Milwaukee Voucher Program
Milwaukee's voucher program is the nation's oldest, created by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1990. It enrolls approximately 19,000 students, with vouchers worth up to $6,501 per student in the 2007-08 school year. The program is expected to cost taxpayers about $120 million this school year, with nearly half that amount paid by withholding state aid to Milwaukee's Public Schools and the rest coming from the state's general fund. The state-mandated academic evaluation of the program ended in the mid 1990s after research showed no major differences academically between public and voucher students. A new longitudinal evaluation released in early 2008 also found no virtually no academic differences between the two groups of students, with further findings expected in the coming years.
Resources
- Budget proposal includes new rules for voucher schools (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6-1-09)
- Study finds results of Milwaukee Public Schools and voucher school students are similar (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3-26-09)
- New Study on Milwaukee Vouchers Finds No Significant, Sustained Improvement in Public Schools Resulting from Competition
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New Study On Milwaukee Vouchers Finds No Significant, Sustained Improvement in Public Schools Resulting from Competition
- 11 schools cut off from vouchers (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9-21-07)
- 2006-07 Facts and Figures (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
- State yanks school's voucher status (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5-26-06)
- Barrett pleads for help on vouchers (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2-6-06)
- Group blasts voucher ad targeting governor (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-25-06)
- Doyle finds no shortage of friends after ads (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-25-06)
- Voucher program starting new year under close watch (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8-31-05)
- Choice school rules tighten (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8-17-05)
New oversight for state officials comes after several scandals in past year.
- Inside Choice Schools - 15 years of vouchers (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/11 - 6/18/05)
A 7-day series on the 15-year-old Milwaukee school voucher program from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Louis Tucker voucher school will close (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2-24-05)
State was investigating apparent discrepancies in student enrollment count that could provide the school with taxpayer dollars for students not enrolled.
- Senate approves lifting choice enrollment cap (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2-8-05)
- Assembly votes to raise voucher limit (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-27-05)
- State orders private school out of choice program (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-27-05)
- School choice tied to taxes, mayor says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-24-05)
- Vouchers spur lasting achievement gains in MPS schools, study says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 12)
Study is contradicted by one from Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum.
- Doyle OKs bill giving state more power over voucher schools (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 16)
Gov. Jim Doyle signs one bill increasing state authority and fiscal requirements on voucher schools, but vetoes bill to require background checks on school employees.
- Mandella ordered closed (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 19)
Judge intervenes in case of troubled voucher school and orders it closed. YWCA attorney: "Harm to the students has already occurred."
- Choice funds used to buy 2 Mercedes (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 16)
Principal of voucher school that cashed more than $300,000 in voucher checks for students not even attending the school, used voucher money to purchase two Mercedes automobiles. NOTE: A judge soon shut down the school; nearly 200 students displaced in middle of year.
- School Struggles to Maintain Order (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2-13-04)
Article: “Becoming a choice school is real simple. I’m shocked. Me and you, in about two hours, we can basically open a choice school,” said the voucher school's director of operations.
- Reinforce Choice, Researchers Say (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1-21-04)
New study says Milwaukee voucher program needs stepped up accountability.
- Who Cleans Up Problem Choice Schools? (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9-14-03)