration.

Touissant Harley

In 1992, Touissant Harley was sentenced to life imprisonment for first-degree murder and first-degree reckless injury. A board member said he became eligible for parole in July 2025. Harley, now 53, was convicted at 18. 

Harley told the board that it was impossible for him to “fully grasp the impact that my abhorrent actions had upon Mrs. Sallis, mentally, emotionally and otherwise,” referring to Mavis Sallis, the mother of the victim of the homicide. 

“In me accepting responsibility and apologizing, I’m also expressing the fact that I fully recognize that reality that I am not by no means worthy of the slightest acknowledgement from neither Mr. Evans or Mrs. Sallis,” Harley said. “I did not awake Aug. 15, 1991 with the intent to harm anyone. Nonetheless, me shooting and killing Chris, and injuring Mr. Evans, not only disgusted me, I felt like I was the worst of the worst… My disregard for life generated fear in the community and contributed to the eroding trust society affords each individual.”

In a December 2024 hearing in Harley’s case, then-Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm presented Sallis’s thoughts, using a statement from Sallis prepared by Harley’s attorney. 

Chisholm said that immediately after the homicide, Harley wrote a letter to Sallis, apologizing and asking for forgiveness for the death of her son. He said Sallis is an active supporter of his early release and his pleading to a lesser charge. 

“The relationship has been a testament to the power of forgiveness and restoration,” he said. “During his sentencing and trial phase, the voice of Christopher Sallis’s mother was neither heard nor considered.” 

Mistye Doughty

Mistye Doughty, 66, incarcerated at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, was sentenced on Oct. 11, 2002, in Brown County to 35 years followed by 25 years of extended supervision for felony murder and armed robbery. She has completed 25 years of her sentence.

In 2004, Doughty’s appeal was denied. She claimed she was not a party to a crime involving the robbery of a jeweler, Douglas Tappa, who was killed by her husband, Matthew Doughty, during a robbery.

Doughty recounted her husband attacking Tappa, and then later receiving $100 from him after selling the jewels in Chicago, although the court found she had taken “half the proceeds,” which she contested was incorrect. 

“I accept all responsibility and accountability for my action of not rendering aid and calling 911,” she said. “A good man lost his life. I live with the remorse and regret every day for what I did and didn’t do by not taking the proper action. This shattered many lives. I hurt and violated the sanctity of the home of Mr. Tampa, deeply hurting his children, grandchildren.” 

She recounted receiving therapy and becoming a certified peer specialist  to work and mentor others.

If released, Doughty said, she would live at Safe House in Madison managed by the advocacy group EXPO and continue with therapy and working as a peer mentor.

“Working as a certified peer specialist is my way of giving back to the community,” she said.

During victim statements, Mel Tappa, Douglas’s daughter, recounted how her mother and siblings suffered from the death of her father, and she asked the board to not grant a commutation.

Efrain Campos

In 1999, Efrain Campos was sentenced to 70 years of confinement. He was convicted of being party to armed robbery and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. 

According to a criminal complaint, he was charged with conducting robberies with threat of force between Jan. 18 and 19, 1999, and was charged with attempted homicide for shooting at two responding police officers. He said he’s been incarcerated for about 27 years for crimes committed when he had just turned 18. 

“I am grateful that no one lost their life, but I recognize that the outcome could have been very different,” Campos told the board. “At the time, I was immature, and I wanted to fit in and feel accepted. Growing up without a father in my life contributed to my desire to find acceptance from others. But that is no excuse. I had choices, and I made terrible and selfish ones.”

 

Wazir El-Amin

Wazir El-Amin, formerly Wade A. Curtis, 55, incarcerated at Fox Lake Correctional Institution, was given a life sentence on Nov. 21, 1990 for first degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon in Racine County, and has served 37 years in prison.

He applied for juvenile commutation because he was 18 at the time of his conviction; anyone 19 or younger at the time of conviction can apply through the juvenile application.

El-Amin is eligible for a parole hearing in 2028.

At the hearing, he took responsibility for the death of Christopher Rolle,18, and the pain it caused Rolle’s family and community.

