Jason Stein

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Madison — Gov. Scott Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) are panning the idea of mandating drug testing for high school athletes, leaving little chance for a quick passage of the concept next year.

In year-end interviews Wednesday, the Republican governor also promised to provide more money for K-12 schools and a back-to-school sales tax holiday in his next budget, avoid cutting state universities, and said that if he runs for a third term he would be unlikely to leave office mid-term or run for a fourth term.

Walker didn't totally rule out the student drug testing proposal floated last week by Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) but said he hadn't heard the concept being brought up elsewhere.

"It doesn't mean we're discouraging new ideas, but I just think our focus needs to be on ideas that seem to have the greatest promise, and not having heard that anywhere else, I'm going to spend our time and our focus on things that seem to have the most universal attention," Walker told the Journal Sentinel.

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Kleefisch and an anti-heroin task force he organized put forward the idea of mandating that high schools randomly test students who drive to school or participate in any extracurricular activity, from track to Spanish club.

But elected leaders have been lukewarm at best to the idea, even those such as Attorney General Brad Schimel who are aggressive about fighting heroin and opioids. Vos also panned the idea this week, saying, "I haven't seen a groundswell of support for it."

In year-end interviews Wednesday with the Journal Sentinel, The Associated Press and Wisconsin State Journal, Walker said he wanted:

To keep fighting to reverse a federal court decision last month striking down redrawn legislative districts approved by Walker and GOP lawmakers. The governor wouldn't say whether he would approve new maps while the state's appeal is pending, saying he hadn't considered that question.

To give an unspecified increase in state aid next year to K-12 schools in his next budget proposal and in the total amount that schools can spend in state aid and local property taxes.

To enact a sales tax holiday on back-to-school fall purchases in the budget.

To avoid leaving office midway through a third term if he does run for re-election and win in 2018. Walker said he would be unlikely to run again in 2022, however.

On the drug-testing proposal, Kleefisch said Wednesday that he wants to identify students addicted to dangerous drugs and that he isn't wedded to random drug testing. Other options include making it easier for school and police officials to use drug-sniffing dogs, he said.

"We are looking at any possible way to find out who is hooked on opiates and get them help before they die," he said.

Alarmed by overdose deaths in their area, some schools such as the Oconomowoc Area School District are already doing drug testing. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the ability of districts to drug test students involved in after-school activities in the 2002 case, Board of Education vs. Earls.

Kleefisch also said drug screening could be done with less-invasive testing of hair follicles rather than urine samples and that schools could be required to seek parents' consent.

But the idea still unsettles some with libertarian leanings, including Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative group that takes on public interest cases. Esenberg said that just because schools can do something under the Constitution doesn't mean it's a good idea.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.