School Choice for Racine Signed into Law

A mother from the Racine Unified School District called my office the other day to thank me for opening the door of educational possibilities for her children.  Her oldest already attends a private school and she so wants to have her other children attend one but she can’t afford it.  The expansion of school choice to Racine will give her that option and I couldn’t be happier that parents will soon have the freedom to choose what’s right for their family.  Sadly enough, for many area families, their current school isn’t making the grade.

It’s hard to ignore the local newspaper headlines, “15 Unified schools fail to meet No Child Left Behind’s required progress” or “Unified faces sanctions.”  I understand why a parent may feel their children should find a different school to meet their educational needs.   I’m hopeful that not only will school choice better educate our children; it will also raise the educational bar for public schools as well.

We know there has been documented success with the School Choice program in Milwaukee, which will be expanded as well. Students have achieved the same if not better test results and are graduating at a much higher rate than their public school peers.  School Choice schools are seeing a 94 percent graduation rate verses a 74 percent rate for MPS students.  That alone should make everyone stop and think.  If your child is in a choice school, they have a better chance of graduating from high school and getting additional educational opportunities. 

It’s important to point out that those great results come at less than half the cost to taxpayers.  The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that the state pays $9,799 per pupil in Racine Unified, whereas the scholarship for a student in the choice program is $6,442.  That’s more than a $3,300 difference.  In these tough financial times, every dollar saved counts.

The Racine school choice program will be phased in over three years.  In the first year, there will be 250 students, 500 students the second year and the cap would be lifted in the third year.  This will allow both private and public schools to adjust to the program and give legislators the opportunity to monitor the implementation of school choice. 

We can’t ignore the fact that school choice is what Racine parents and voters want.  In a recent survey, 79 percent of voters said they agree that children can’t wait for the public schools to improve.  The survey found that Democrats, Republicans and Independents overwhelming agreed on this issue.  School choice is needed for Racine.  It’s not a partisan issue; it’s about our children’s education and their future.

Sunday, Governor Walker signed the budget, which contains the school choice expansion.  I look forward to the implementation of school choice which will officially begin enrolling students this fall and I look forward to hearing more stories of students achieving educational success in the school of their choice.