“I understand now what I didn’t then – that my actions caused both mental, physical, emotional trauma,” he said.

He said the one way he had made amends was  by turning his life around, including pursuing his  education, getting two degrees, participating in several programs and becoming a tutor and respite care worker.

If released, he said he would live in the duplex he owns with his wife and he would continue in a program helping other people  who have been to prison.

Casey Fisher

In 1994, Casey Fisher was sentenced to life imprisonment and a consecutive 20 years of confinement. He was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide while armed and armed robbery with threat of force. 

Fisher, 54, said he has and still is maintaining his innocence of the crime, but that he isn’t trying to challenge his conviction through the commutation process. 

“I also want to acknowledge that me maintaining my innocence in this matter does not mean that I was some kind of good guy back then,” Fisher said. “I really wasn’t. I made a lot of poor choices, I often associated with the wrong people and acted without thinking about the impact that my actions had on others.”

Fisher said that during his incarceration, he’s taken advantage of some of the programs and classes in the prison system. Board member Cindy O’Donnell, former deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, said that he hadn’t received a prison conduct report since 2018. She said that this was a hard thing to achieve, and asked how he’d done it. 

“Stayed in my own lane and just stayed focused on trying to do better,” Fisher said. “(I’ve) got a 2year-old granddaughter.”

Richard Sulla

Richard Sulla, 39, incarcerated at  Oregon Correctional Center, was convicted in May 15, 2012 for burglary using a dangerous weapon prison and required to make restitution of $101,070 to Joseph and Laurie Dudley. He was also charged with multiple other offenses in Waukesha, Milwaukee, Walworth and Washington counties that cumulatively, with the Jefferson County offenses, resulted in 25 years of incarceration and 25 years extended supervision. He has served 16 years in prison.

Sulla said he began his crime spree after he was medically discharged from the Marine Corp. while struggling with the effects of childhood abuse.

“I violated their sense of security and trust in society,” he said of his victims. “I took family memories and ultimately destroyed the Dudleys’ home. And today I stand here humbled, apologetic, and truly sorry for my actions. The destruction I caused to the Dudleys’ home was the first time in this 18-month crime spree I laid awake at night asking myself, ‘What are you doing, Richard?’”

He said in prison he began to focus on changing and taking responsibility for his actions. Through restorative justice programs, he realized the ripple effect of the harm his actions had caused.

He described  investing his time in getting an education and volunteering for Paws Patrols, working with service dogs and earning an associate’s degree, and starting a certified peer support program.

The Dudleys submitted a letter asking that Sulla not be given a commutation due to the damage he caused the family.

Robert Patterson

Robert Patterson was convicted of killing a man found dead from gunshot wounds in a van where he was a passenger on Sept. 3, 2002.

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson said he was riding in the back of the van when one of the men, Kristopher Beason, suddenly turned around in the front seat. His co-defendant, Kionta Crockett, began shooting after he saw Beason was holding a gun. 

Patterson said “the whole van was lighting up like a strobe light.” Patterson pointed his own gun toward the front of the van and fired at least two shots as he moved to exit the vehicle and ran away. 

Patterson told the board that he feared for his life. 

 “Looking back on the situation, I know that I didn’t have to shoot Kris,” he told the commutations board. “I had options…I also should not have gotten into a vehicle with people I didn’t trust.”

Ballistics results linked Beason’s bullet wounds to Patterson’s gun, according to court records. Patterson pled guilty to an amended charge of party to second-degree intentional homicide in Beason’s death. The prosecution agreed to recommend “in the area of 20 years” for initial confinement. 

Patterson was sentenced in 2003 to 27 years behind bars and 18 years on community supervision. 

Board chair Mel Barnes read a statement opposing Patterson’s application for commutation  from the sister of the victim. She said that the pain of losing her brother, especially knowing the perpetrator was a neighbor of more than 10 years whom she considered a friend, “shattered my sense of safety and trust.” She said Patterson pretended to help look for the people behind the crime despite being responsible. 

“It is deeply painful to know that if Robert Patterson is released, he will move forward with his life, while my family continues to live with the daily anguish of his actions,” Barnes read from the statement.

