Catholic School Sues Milwaukee Public Schools Over Transportation

A Milwaukee Catholic high school is suing Milwaukee Public Schools for allegedly refusing to provide transportation to private school students.

The conservative group Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has filed the lawsuit on behalf of St. Joan Antida High School, an all-girls voucher school.

CJ Szafir, vice president of policy for the WILL, said at least 70 students at the high school have been denied their right to district-funded transportation to school.

State law requires districts to provide transportation to students at private schools if they offer the same service to public school students, Szafir said. State law says students living at least 2 miles from their school or at least 1 mile from public transportation should receive bussing to school. Szafir said at least 70 of the 143 students at the private school fall into those categories and should receive bussing.

He said the policy is effecting the competitiveness of private schools.

“The first question that a parent’s going to ask when they go to anyone of these schools is can you get my child to and from school in a very safe manner?” Szafir said. “So schools are, by that, going to have to be compelled to provide some sort of transportation.”

Paul Gessner, head of St. Joan Antida High School, said the school spends $108,000 a year to provide buses for their students and MPS should foot the bill.

“The cost of bussing is the same cost I spend for our international baccalaureate curriculum,” Gessner said. “It’s the same thing we spend on a year’s worth of Engineering Project Lead the Way curriculum, it is potentially two teachers in theater, music or dance.”

Gessner said after the case is complete he hopes MPS reimburses families at the school for transportation cost.

An MPS spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.