Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a budget that is, as a Washington Post blogger put it, "a blueprint for abandoning public education," the Freedom From Religion Foundation charges.
The highly controversial 2015-17 budget passed on July 9 contains several attacks on public education, including a plan to take over "failing" schools in the Milwaukee Public School District — which was added to the budget in the eleventh hour with no public debate.
Most alarming, the budget lifts the statewide voucher program's 1,000-student cap, essentially creating a universal voucher program in Wisconsin. In the last decade, the state lost more than $139 million to schools terminated from the voucher program.
Funding for these private and religious school vouchers will directly reduce aid payments to public school districts, only exacerbating the public schools' current financial woes.
Wisconsin has a constitutional obligation to support its public schools. Article X, section 3 of the Wisconsin State Constitution states that "[t]he legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of 4 and 20 years."
Walker appears bent on dismantling the public district schools by siphoning funds to private religious schools for which they have no constitutional obligation.
"Wisconsin taxpayers now fund two education systems, one of which is predominantly religious, and subject to almost no governmental oversight," charged FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.
These measures, if allowed to stand, will have the inevitable effect of eroding Wisconsin's public education system.
To learn more about neovoucher schemes, their support of religion and negative impact on the public education system, check out FFRF's voucher FAQ.
FFRF, a state/church watchdog with nearly 23,000 members nationwide, represents more than 1,300 Wisconsin members. (Thanks to outgoing Legal Fellow Katherine Paige.)