Support bills for voucher accountability

A series of bills to increase accountability for vouchers has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. Please take a minute to read about the proposals, and send an email to the members of the committee asking them to support these bills. They include:

  • State aid to the resident school district of a pupil attending a private school under the Racine or statewide parental choice program (SB 661). This bill prohibits the Department of Public Instruction from making certain reductions in state aid paid to a school district until the electors of the school district have approved the reduction in state aid by a referendum vote.
  • Teacher licensure in voucher schools and the special needs voucher schools (SB 660). With certain exceptions, this bill requires that, beginning on July 1, 2022, teachers at private schools participating in a parental choice program or in the Special Needs Scholarship Program must hold a license or permit issued by the Department of Public Instruction. Under current law, teachers at choice schools must have at least a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution of higher education, but they are not required to be licensed by DPI. There are no current law requirements regarding who may teach at SNSP schools.
  • Per pupil payments to private schools participating in parental choice programs (SB 659). This bill changes the calculation of the per pupil amount the Department of Public Instruction pays to participating private schools in the Racine Parental Choice Program and the statewide parental choice program, known as the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (collectively, parental choice programs). Under the bill, for each pupil attending a private school under a parental choice program, DPI must pay the private school participating in the parental choice program the lesser of a) the per pupil amount under current law; b) the amount the private school charges a pupil who is not attending the private school under a parental choice program for tuition and educational fees; or c) the per pupil amount of state aid for the pupil's resident school district, as calculated on October 15 of that school year.
  • Phasing out the Special Needs Scholarship Program and limiting enrollment in parental choice programs (SB 658). This bill phases out the Special Needs Scholarship Program and caps the total number of pupils who may participate in a parental choice program.