For Immediate Release May 9, 2019 Contact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin Without surprise, Evers’ proposed changes rejected across the board Statement from Jim Bender, President of School Choice Wisconsin on the omnibus motion to remove Governor Evers’ proposed changes to the Parental Choice Programs: “When Governor Evers proposed his changes to the Parental Choice Programs for the upcoming state budget, the expectations were very low that they would survive the legislative process. Nonetheless, in a play to his fervent base, those provisions were included. Today, calmer heads prevailed and all those items were removed. We would like to thank…

For Immediate Release April 8, 2019 Contact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin In Taking Swipe at Choice Program, School/City Make Huge Error Statement from Jim Bender on the confirmation that the City of Racine and the Racine Unified School District sent out flyers to taxpayers with erroneous information regarding property taxes and the Racine Parental Choice Program: “The City of Racine and the Racine Unified School District misled the public with a flyer designed to sway public opinion and shame parents of students in the Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP). Their use of erroneous and incomplete data shows the true…

February 1, 2019 The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program Grows to More Than 250 Schools The Department of Public Instruction released the number of participating schools in three of the four Parental Choice Programs in Wisconsin. Once again, in reaction to parental demand, schools from all over Wisconsin are entering the program. Some of the schools listed below participate in more than one Parental Choice Program. Milwaukee Parental Choice Program Racine Parental Choice Program Wisconsin Parental Choice Program “Demand for the Parental Choice Programs continues to stay very strong,” Jim Bender, President of School Choice Wisconsin said. “As more schools enter…

October 30, 2018 After Nearly Three Decades of Growth, Superintendent Evers Wants To End Programs The Department of Public Instruction released the number of students that have enrolled to participate in the Parental Choice Programs in Wisconsin, which grew to more than 40,000 students in 2018.There are currently four Parental Choice Programs – The Milwaukee and Racine Programs serve those communities and the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program serves the rest of the state. Additionally, the Special Needs Scholarship Program serves students statewide. All four choice programs saw enrollment increases over last year. “Parental demand for the programs keeps driving up…

Third consecutive year of higher ACT scores – regardless of income Data released today by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) show that again this year, students in the Parental Choice Programs are outperforming their peers on the ACT. As with all test data, a one-year snapshot has limitations but the trend of higher scores for students on a voucher is great news for students and taxpayers. “The school choice programs outperformed their peers for the third year in a row on the ACT.” Jim Bender said. “Higher scores. Lower cost. The continued growth of the programs is good for…

Like Statewide Program – Schools Enter Program to Meet Parental Demand Today, the Department of Public instructions released the list of schools that have registered to participate in the Special Needs Scholarship Program(SNSP). The program was initiated in the 2016-17 school year and had enrollment restrictions removed in the last legislative session. For the fall of 2018, 84 schools will participate in the SNSP, 56 of which are new to the program. Here is the school history for the program: 2016/2017: 26 schools 2017/2018: 28 schools 2018/2019: 84 schools Enrollment for the SNSP will begin on July 1 for students…

The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program Grows to More Than 200 Schools The Department of Public Instruction released the number of participating schools in three of the four Parental Choice Programs in Wisconsin.  Once again, in reaction to parental demand, schools from all over Wisconsin are entering the program. Some of the schools listed below participate in more than one Parental Choice Program. Milwaukee Parental Choice Program Racine Parental Choice Program Wisconsin Parental Choice Program “Having worked with schools from all over Wisconsin, we know the demand for the Parental Choice Programs continues to grow,” Jim Bender, President of School Choice…

Highlight – Majority of Highest Performing Schools in Milwaukee in Choice Program The first statewide report cards were issued for private schools in the Parental Choice Programs today. The data reflects the performance of the 2016-17 school year. Overall, the results showed modestly higher performance for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP) than their Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and Racine Unified School District (RUSD) peers. For the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP), however, the sample size of schools with data is too small to garner programmatic evaluation. The data shows that in Milwaukee, of…