MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) – Almost three percent more Milwaukee youngsters are getting tax-funded vouchers to attend private schools this fall.
State education officials say more than 27,600 Milwaukee youngsters are attending voucher schools, and the increase of 2.8 percent is the smallest in about 10 years.
Jim Bender of School Choice Wisconsin says the increase is still significant, and the program keeps providing more options for parents with savings for taxpayers.
School choice is considered a Republican cause now, but Democrat Polly Williams was actually the one who first proposed Milwaukee’s original voucher program back more than 25 years ago.
Supporters say it gives low-income kids a chance at a better education and a way out of poverty.
Opponents say it deprives public schools of thousands of students and the state aid each one attracts.
The choice program expanded to Racine a few years ago, and it’s been running on a limited basis statewide for almost three years.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
