Public, private schools in Madison consider the impact of voucher program

St. James School in Madison, Photo credit: Nellie HolmesIf school vouchers expand to Madison, as Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposes, Wingra School Principal Paul Brahce would have to say “no.”

Although Wingra School, a private K-8 school in Madison, could benefit from the program, Brahce opposes vouchers on a philosophical level, fearing what the program could mean for public schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD).

“I believe that well-funded public schools are essential to the health and well-being of our city,” Brahce said. “Vouchers take money away from public schools and give it to private schools. I value the many professional and personal connections we have with MMSD and would not want to be put in an adversarial relationship with them.”

Madison teachers and school administrators, like Brahce, are finding themselves at the center of the debate over Walker’s proposal to expand school vouchers throughout Wisconsin.

The Parental Private School Choice Program, which is currently in effect in Milwaukee and Racine, allows students in underperforming school districts to opt out of public schools and instead attend participating private schools. State-funded vouchers cover the cost of tuition, allowing the student to attend a private school for free.

In his proposed budget, Walker has made expanding vouchers to more school districts a high priority. Of the $277 million in new money allocated to K-12 education in the budget, Walker has set aside $23 million for charter schools, $73 million for voucher expansion, and $21 million for providing vouchers for students with special needs, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The proposed budget includes a 22 percent increase in high school voucher funding to $7,856 per student and a 9 percent increase in K-8 voucher funding to $7,050 per student, according to the Wisconsin Budget Project.

The proposed budget would allow for voucher expansion to nine other school districts, including Madison, that have at least two failing schools. According to report cards released by the Department of Public Instruction last year, 20 percent of MMSD’s students are attending underperforming schools.

Since Walker released the budget in February, his voucher proposal has been criticized by Madison school employees and school advocates. The Madison Board of Education, Madison Common Council, and State Superintendent Tony Evers have all made statements against the proposal.

Board of Education member Arlene Silveira said the Board is unanimously opposed to vouchers coming to Madison and recently conducted a study to determine how the introduction of vouchers would financially affect Madison public schools. 

According to the study, MMSD could lose up to $2 million in state aid during the first school year in which vouchers are implemented, up to $4.5 million during the second school year, and up to $7 million in state aid once vouchers are offered without a cap on students.

Under the proposed budget, the state would offer vouchers to 500 Madison students in 2013-2014, 1000 students in 2014-2015, and an unlimited number of students after that. The number of spots available in private schools would depend on how many schools choose to participate.

The students that would remain in public schools are the students that cost more to educate, said Marjorie Passman, Board of Education member. Because private schools can select which students they accept, public schools will continue to incur the higher cost of educating low-achieving students and students with special needs, Passman said.

“Private schools vouchers will cost MMSD money. If we’re losing millions in state aid, we have to cut back on something,” Silveira said. “We’ll have to reduce programming and increase class sizes. Your child will be affected by that.”

Silveira said property taxes will likely increase to help cover the loss in state public school aid. She added that the Board of Education would be left to make difficult decisions between cutting programs or increasing taxes.

School Choice Wisconsin, an organization that supports charter and voucher schools and public-private partnerships, says that the school district’s largely negative reaction to vouchers is a result of “a misinformation campaign.”

“The district, like many others across the state, is using highly inflated enrollment numbers and selective property tax calculations in an attempt to scare citizens about the parental choice program,” said Nycole Stawinoga, School Choice Wisconsin director of research and legislative affairs.

Vouchers may benefit private schools because that funding would not be dependent on parent-paid tuition, a private school’s primary revenue source.

St. James School Principal Sister Kathleen Loughrin said her school would be open to receiving vouchers for students next year. While St. James’s diocese is waiting for more information about the proposed plan, Loughrin said it is excited about the possibility.

“We have openings for students here. From what I’ve heard so far, it would be great for us. I know for sure many families in our diocese are very interested in it,” Loughrin said.

Meanwhile, Wingra School is more hesitant. Brahce said accepting government-funded vouchers would compromise the school’s autonomy and increase government oversight. For example, the school would be required to implement standardized testing, which it currently opposes, he said. 

“Having sufficient autonomy to develop our own educational program is very important to us as an independent school,” Brahce said. “Participating in a voucher system would mean sacrificing our independence and compromising our mission to comply with the eligibility requirements.”

The state began offering vouchers to students in Milwaukee in 1990, and today the program serves nearly 25,000 students in a total of 112 Milwaukee private schools. Racine Unified School District adopted the voucher program in 2011 and currently has 500 students participating in the program.

According to School Choice Wisconsin, the voucher program serves Milwaukee’s low-income families. In 2011-2012, 90.5 percent of Milwaukee choice students qualified for free and reduced lunch, four percent more than Milwaukee Public Schools, School Choice Wisconsin said.

As Madison school employees anticipate the introduction of vouchers, some remain concerned about the potential ripple effects. George Swamp was a social worker for MMSD for 20 years before retiring because of Act 10 in 2011. Now a substitute social worker at Lincoln Elementary School, Swamp said the needs of the district are increasing, while funding for public schools is being syphoned to private schools.

“MMSD has more homeless families in the school district than ever before. Every day, we’re transporting 1,000 students to school from shelters and various places. I’ve worked in schools for 20 years and it hasn’t been like this,” he said.

The voucher program proposal, Swamp says, will leave public schools with fewer resources to meet the needs of students.

“We’re asked to do more with less,” Swamp said. “But Walker’s budget has already asked us to do more with less. Where else can we go?”

The Joint Finance Committee has completed all public hearings regarding K-12 education and will vote on the budget later this month.