While I don't know the specifics of Wisconsin politics, I wouldn't be surprised if the legislative branch was trying to gut the education budget.
Correct. (I'm a Wisconsinite.)
Wisconsin is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, and as a consequence, the state legislature is dominated by Republicans, despite receiving fewer votes than Democrats. (State Republicans actually came close to getting a veto-proof supermajority but fell slightly short.) The Governor, who won reelection in 2022, is a Democrat.
The partisan conflict is so bad in Wisconsin that a number of years back, one of our Supreme Court justices (who was formerly the speaker of the state assembly) physically choked another Supreme Court justice in their chambers. Needless to say, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is extremely partisan.
Wisconsin is a weird state. Tammy Baldwin was the first open lesbian elected to the US Senate, while our other Senator Ron Johnson is... well, a total wacko who claimed that mouthwash cures Covid. And Wisconsin reelected both Republican Johnson and Democrat Evers in 2022. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
>Wisconsin governors have expansive partial veto power, and Evers got creative with his use of it in this budget. He crafted the four-century school aid extension by striking a hyphen and a "20" from a reference to the 2024-25 school year. The increase of $325 per student is the highest single-year increase in revenue limits in state history.