Dequelvin Douglas

Dequelvin Douglas, 47, a resident of Oshkosh Correctional Institution, was convicted of first degree intentional homicide and attempted first degree intentional homicide in Kenosha County at age 15 and sentenced to life in prison when he was 16. He has been incarcerated for 31 years.

“I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said. “This is not a crime of circumstance or peer pressure, but rather the result of a deliberate and selfish choice that terrorized my community. The actions I display, specifically in regards to my victims and their families, are both inexcusable and unrepairable. I know that there are no words that can be said to heal their pain or change how I destroyed their lives.”

When he went to prison at age 16, Douglas said, he thought he was a “monster,” but, he said, over the years he became a member of a men’ s accountability group and began to change his perspective and mature.

He talked about becoming a peer specialist and a mentor and helping others, especially young men. 

A restorative justice program, he said, helped him understand the perspective of his victims and develop empathy.

Harlan Schwartz 

In 2001, Harlan Schwartz was sentenced to 37 years behind bars and 18 years of supervision in the community. He had been convicted of two counts of arson for setting fire to a building and a count of selling, possessing or manufacturing a Molotov cocktail. 

Schwartz was charged in two instances of arson against then-Douglas County District Attorney Daniel Blank’s home, according to the criminal complaint in the case.

The first incident caused soot discoloration and minor charring on part of the siding on the garage. Over a month later, Blank’s family woke to the sound of breaking glass. Blank, his wife Suzanne and their three year-old daughter had been sleeping on the second floor of their home. Suzanne Blank said that she saw fire and smoke in their living room on the lower level, and the family called 911 and exited the home.  

Schwartz and his co-defendent claimed that they committed the crime under duress because they were in fear of their lives and the lives of their families based on threats by gang leader Alejandro Rivera, Fox 21 News reported. At the time of the firebombing, Rivera was awaiting trial for murder, with Blank as prosecutor. 

“Between (my co-defendant) and I, it was fear for me to participate in this because at that point in time, I didn’t believe I had any other choice,” Schwartz said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I had a lot of different choices.”

Board member Cindy O’Donnell said that the Blanks wrote a letter in support of Schwartz’s commutation.

“That means so much to me,” Schwartz said. “I’m so sorry for everything I did to them, and for them to support and have forgiveness is just so overwhelming.”

In a notice to the court, Douglas County Circuit Court Judge George Glonek took no position on whether Schwartz should receive a commutation, noting that he was not the judge who handed down the original sentence, and that Judge Joseph McDonald is now deceased. But he stated that the incident “did more than just affect the victims, the city of Superior, or the County of Douglas.” 

Glonek wrote that during the sentencing hearing, McDonald said that the incident “‘was an attack on the criminal justice system’ (including elected officials) which shook the entire State of Wisconsin and beyond.”

Glonek wrote that at the sentencing hearing, McDonald said that the jury appropriately found there was no coercion, and called the conduct an “act of cowardice.”

“He says fear,” McDonald stated, according to Glonek. “The State says money. I say money. Fear wasn’t there…Fear wasn’t there when he was calling, trying to make arrangements after the fire bombing to Rivera to get the money, according to the testimony of other witnesses. He was waiting for the delivery of the money.”

In 2022, Schwartz sought a lighter sentence, with his attorney arguing that he provided information to law enforcement regarding a prison stabbing at risk of his own safety, according to a hearing transcript. His attorney contended that because of this new factor, Schwartz had met the standard for a sentence modification, and that his overall changed character merited a lighter sentence. 

“There are few things more telling about a person’s character than their (willingness) to risk their own safety to do the right thing,” Schwartz’s attorney said. “Mr. Schwartz did not do that 22 years ago when he committed the crime. He has shown today that he can and he is willing to do that.”

He said that the perpetrator of the prison stabbing, David Schroeder, admitted that he intended to kill the victim because he thought he was a snitch. 

“(Schwartz) found out later that David Schroeder had found out who he was, that he had provided information to the State, that he had made threats to Mr. Schwartz based on that,” Schwartz’s attorney said. 

