State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers said that the state’s expanding voucher program is siphoning money from public education to subsidize education for students already enrolled in private schools.
The Department of Public Instruction recently announced that 2,514 students are now enrolled in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which provides tax dollars to low-income families enrolling children in private schools. Before the Legislature lifted a cap on vouchers statewide only, 1,000 students participated.
Evers said the program is shifting money away from public education, particularly outside of Milwaukee and Racine.
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“Most of the students, especially outstate, that are participating in the voucher program are already in private schools,” he said. “So essentially we’re subsidizing private education.”
According to the DPI, the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program is expected to cost just over $18 million.
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