Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Badger Herald · School vouchers foolishly privatize public education

The Badger Herald · School vouchers foolishly privatize public education:


School vouchers foolishly privatize public education



In recent weeks, Gov. Scott Walker has been pushing for renewed efforts to expand Wisconsin’s school voucher program, without exactly specifying what this program would entail. Walker’s renewed effort to expand the program coincides with the efforts of three former Republican state representatives who are now lobbying for an expanded school voucher program. Wisconsin’s school voucher program is misguided and is ultimately not a good policy for the state.
The Wisconsin school voucher program was created in 1990 as an effort to help Milwaukee children living in poverty escape their financial situation. But does the school voucher program actually accomplish this goal? In an individual case, the program may succeed, but when the cases are aggregated together it seems highly unlikely.
Students who qualify for the Wisconsin school voucher program receive a taxpayer-funded subsidy of $6,442 per year to attend a