School Voucher Expansion Program Approved
*This is a developing story.
City-Times Staff
Members of the Joint Finance Committee voted early Wednesday morning to approve expanding the private school voucher program statewide.
The program currently operates only in Milwaukee and Racine, but would now be implemented into 432 districts throughout the state.
The vote came after a ten hour recess that began Tuesday afternoon and ended when the committee reconvened after 1 AM Wednesday morning.
The deal was approved on a party- line vote of 12-4. The deal caps enrollment in voucher schools to 500 students next year and 1,000 for every year after that.
Gov. Scott Walker’s original proposal expanded vouchers to only nine cities, but there was no enrollment cap after the second year. The statewide expansion with caps was the compromise from the GOP in light of Democrat objection.
Democrats oppose voucher schools, saying they are unaccountable and divert money from public education. The program allows public school students to attend private and religious schools using a taxpayer funded voucher.
“How can we say we’re going to fund two school systems when we can’t adequately provide for the public schools?” Democrat Corey Mason of Racine asked the committee.
The Joint Finance Committee finally adjourned at 6:15 AM Wednesday morning.