Mary Burke vs. Scott Walker on school vouchers….discuss.
As we draw closer to casting that ballot, Governor Scott Walker and gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke are speaking out on a variety of hot button issues including the state’s school voucher program.
The program offers taxpayer-funded tuition subsidies for students to attend private, mostly religious, schools.
Gov. Walker wants to significantly increase participation in the program, particularly for low-income families. On Friday, Gov. Walker called Burke out on her choice, as a member of the Madison school board, to not have her district participate in the program.
“I think there’s a little bit of question as to whether or not Mary Burke, both on the school board and eventually if she was Governor, would not be beholden to them,” Gov. Walker said. “Madison is the only school district in the state that hasn’t used those reforms to save money. They’re horribly out of touch with everywhere else across the state and it’s hurting not just the tax payers, it’s hurting students.”
Burke has pledged to reduce the number of vouchers offered by the state and eliminate the program.
“The credible research that has been put out shows that there is no improvement in student learning under the private voucher programs,” the gubernatorial candidate said Thursday. “We have limited resources. We need to spend them wisely and with nearly half of the school districts in Wisconsin seeing cuts in their state aid for the school year, I ask Governor Walker how is he going to fund this expansion?”
What’s interesting is that Walker’s privatizing plan is so costly compared to public education. Walker’s per pupil state aid to private school is nearly triple his per pupil aid to public schools and beyond this he gives the parents of private school students tax credits up to $10,000 for each student in a family. This amounts to a duel education system that starves the public school and feeds the private school with no appreciable gains in achievement. This makes no sense until you consider the private school lobby donations and individual donors that want privatization. 70% of the families receiving the tax credits had previously paid tuition for their children so Walker’s subsidies weren’t directed to low income families!
The DPI has a nifty tool that allows you to search Wisconsin school referendums. I don’t think I’d read the data the way his campaign must be.