At the hearing, the district attorney argued that Schwartz hadn’t met the legal standard to be considered for a lighter sentence. He said that Schwartz wasn’t the only witness to the stabbing and that Schroeder took a plea deal instead of going to trial. Judge George Glonek declined to change Schwartz’s sentence. 

Dawn Dobbs

Dawn Dobbs, 59, incarcerated at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, was convicted of first degree intentional homicide (party to a crime) in Milwaukee County and sentenced July 1, 1994, to life imprisonment for killing her life partner, the father of her two sons. She has been in prison for over 32 years.

At 26 years of age, she said, she obtained a gun that a younger co-defendant used to shoot  her partner. She said it had taken her 20 years to be fully accountable for her actions instead of blaming others. She said she now took responsibility for enticing her younger co-defendants to commit the crime.

“As pathetic as these words are, I am so very sorry for the trauma, the pain and heartache that I’ve caused for each and every one of you,” she said to her victims.

Dobbs recounted various jobs she had in prison and the numerous programs she has participated in, including counseling in anger management and coping skills.

She noted one of her crowning achievements was making a suicide prevention video that is viewed in prisons and had reportedly helped to save lives.

If released, she said she would live with her sister in Jefferson, where other family members live, and said she would like to work with animals and volunteer with numerous agencies, including animal and homeless shelters.

Richard Perekovich

On Nov. 9, 2001, police found Victor Ransom dead in the parking lot outside a tavern, alongside Antonio Young, who had gunshot wounds to his right arm and right leg after gunfire  broke out while the two men were leaving the bar at closing time.. 

According to a criminal complaint, Young said he and Ransom were walking out of the tavern when he saw a man he later identified as Richard Perekovich in front of the bar. Perekovich appeared to be showing off a handgun. Young was looking away and talking with Ransom when he heard a scream.

He looked up and saw Perekovich, firing the gun. Young ran and was hit in the arm and leg, and saw Ransom lying on the ground. Perekovich was sentenced to 30 years behind bars and 10 years of supervision in the community for the shootings. 

“Although the circumstances have never been fully resolved, the fact remains that my choice to arm myself and return fire resulted in the loss of a precious life, deprived children of their father, caused the mother to suffer the loss of her son, and a young man challenged with a severe injury to his arm,” Perekovich said. 

A board member asked Perekovich to clarify what happened and who fired first. He said that he fired first out of fear as a person who approached him at his car moved for a gun. Asked whether he saw a weapon, he said he did not, but that the person had previously threatened to “put a hole” in him.  

At sentencing, Perekovich said he pleaded no-contest because he didn’t think he could persuade a jury he acted in self-defense because of how many shots he fired, according to court records. His defense counsel argued that an investigator had found independent witnesses who said that people at the crime scene were armed and firing guns. Perekovich said he believed he was defending himself and did not intend to hit anyone when he fired his gun. 

The circuit court didn’t adopt the state or Perekovich’s version of events presented at sentencing, but said that “although you tell this court that you were not intending to shoot directly at anyone, it appears that an innocent person, someone who is doing nothing more than probably saying goodnight to his friends after an evening of socializing, he, too, was probably doing nothing more than trying to go home and be with his family.”

Yatau Her

Yatau Her, 43, incarcerated at  McNaughton Correctional Center, was convicted of attempted first degree intentional homicide in Eau Claire County, and sentenced on Nov. 18, 2005 to 24 years of confinement and 15 years of extended supervision.

Prior to his attempted robbery of the grocery store, Her said, his life had been unstable after he escaped  from the California Youth Authority to Minnesota and then joined a gang. He recounted the robbery and how he panicked and shot at the store owner.

At his sentencing, he said, the victim asked why a hardworking woman who had done nothing to others would be threatened with harm.

“To answer that question, life pushed me around, and I didn’t have the confidence in my ability, nor the capability to understand how to push life back, so I took it out on people,” he said and added,  “I am ashamed of my actions.”

In 2011, while living in segregation, Her said, he had a revelation about how destructive his life had become and how he had harmed others, and he began to reflect, tried to surround himself with “productive individuals,” and invested in himself by reading self-help books and participating in programs.

