Tony Evers for State Superintendent
Evers: "I look forward to working with the Legislature to craft a state budget that invests in our public school kids."
For state superintendent Tony Evers, reelection was the easy part. He handily beat his opponent, staunch conservative Rep. Don Pridemore (R-Town of Erin), with over 60% of the vote Tuesday.
"Voters spoke loudly and clearly, affirming their commitment to Wisconsin's strong public schools and calling for a much-needed reinvestment to support the over 870,000 public school kids in our state," says Evers in a statement.
But despite the big win, Evers faces an even bigger battle in the Legislature, where lawmakers are considering Gov. Scott Walker's latest budget. It's unclear whether the Republican majority is united behind Walker's plan to increase funding for the state's voucher schools by $73 million -- something Evers campaigned against, insisting there is no evidence that voucher programs are working.
"The academic data just does not justify expansion," he told the Joint Finance Committee (PDF) during a hearing in March.
It also remains to be seen whether lawmakers will give more money to traditional public schools, which were hit with a historic $800 million cut in Walker's previous budget. Despite pleas from Evers, almost none of that money has been restored by Walker this time around.
Add to that Evers' opposition to Walker's plan to create a state charter school oversight board, which would supersede local district control, and there appears to be a tough road ahead for the superintendent. Still, on election night he remained optimistic: "I look forward to working with the Legislature to craft a state budget that invests in our public school kids."
