Yes, charters and vouchers take money from public schools, which enroll nearly 90% of students.
In Tuesday’s election, a pro-public school slate swept the Milwaukee school board. It will be interesting to see what happens with that city’s heavy dose of privatized charters and vouchers.
In Wisconsin, a legislator revealed that school choice removes $193 million in state aid from public schools.
“MADISON, Wis. — A new report shows voucher and charter schools will reduce aid to public schools by nearly $193 million.
“Democratic state Rep. Sondy Pope released an analysis Thursday that the Legislative Fiscal Bureau prepared for her. The report shows voucher and charter schools will consume $192.9 million that could have gone to public schools this year.”
There’s only one pot of State money for K-12 schools. Dividing it three ways makes all sectors suffer.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“a pro-public school slate swept the Milwaukee school board. It will be interesting to see what happens with that city’s heavy dose of privatized charters and vouchers.”
Good news for public school students and families in Milwaukee. They’ll be shocked that someone in government is pro-public schools 🙂
For some reason it’s perfectly okay to have tons of advocates for charter and private schools in government, but public school advocates are not allowed.
It’ll probably be the first time in years anyone has ever addressed them directly, about the schools their children actually attend.
Yes, disgraceful. Outrageous nonstop private looting of public schools, what brilliant David Harvey called “accumulation by dispossession,” part of the larger neoliberal thrust of last 40 years which has transferred vast wealth from the bottom and middle of America to the top, and from the public sector to the private.
“Betsy DeVos
Education Freedom Scholarships could be applied to dual-enrollment courses for students who want to get college credit while in high school and finish college with less debt.”
The US Department of Education should be ashamed of themselves. The giant voucher program they spend every working moment promoting “could be” applied to a lot of things.
But what’s the ed reform track record on programs or funding that benefits public school students? Lousy. In every instance public school student lose. They’re never even considered when these schemes are hatched.
The US Department of Education has no earthly idea how their latest massive privatization scheme will affect the public. None. They’re once again making promises they can’t keep. It’s irresponsible and misleading.
Why can’t people tell both sides of the equation? Certainly, school choice takes funding away from the government-run schools. That is exactly the function of school choice. The funding is taken from the publicly-operated schools, and then given to families, to select alternate schools.
School choice takes funding away from the public schools, AND it takes students away as well.
So, you defund the schools that educate 90% of kids suffer so 10% can choose something else?
That’s stupid.
It is not stupid. Parents withdraw their children from the public schools. The school systems loses the money, since the children are receiving educational services from an alternate provider. That is exactly how it is supposed to work.
The 90% of families who have their children enrolled in public schools, are trapped because they have no alternative.
Charles,
You have just revealed your pathological hatred for public schools.
My grandson has choices. His parents can afford to send him to religious school or an elite private school. He goes to a public school and loves it. But you think he is “trapped.” Stop reading rightwing rags and open your eyes.
For the record, I do not hate public schools.
For the record, Charles, you said in your last comment that 90% of the children in this country are “trapped” in public schools. That is hatred. Even when there are many charters and easily available vouchers, the overwhelming majority of families choose public schools.
A voucher would not get anyone into an elite public school in big cities. In New York City, average tuition is $40,000-50,000.
Enough.
I will never again post a word from you about school choice because you spout the same DeVosian lies. We have to listen to her. We don’t have to read her echo on this blog.
As you know Diane there is a big difference between vouchers and public charter schools and WI charter laws are quite a bit different than most states. Of the 236 public charter schools in WI, 207 of them are instrumentalities of the school district, meaning that they are a part of the local district. So if the district opens a charter school all of the dollars still stay within the district. The district still manages the public charter school, they just offer students and families additional choices. The Appleton, WI school district voted to become a charter district converting all of their 13 schools into charters and having each of them focus on different learning models so that parents and students could chose the one that works best for them. The district is still run by a publicly elected board, not a private management company.
I am curious about where that $193 million number comes from since the article didn’t give details? (I would expect better research from my students before they published something) Based on number of schools I would have to guess that it is primarily voucher school and some of the 29 non-instrumentality public charter schools that accounts for that $193 million. It’s too bad you lead with a misleading headline and offer no details, but I get it you have an agenda you have to stick with.