He said he gained work experience and education and skills and, over the years, was allowed to move from maximum to medium to unsecured minimum housing and take part in work release.

He said he is no longer a threat to society, and is “ready for the final step of rehabilitation.”

If released, he said he would live with family in California, Oklahoma or Wisconsin.

Gov. Tony Evers is taking his final back-to-school tour of the state, visiting K-12 classrooms across Wisconsin to meet students, families and staff and tout his record as the “Education Governor.”

If you don’t happen to live in one of the 72 Wisconsin school districts that went to referendum last spring, begging local property taxpayers to cover basic costs the state is not meeting, you might get the impression from Evers’ valedictory tour that he is leaving office having solved the urgent problem of chronic underfunding of Wisconsin schools. 

“After a decade of disinvestment, Gov. Evers has spent the last almost eight years working to invest in public education at every level,” a statement released this week by the governor’s office declares. “During his time in office, Gov. Evers has enacted budgets to restore two-thirds funding for public schools for the first time in over two decades, provide the largest special education aid increase in state history, and bring per pupil aid to its highest level ever.”

Sounds like a strong record of accomplishment!

But wait, why does a lawsuit filed this year by the Wisconsin PTA, students, parents, teachers and communities across the state charge that Wisconsin “has seemingly abandoned its commitment to the education of Wisconsin’s public school children” and is violating its own constitution by failing to adequately fund public schools? 

The short answer is that Evers, along with the Republican legislative leaders who are the targets of the lawsuit, are using misleading language to pass off austerity for schools as generosity.

Take Evers’ claim about restoring the state’s long-abandoned commitment to two-thirds funding for schools. That two-thirds number is based on counting money in the state budget that schools are not allowed to spend. While the money is technically allocated for education, the state did not lift school revenue caps, so it can only be spent for property-tax relief. 

“Meeting the state’s two-thirds funding commitment doesn’t put a single new pencil in a classroom when you provide zero dollars in new spending,” explains Heather DuBois Bourenane of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, “and the current budget provided zero dollars in new spendable aid for both years of this biennium.”

Far from reaping a historic investment, students and teachers are starting the year in Wisconsin with no new money for schools. 

The state’s share of special education funding, which fell from a high of 70% in the 1970s to hover around 30% in recent years, did get a bump in the last budget, reversing a dire drop-off. But the “largest special education increase in state history” only amounted to a jump from 30 to 35% last year — considerably less than the 42% reimbursement rate state officials originally projected. 

Finally, in a sense, Evers did bring per-pupil aid to its highest level ever, but like his other claims, this is more a rhetorical victory than a concrete benefit to schools. Using his line-item veto, Evers extended school districts’ ability to raise $325 in revenue per pupil from local taxpayers for the next 400 years. This move infuriated Republicans, and they used it as a reason for not giving schools any new money in the current budget. But the $325 per pupil increase is not hard cash, it’s just revenue-raising authority granted to districts, which are allowed to raise property taxes by that amount if they choose to. Some, having exhausted the good will of local taxpayers with repeated referendum asks, have not done so. 

All in all, schools in Wisconsin are in bad financial shape, and property taxpayers are weary of filling the gap left by the state abandoning its obligation to kids. 

“The Legislature is selling kids short,” says Jeff Mandell of Law Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs in the school funding lawsuit. The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees every child an equal opportunity for a sound, basic education. But for years, the plaintiffs argue, the state has been breaking that promise.

Adams-Friendship school district, one of the parties in the lawsuit, used to have five elementary schools within its 500 square miles. Now, because of school closures due to low enrollment and shrinking budgets, it has only one K-12 school. Kids spend hours riding the bus to a single school building with aging infrastructure where many classrooms are unusable on hot days. 

Huge challenges are also facing urban districts. In Beloit last year one in eight students was homeless. 

“There is this fictitious idea that everyone has budgets, the schools just have to tighten their belts,” says Mandell. The reality is, even as the challenges schools face pile up, the state has steadily decreased funding, to the point where many now face an existential crisis.

The current lawsuit is not the first challenge to Wisconsin’s school funding formula based on the idea that the state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to provide a basic, free education to all children. 

