The Governor is scheduled to issue his proposed 2019-21 state budget Thursday. In the last few weeks, Gov. Evers has told the state’s media he won’t phase out the Choice program.
But, he revealed in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story today how he plans to control the Choice programs.
This has prompted many questions from principals statewide. Here are some answers and resources to help navigate what you are hearing:
Q: What do you make of Gov. Evers’ call for freezing Choice Program Enrollment?
It’s a variation on the use of enrollment caps on the program that have existed since Choice began 30 years ago. Other Governor’s hostile to Choice pushed for caps, as well.
But over time, parents’ strong support for educational Choice has won. Educational Choice has grown in Wisconsin over three decades because parents want and need it for their children.
Q: What about this effort to include voucher costs in property tax bills to foster “transparency and accountability”?
Opponents of Choice have long pushed to include voucher expenses in local property tax bills. This is being done in Racine. An effort to mandate it for the entire state failed to pass the legislature last year. Lawmakers point out that such efforts do nothing to actually improve educational quality for students. They also argued that full transparency requires that tax bills also include the cost of public school choice (open enrollment), which is the state’s oldest and largest parental choice program.
Q: Is Gov. Evers’ call for teacher licensure of Choice schools new?
When Evers met with the WCRIS Board last year, he said he would require teacher licensure in Choice schools. That’s one reason why WCRIS worked so hard to ensure the state’s new life license law recognized private school teaching experience. Advocacy by WCRIS school leaders, staff and families made it a success.
Q: What about Gov. Evers comments about accreditation and the religious opt-out provision?
Already, all of the Choice schools have to be accredited and are subject to a religious opt-out provision.
Evers is proposing to expand those requirements to the Special Needs Scholarship Program so it follows the Choice Program rules. He proposed this in the DPI budget he released in September (see pages 153-161).
WCRIS and other members of the education reform coalition in Wisconsin have long argued for the Choice programs to be similar when it comes to income, rules, etc. This proposal is the other side of that coin.
Q: How likely are these proposed changes to happen?
The Governor can’t make changes without the legislature’s support. Both Speaker of the Assembly Robin Voss (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) have said the legislature won’t dismantle Choice.
So, this is all about horse trading. The Governor is drawing his lines in the sand and the legislature will draw theirs in the coming weeks. They both need each other to get a budget passed, so compromise will have to happen.
Q: How do I respond to columns in my local newspaper supporting the call to have tax bills include the cost of the Choice programs?
The tax bill idea is already being done in the City of Racine. But, the Racine Journal Times editorial board actually argues AGAINST the idea. Here’s their editorial.
Share with your parents this fact sheet about the impact of private schools in Wisconsin. Invite them to use it to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper.
Open Enrollment, or Public School Choice, is Wisconsin’s oldest and largest school choice program. It costs taxpayers more than vouchers. Full transparency would mean including the cost of that program on tax bills, as well.
This op-ed piece from our friends at School Choice Wisconsin outlines clearly how the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program is not a threat to public districts.
Q: What do I do about my local School Superintendent who is writing columns in the local newspaper against school Choice?
The district has an obligation to stay neutral on political issues. Employees, like the Superintendent, should not be using tax-payer funded time or resources to engage in political advocacy or partisan politics.
The tax bill proposal is a partisan issue. Ask your school parents to call every member of your local public school board and ask why district staff are using taxpayer resources for partisan political activity.
Q: How should school principals respond to false information and negative comments about school Choice?
Get informed. Visit the WCRIS website’s fact page. Download the fact sheet posted there. Share the fact sheet and the web link with your school parents.
Read and share this op-ed column with your families. It outlines clearly how Choice funding is not a threat to public school districts.
Q: What can we do to influence the state budget discussion on these issues?
- Invite your state legislators into your schools for a tour and show them all the good things you are doing for kids because of Choice. Show them academic success caused by Choice. Urge them to support the Choice programs. Thank them for past support, if applicable. Find your state legislators here.
- Keep reading Current Events. We’ll provide you with concrete things you can do to help as the state budget process unfolds. For example, you can attend hearings of the Joint Finance Committee as it conducts its road show around the state in the coming months. You can submit testimony and tell the story of how Choice has changed children’s lives at your school. WCRIS will publicize the dates and times of the Joint Finance Committee hearings once they are scheduled.
- Help mobilize parents to tell legislators their stories about the difference Choice has made in their lives. Help us identify parent leaders who can help mobilize other parents. Ask parent leaders to complete this survey for WCRIS. We will be working with the American Federation for Children and School Choice Wisconsin to deploy these parents strategically in the coming weeks.
