Education money should go toward public education

The latest figures on voucher schools in Wisconsin show it is time for the state to stop wasting our money. The Department of Public Instruction released enrollment information this week for the statewide voucher program. The number of students in the program went up 250% from last year. Wisconsin taxpayers are now paying for more than 2500 students in Wisconsin to attend private, religious schools. The jump wasn’t unexpected, given that lawmakers removed the previous cap of 1000 students. But the numbers also show that most of the students who we are paying to attend private schools were already enrolled in private schools. Nearly 75% of students going to Wisconsin’s voucher schools were already enrolled in private schools. The only difference is that now taxpayers are picking up the tab. Despite the fact that the voucher program is hailed as a way to help students in failing schools, only 19% of this year’s enrollees were enrolled in public schools last year. At La Crosse’s Aquinas school, more than 100 students, about 11% of the student body, are getting their tuition costs picked up by taxpayers. The pricetag for the statewide program now tops $18 million. Think of the good that could do for public schools, many of which are struggling to cover their basic needs. It is time to end this failed experiment, and return to the days when funding education meant a public education.