Back in 2000, a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a similar argument in the Vincent v. Voight case. 

In that case, “the Court said the system is not bad enough right now to violate the constitution,” Mandell says. But since then, two full generations of kids have completed kindergarten through 12th grade, and conditions have deteriorated dramatically.

When Vincent v. Voight was decided, school revenue limits were still automatically pegged to inflation. A state law, abolished in 2003, still held that two-thirds of school funding should come from the state.  A popular program, abolished in 2018, still kept class sizes small and offered extra supports to children living in poverty to help them succeed academically.  Overall, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, school funding has not kept pace with inflation in Wisconsin since 2009, a major reversal from the early 2000s, when Wisconsin schools were among the best funded in the nation. 

“The situation keeps getting worse and worse and worse, and we’re saying the court needs to give this another look,” says Mandell.

This is where the hopeful part comes in. Like the gerrymandering lawsuit that prompted the Legislature and the governor to pass fair voting maps in Wisconsin, Mandell believes the school funding lawsuit could trigger major legislative reform. As in the gerrymandering case, “the court’s job is to tell the Legislature, ‘What you have here is not good enough,’ and then give them a short window to fix it,” Mandell says.

It’s not the court’s job to come up with a new funding formula, but if the governor and the Legislature can’t agree, it could impose its own solution.

As the November elections approach, ushering in a new Legislature and a new governor, there’s a real opportunity for change. 

“There is growing momentum and understanding of what the problem is, and what the issue is, on both sides of the aisle,” says DuBois Bourenane. 

She and the other public school advocates in her organization are deeply disappointed that the governor and the Legislature failed to hammer out a deal to give more money to schools, after dangling the idea at the end of the last session. “It’s just criminal that they’re even willing to entertain the idea of sending these kids back to school with nothing again,” she says. “We’ve got 70-plus districts going to referendum again this fall … over a third of our districts went to referendum this calendar year.” 

DuBois Bourenane agrees with Mandell that the lawsuit could spur a breakthrough. 

“I’m just glad that everybody’s talking about it,” she says, “and I hope that they’re paying very close attention to what’s actually possible if we elect people who all agree that we have to fix this broken problem.” 

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Click here to read highlights from the story

• Gov. Tony Evers reopened the commutations process in April – the first time in 25 years Wisconsin prisoners had the opportunity to request shorter sentences. 
• The Commutation Advisory Board will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The virtual meeting is open to the public with no registration required. 
• It will stream at www.youtube.com/@GovCommutations and/or wiseye.org/live.
• Natalie Murphy, one of 12 people who will speak at the hearing, told Wisconsin Watch she spent two weeks reading through her application before submitting it.
• The ACLU of Wisconsin also released new polling this week that shows a majority of Wisconsinities favor some form of clemency for some individuals.

A dozen incarcerated Wisconsinites will publicly make their case for clemency on Friday.

Those individuals represent a fraction of the people who’ve applied for commutations since Gov. Tony Evers reopened the process in April, marking the first opportunity in 25 years for Wisconsin prisoners to request their sentences be shortened.

The Commutation Advisory Board, appointed by the governor, will recommend which applicants’ sentences Evers should commute. Initial announcements said the board would hold its first meeting in June, but it’s now scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The meeting, which is virtual, is open to the public with no registration required. It will stream at www.youtube.com/@GovCommutations and/or wiseye.org/live, according to the governor’s office.

Among those addressing the committee Friday is Natalie Murphy, who was sentenced in 2016 to 20 years in prison and six and a half years of extended supervision for first-degree reckless homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Incarcerated at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, she’s spent the last seven years working full time as a certified peer specialist, sharing her own experience and offering a listening ear to fellow prisoners for $1 an hour. 

“Being able to take the things that I have made mistakes in, or the pain that I have … and show people that there’s hope to get through that, is crucial to who I am at this point in my life,” Murphy said.

When she heard the governor’s commutations announcement, she filled out the 17-page application. For two weeks, she read through it every day.

“I’d start in the morning, like, ‘OK, does this reflect who I am as a person?’ And then I would tweak it,” Murphy said. When she was ready, she got it notarized and mailed it. 

