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Press Releases
Press Releases
December 13, 2023 The Wisconsin Supreme Court today unanimously denied a petition seeking to halt Wisconsin’s parental choice programs. “This news will come as a great relief to thousands of Wisconsin families and the schools that serve them. Parents across the state value a program that works for them,” said Nicholas Kelly, president of School Choice Wisconsin. Kelly thanked the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty for seeking to intervene on behalf of School Choice Wisconsin Action and other parents and students in choice and charter schools and protecting parental choice. He noted that SCW had launched a significant ad…
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — According to state report cards released today by the Department of Public Instruction, students across Wisconsin’s three largest parental choice programs are more likely than their public school peers to attend a school that exceeds state-established expectations. The Department of Public Instruction found that more than 80 percent of students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program attend schools that meet, exceed or significantly exceed expectations compared to 53 percent of students in Milwaukee Public Schools. Forty-two percent of students in the MPCP attend schools that significantly exceed or exceed expectations, compared to 21 percent of MPS students.…
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — School Choice Wisconsin President Nicholas Kelly released the following statement in response to a lawsuit filed by Minocqua Brewing Co. President Kirk Bangstad that would kick 50,000+ low-income students out of Wisconsin’s parental choice programs: “Efforts to kill school choice will hurt thousands of low-income families throughout the state. In Milwaukee and Racine, where four out of five choice students are Black and Hispanic, this would fall most heavily on families desperate for educational options.” A press kit providing background information on School Choice Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s choice programs can be found here. Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — New data released today by the Department of Public Instruction shows that participation in Wisconsin’s parental school choice programs continues to grow. Nearly 55,000 students are enrolled in one of Wisconsin’s four parental choice programs — an increase of 2,760 from last year — attending one of 383 schools. Both marks represent record participation. This comes on the heels of Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders agreeing to an historic bipartisan funding increase as part of state budget negotiations earlier this year. “School choice is growing because it works. All parents deserve the right to find…
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — Students in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs outperformed public school students across a range of test results released by DPI today. Families who participate in the parental choice programs must be at or below the following federal poverty percentages when they apply: 300% (MPCP and RPCP) and 220% (WPCP). These students are some of the most economically disadvantaged students in Wisconsin. The comparisons below show: Choice students in Milwaukee and Racine outscore Milwaukee and Racine public students from all income levels on academic proficiency tests. Choice students outscore students from all income levels on college-readiness ACT tests. Choice…
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — School Choice Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty (WILL) today released a new report that shines new light on the amount of special needs students in Wisconsin’s choice schools serve students with disabilities. The report, Serving All: Students with Disabilities in Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Programs, demonstrates that contrary to previously-reported, incomplete data, private schools in Wisconsin’s choice programs enroll roughly the same percentage of students with learning disabilities as public schools. Based on responses from schools enrolling 40 percent of students in the state’s choice programs, the SCW-WILL research found that more than 10…
Read MoreWest Allis, Wisconsin – Nic Kelly, President of School Choice Wisconsin, issued the following statement after circulation of a co-sponsorship memo with six bill drafts by Wisconsin legislative democrats earlier today. The so-called “Investing in Our Kids’ Education Initiative – Public Money for Public Schools” bill package seeks drastic and harmful changes which would block new enrollments to and fully phase-out all of Wisconsin’s Parental Choice and Special Needs Scholarship Programs. “School Choice Wisconsin Action is disappointed that any legislator who has witnessed the positive impact of the choice program in Wisconsin for the past 30 years continues to perpetuate…
Read MoreIn an opinion piece published today on the website for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, School Choice Wisconsin President Nicholas Kelly highlighted research that showed schools in Wisconsin’s private choice programs delivered exceptional bang for the buck when compared to public schools. The study can be found here. Excerpts from the op-ed are below, and the full piece can be read here. School choice triumph: Report card analysis shows voucher schools out-perform public schools Milwaukee Journal Sentinel August 31, 2023 Education was a big winner of a bipartisan agreement in the recently enacted state budget. Public schools will receive an increase…
Read MoreWEST ALLIS — According to new research published today, schools in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs are significantly more cost-effective than their public school peers. The analysis of publicly-available Department of Public Instruction school report cards and state and local funding data found that private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Racine Parental Choice Program and statewide Wisconsin Parental Choice Program all delivered significantly more bang for the buck than their public school peers: The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program was 89 percent more cost-effective than the Milwaukee Public School District. The Racine Parental Choice Program was 92 percent more cost-effective than…
Read MoreWest Allis — School Choice Wisconsin announced today that it has added Ben Voelkel of Jericho Communications to its team to manage communications for the organization throughout the critical state budget process. Voelkel has more than a decade of experience developing and executing communications programs for state and national elected officials and organizations. “School Choice Wisconsin is a leader in the education freedom movement in Wisconsin. We are actively engaging our schools and families in discussions and school tours with our elected officials. Their voices need to be heard in the development of this biennial budget,” School Choice Wisconsin president…
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