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New Information on the Voucher School Expansion Loophole
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | February 1, 2012
The SAA has just received updated information regarding the provision in last year’s biennial budget (Act 32) related to private school voucher expansion (the so-called voucher school expansion loophole). As you may remember, the provision established four criteria and stated that if a district met all four criteria, then all income eligible children residing in that school district would be able to participate in a private school voucher program. The four criteria are: 1) District property value per member is no more than 80% of the statewide average; 2) District shared cost per pupil is no more than 91% of the statewide average; 3) District is eligible to receive high poverty aid; and 4) District is located in whole or in part in a second class city.
The fourth criteria provides perhaps the most permanent filter, the application of which yields 37 school districts located in whole or in part in a second class city. These 37 districts are: Altoona, Appleton, Bristol #1, Chippewa Falls, Deforest, EauClaire, Elmbrook, Fond du Lac, Freedom, Green Bay, Hortonville, Janesville, Kenosha, Kimberly, Kohler, La Crosse, Madison, McFarland, Menasha, Middleton-Cross Plains, Milton, Monona Grove, North Fond du Lac, Onalaska, Oshkosh, Paris J1, Racine, Sheboygan, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waukesha, Waunakee, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Salem, Winneconne, and Central Westosha Union High School.
Racine met all four criteria last year. The law provides that DPI determines eligibility for the private school voucher program every other year. And even though Racine does not meet all four criteria this year, once a district is in the program they are always in.
The districts now closest to becoming “choice eligible” are Green Bay and Menasha, both of whom meet 3 of 4 criteria and only miss on the criteria regarding shared cost per pupil (less than 91% of the statewide average). Both are relatively close, with Green Bay at 93.5% and Menasha at 93.2% of the statewide average this year.
Clearly, this new information makes it that much more important for Assembly Republicans to honor their promise to the people living in these 37 school districts, and in the entire state of Wisconsin for that matter. Speaker Fitzgerald, it’s time to pass Senate Bill 174/Assembly Bill 314 and close the voucher school expansion loophole. Governor Walker, as the leader of your party, and as a party to the agreement to enact this legislation, it’s time to rally your party leaders and honor your promise to the people of Wisconsin.
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