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August 9, 2024 Nicholas Kelly, president of School Choice Wisconsin, issued the following statement in response to the new WPF report on education: “Any plan to address K-12 education issues in Milwaukee must include more parent choice.” “DPI data show that students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program have outperformed MPS students despite often entering the choice program at lower levels of achievement.” “Those results, which we know could be even stronger, occurred with per-pupil funding at about 60% of public school funding.”* “Milwaukee choice students scored higher, on average, on all state academic tests and on the college-readiness ACT.”…

West Allis, WI – School Choice Wisconsin is pleased to announce that Peter Farrow has joined its board of directors, SCW president Nicholas Kelly said today. “Peter is an established corporate leader who served as CEO and general manager of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire for 22 years. His experience in government relations, policy development, and policy implementation will help guide our efforts to increase educational freedom for all families in Wisconsin,” Kelly said. Peter lives in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin where he remains an active technology investor and advisor. He is currently the Executive Chairman of MedWand Solutions, Inc.,…

School Choice Wisconsin is pleased to announce that Nathan Schwanz has joined its board of directors, Nicholas Kelly, SCW president said today. “Nathan is committed to educational freedom for parents, and he brings to the board strong strategic capability, policy experience, and problem-solving skills,” Kelly said. “He is a highly regarded leader who will help deepen our capability to serve families.” Schwanz is currently the Director of Government Relations for the Medical College of Wisconsin. He formerly was Deputy Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and has a decade of experience in the legislative and executive branches…

WEST 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.…

WEST 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.

WEST 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…