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This is an opinion piece by Nicholas J. Kelly posted to Wisconsin Right Now on February 12, 2024. It’s a rare day when everyone is a winner from an education finance measure. New information from the non-partisan, authoritative Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) confirms that is the case for Assembly Bill 900. School boards, school district business managers, and parental choice advocates: Take note! Learn about this proposal and tell your legislators to support its change that treats Wisconsin taxpayers fairly. At issue is school choice decoupling, a topic I wrote about here last month. Briefly, the state currently uses two…
Schools in Wisconsin must provide “safe and healthful facilities,” but what exactly does that mean? School Choice Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty held a webinar on August 25, 2023, about safety requirements for private schools. Watch a recording of the webinar featuring Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty Attorney Cory Brewer and School Choice Wisconsin President Nicholas Kelly to learn about health and safety requirements for private schools in Wisconsin.
West 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…
WEST 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…
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction enable a comparison of public and private school cost-effectiveness. The results are described in a new School Choice Wisconsin report. Using conservative assumptions, the report shows a marked advantage for schools in the state’s private school choice programs. The advantage is most pronounced in Milwaukee and Racine. A lesser but still sizable advantage exists in the statewide program. Figure 1 shows that per pupil public school revenue substantially exceeds that at private choice schools. DPI Report Card scores show a different picture. Despite less revenue, Figure 2 shows higher Report Card scores…
West 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…
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (January 4, 2023) – Former State Rep. Amy Loudenbeck will join School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) as Director of Policy and Government Affairs effective January 10, 2023, according to Nicholas Kelly, SCW President. “Amy has a passion to serve Wisconsin children and families. Her commitment to parent choice, her legislative and management experience, and her proven capability to work with diverse constituencies make her a great addition to our team,” Kelly said. Loudenbeck was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2011; she served on the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee for the past four sessions and as…
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (December 19, 2022) – School Choice Wisconsin will add two members to its staff, doubling the size of its outreach team, according to Nic Kelly, SCW president. Chris Lawrence and Ryan Huebsch will join SCW effective January 3, 2023. They will work with current staff to educate communities about the value of parental choice programs, develop grassroots support, and help families and students participate. “We are fortunate to welcome two very talented individuals who care deeply about parental freedom. Both bring excellent skills, high energy, and valuable statewide experience to our team,” Kelly said. Chris Lawrence will…
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (November 30, 2022) – After many years of frustration, today we fight back. Our mission at School Choice Wisconsin Action is to advocate for our member schools and families in the parental choice programs. On behalf of our member schools, School Choice Wisconsin Action (SCWA) and two Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) schools have filed a lawsuit with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) against the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for what we are calling the “perfection rule.” The case challenges DPI’s burdensome policies for the Choice application and verification process. As many…
For Immediate Release September 8, 2022 Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin’s leading education, policy, and advocacy organizations announced on Thursday the formation of an unprecedented coalition to empower parents and expand educational opportunities for students. The newly formed Wisconsin Coalition for Education Freedom includes seven leading groups that have a unified voice on educational reform. Coalition partners include: Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Wisconsin, American Federation for Children (AFC) – Wisconsin Chapter, the Badger Institute, K12/Stride, School Choice Wisconsin/School Choice Wisconsin Action, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC). “Never before has there been a…