75% of state voucher program applicants already attend private school By Edgar Mendez of the Journal Sentinel Updated: 5:10 p.m. Seventy-five percent of eligible students who applied for taxpayer-funded subsidies to attend private or religious schools in the new statewide voucher program already attend private schools, according to data released Tuesday. Nineteen percent of eligible applicants are currently enrolled in public schools. More than 1,600 eligible applications were received from students attending private schools in addition to 482 students who received vouchers for the 2013-14 school year. About 530 students who attend public schools in Wisconsin applied and were eligible for the program. In total, 3,407 applications were received for the subsidies, of which 2,834 students were eligible. To be eligible for the vouchers a students family must fall below 185% of the federal poverty level. For example, the maximum yearly income for a family of four could not exceed $44,177. Under state law, the 25 private schools that receive the most applications are selected for the statewide voucher program. Because of a tie 26 schools are selected for the upcoming school year. Six new participants in the program are Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Saint Paul Lutheran School in Bonduel, Winnebago Lutheran Academy in Fond du Lac, Twin City Catholic Educational System in Menasha and Neenah, and Saint Paul Lutheran School and Trinity Lutheran School, both in Sheboygan. Each of the 26 schools will receive at least 10 voucher slots, with the remaining assigned through a random selection process. Five schools that were among the 25 selected for the 2013-14 school year dropped off this years list for new student applications: Green Bay Area Catholic-South, Green Bay Area Catholic-West, Lighthouse Christian in Madison, St. John Lutheran in Plymouth and Sheboygan Area Lutheran High. A total of 1,000 vouchers are available, up from 500 in the first year of the program. A spokesman for School Choice Wisconsin says Tuesdays numbers demonstrate the need to eliminate the 1,000-student cap on the program. Once again, applications far exceeded the cap, Jim Bender, president of School Choice Wisconsin, said in a statement. For the second year in a row we have thousands of parents — over 70% — on the outside looking in. Critics of the voucher program say it siphons resources away from public schools. Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) said the original justification of the voucher program was to give students attending struggling public schools the opportunity to attend private schools. Instead it has created a system in which taxpayers are paying for private education, he said. All weve done is shifted taxpayer money away from public schools to private schools, Hintz said. Two schools in Hintzs district, Lourdes Academy and Valley Christian School, received vouchers both years. The statewide program, called the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, is in its second year and is separate from larger voucher programs in Milwaukee and Racine. Gentleman your thoughts as Black Leaders sold this as a benefit to the poor MKE community
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 17:29:58 +0000
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