Molly Beck

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - The state's chamber of commerce released a new ad this week hitting state schools superintendent and Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers over giving his staff raises and bonuses instead of putting that money into poorly performing schools.

The ad tells viewers that despite more than 100 schools receiving the lowest academic rating handed out by the Department of Public Instruction, Evers recommended $400,000 worth of raises and bonuses for 117 employees between 2012 and 2014.

But the Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Administration have control over such payments, and state law would have prevented Evers from unilaterally taking funding for staff salaries and sending it to schools.

Walker at the time of the pay bumps also had already rejected proposals from Evers to boost funding for schools.

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DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy said in 2014, the DOA approved retention raises for DPI employees and the Legislature had set bonuses at $2,000 per employee.

A spokesman for the DOA said the DPI is not considered an "attached agency" and does not share human resources services with the DOA, but in some cases the department will review requests for compliance with the compensation plan for state employees.

At the time Evers recommended the pay boosts, he had also proposed to overhaul the state's funding formula for schools, which would have included a dramatic increase in spending for schools. Walker rejected Evers' proposal three times until 2017, when much of it was incorporated into the governor's 2017-'19 spending plan.

Nick Novak, spokesman for the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, said Evers should have lobbied the Legislature to move the money anyway.

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"He could have done this. He had the ability to do this. And he didn't even try," Novak said. "I think he should have tried if he felt strongly about something."

Novak said giving bonuses to employees at an agency that oversees public education at a time when dozens of schools are not meeting basic academic standards is unacceptable.

A spokeswoman for Evers' campaign referred a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter to the DPI.

McCarthy said the ad was "laughable."

"It shows they they don’t understand how the system actually works," he said.