Gov. Tony Evers announced a new proposal for his first biennial budget in which he suggested stopping the expansion of state voucher programs and charter schools passed under former Gov. Scott Walker’s administration.
Gov. Evers’ intention is to end having “two parallel systems of education that utilize public dollars and provides funds to about 600 schools it otherwise would not.”
This proposal would prevent the creation of new independent charter schools in the state, and would freeze enrollment spots in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program and the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program as of 2021.
The voucher system started more than thirty years ago in Milwaukee and saw expansion via government funding under Gov. Walker.
The Walker administration’s expansion of school choice programs underwent an enrollment increase of 8.7 percent in the 2018-’19 school year and now costs $302 million, according to statements by the Evers administration.
Gov. Evers said the money used to expand voucher programs throughout Walker’s time was “unsustainable,” and believes freezing money allocated to charter schools would save taxpayers money.
Calling for greater transparency, the proposal requires schools to provide the amount of money taken from property taxes that the school district collects, which Evers believes will help properly fund existing public school districts.
While Evers, who previously served as Wisconsin state superintendent, won the governorship by showcasing his knowledge of the education system, he faces strong Republican opposition to this proposal in the state Legislature.
“We will not support a budget that includes this [proposal],” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, in a press release. “Wisconsinites should have more choices when it comes to the education of their children, not fewer. Budget leaks of far-left proposals like these only make bipartisan compromise more difficult.”
President of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families Ty Babinski echoed Fitzgerald’s sentiments.
“It is not the job of the Governor of Wisconsin to protect the teachers' union and the status quo by denying parents the options to choose the school that fits their child's needs,” he said.
Evers’ complete proposed budget is due Feb. 28.
State News