At the end of July, she got a letter saying she’d been selected for a hearing.

“I was shaking quite a bit,” Murphy said. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Murphy acknowledges that one purpose of the legal system is to punish people for their crimes by removing them from the rest of society. But she thinks the commutation process shows people that rehabilitation matters too.

“If we do not emphasize rehabilitation and second chances and putting faith back into people, it can create a really dangerous and toxic environment,” Murphy said.

Poll shows Wisconsinites favor clemency

The majority of Wisconsinites favor some form of clemency for at least some individuals, according to a new poll commissioned by the ACLU of Wisconsin. The poll, conducted in March by public opinion research firm GBAO, surveyed 800 registered voters in Wisconsin. 

Of those voters, 51% support ending or shortening the sentences of prisoners “who meet certain selected criteria” if courts determine they can “successfully and safely re-enter their communities.” Thirty-seven percent opposed the idea.

The poll found voters were more likely to support early release for incarcerated individuals who are on hospice or need extensive care in their old age, as well as for female prisoners who killed or attacked an alleged abuser, and for prisoners who have served 20 years or more for a crime they committed as a minor.

Respondents also support pardons for a variety of Wisconsinites who’ve served their sentences. Pardons, which Gov. Evers has issued throughout his tenure, officially forgive an offense and restore the person’s civil rights. In Wisconsin, pardons are currently available only to individuals who completed their full sentences, including any extended supervision, at least five years ago. Though these pardons don’t shorten sentences, they can make it easier to get a job, housing or a professional license.

Eighty percent of ACLU survey respondents said they support pardons for individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes, and 50% said they support pardons for those convicted of violent crimes.

Wisconsin’s next governor will determine whether Wisconsinites will continue to receive commutations after Evers leaves office in January. 

In April, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s gubernatorial campaign told Wisconsin Watch he would rescind Evers’ executive orders on commutations because they allow people convicted of murder to apply. 

Under Evers’ executive order only those previously convicted of sexual assault, physical abuse or sexual exploitation of a child, trafficking of a child, incest or soliciting a child for prostitution are ineligible for commutations. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary, told Wisconsin Watch in April he would work with the Legislature to “institutionalize” Evers’ commutations process but that he “would not allow commutations of murderers.”

For now, many Wisconsin prisoners are holding out hope that their applications will be granted before any potential changes to the process. 

On Friday, Murphy will read from the personal statement she was told to prepare, explaining why she’s in prison, what rehabilitation she’s done, what she’d do if she got out and why she thinks she deserves a commutation. 

Beyond that, she’s not sure what to expect. She doesn’t know when or how she’ll learn what the board and the governor decide. If she doesn’t receive a commutation, she’ll remain incarcerated until her scheduled release date in 2036. 

Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s prison population is nearing a record high. As of Friday, Aug. 14, the system held 23,789 prisoners, just 37 shy of the record set in 2019. That’s nearly 6,000 people more than the system was designed for, according to the Department of Corrections.

Wisconsin Watch reporter Brittany Carloni contributed to this report.

Wisconsin to hold commutations hearing Friday is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

A 2023-25 budget provision granting a sales tax exemption to data centers was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in July 2023. 

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said in March that the tax break will cost the state more than $2 billion in sales tax revenue, mostly from massive data centers in Beaver Dam, Port Washington and Mount Pleasant. When the budget was approved in July 2023, hyperscale data centers were so new the fiscal bureau didn’t estimate how much an exemption would affect state tax collections.

While the high cost has drawn scrutiny, the incentive was originally designed to drive economic growth. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 38 states offer tax incentives on data centers.

Wisconsin has about 50 data centers, largely in the Milwaukee and Madison areas.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin data center tax break to cost state more than $2 billion
• Legislative Fiscal Bureau: 2023-25 Wisconsin State Budget
• Data Center Map: Wisconsin Data Centers
• National Conference of State Legislatures: Subsidizing Servers: How States Are Competing to Attract Data Centers

Was a Wisconsin data centers tax break put in place solely by Gov. Tony Evers?  is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.