MADISON – Senator Kelda Roys released her plan to responsibly end vouchers as Wisconsin’s next governor. The plan is a commonsense approach to end taxpayer funding of unaccountable private schools and return our tax dollars to local public schools that serve all students.


“My plan is a sensible, phased approach to return public dollars to public schools,” Roys said. “This past school year, taxpayers paid over $700 million to fund private schools where we had no voice on school boards, no say in curriculum and where students can be turned away for any reason without explanation. That’s nearly $1.5 billion in every state budget being taken from our public schools that serve the overwhelming majority of Wisconsin’s children.”


Roys’ plan comes as lawmakers and voters across America on both sides of the aisle are rejecting failed voucher schemes, given that student outcomes are at or below the performance of public schools and there is little accountability. In Arizona this week, voters collected a half-million signatures to put vouchers on the ballot to demand voucher schools take state tests, follow fire and safety rules, conduct background checks, require reports on how money is spent, return unused voucher funds to taxpayers, and create an income cap for recipients. Voters in Nebraska have already said no to vouchers and lawmakers in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina have refused expansion, cut voucher funding or are in discussions to roll it back.


After launching the nation’s first privatization vouchers 40 years ago, Wisconsin taxpayers now fund four separate voucher programs. At that time, the plan to use tax dollars to fund religious and private institutions was marketed in Milwaukee as a way to better meet the educational needs of low-income children in communities of color. But instead of fixing the problem, the voucher program created new ones.


“Over the long term, we have seen this experiment fail just as miserably as the preceding decisions to determine school funding by property values established during the first Jim Crow era,” said Roys. “Vouchers are driving up property taxes to pay for two separate, unequal systems, as public schools are forced to make up for what vouchers take. In this economy, Wisconsin cannot afford two parallel systems. We should invest in the public schools our constitution demands we fund, and that are accountable for where our tax dollars go.


“Today, I am outlining my plan to bring the voucher scheme to a responsible end over time, and ensure that Wisconsin once again leads the nation in the quality of our public schools, so that every child, regardless of where their parents can afford to live, gets a great education.”
Photos of Sen. RoysPortrait of Sen. Roys



Step 1) Private institutions that take public funding must follow the same rules and standards as public schools. Holding voucher schools to the same standards as public schools will eliminate many of the worst actors in the voucher system.
● Accountability: teachers must be licensed, students must take the Forward exam and meet educational standards, no corporal punishment can be allowed ● Transparency: public oversight of budgets and spending, open records laws apply, and full disclosure of voucher spending on property tax bills● Non-Discrimination: schools must follow fair employment practices – no more firing teachers because they’re gay or pregnant and unmarried or the wrong religion, and voucher schools must accept any child who applies – no more discriminating against children with disabilities or for any other reason
Step 2) Beginning in the school year 2027-28, eliminate the statewide voucher program – basically, everything outside of Milwaukee and Racine. The vast majority of students using vouchers statewide were already in private school at their parents’ expense, so there is no reason for taxpayers to  subsidize that choice. Parents will continue to be free to choose their neighborhood public school, open enroll within their district or to another district, go to virtual public school, homeschool, or to go to private school. Taxpayers will simply not be required to pick up the tab for private school.
Step 3) For Milwaukee and Racine, we need to be thoughtful about the impact on the largely low-income kids who are currently in voucher schools, and for whom a disruption would be counter to their education and development. A significant percentage of Milwaukee’s students are in voucher schools, so an overnight change is not feasible or in children’s best interest. Every child currently enrolled in MPS and Racine United will be allowed to continue to attend the school of their choosing, as well as their siblings, until they graduate. Over time, the number of voucher students will naturally decline and we will increase the quality and capacity of the public schools. Finally, at any point, voucher schools have the option to become public instrumentality charters so that they can continue to receive public funds and become public schools. 
“This plan balances our commitment to students and fiscal responsibility,” Roys said. “It ensures our public schools will have the resources they need to give every child a high quality public education without having to go to referendum every year and without further burdening taxpayers.”
Roys’ plan is part of her platform to keep Wisconsin’s schools strong. Click here to learn more about how voucher schools impact public education. To read Kelda Roys’ detailed policy proposals, visit keldaroys.com.