Two prominent Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Wisconsin have publicly committed to eliminating the state’s school choice programs during a recent town hall event. State Representative Francesca Hong and former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes both pledged to abolish voucher initiatives that currently serve approximately 60,000 students across the Dairy State. The declarations come as progressive legal organization Law Forward filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of these educational programs.
The legal challenge targets a 2000 state supreme court decision that permitted voucher programs under the condition that lawmakers provide “sufficient resources” to traditional public schools. Despite Milwaukee Public Schools receiving roughly $25,000 per student in state funding, Law Forward argues these resources fall short of constitutional requirements. Wisconsin’s highest court shifted to a progressive majority in 2023, potentially positioning the judiciary to reconsider the two-decade-old precedent.
Milwaukee pioneered national voucher movement through civil rights framework
Milwaukee established the nation’s first voucher program in 1990 when Republican Governor Tommy Thompson collaborated with local civil rights organizations to pass groundbreaking choice legislation. The initiative succeeded not through libertarian or religious arguments, but through a civil rights framing that resonated with families seeking better educational opportunities. African-American parents filled courtrooms during every hearing, demonstrating overwhelming community support for the program.
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Attorney Clint Bolick documented this movement in his book “Voucher Wars,” noting that The Wall Street Journal published three opinion pieces supporting the initiative. For the first time in major national media, the civil rights banner was raised over school choice advocacy. This historical context remains relevant as current debates over educational access continue to center on equity and opportunity for disadvantaged communities.
Research shows academic and social benefits for voucher recipients
Students who participate in school choice programs demonstrate measurable advantages across multiple outcomes. Research indicates voucher recipients attend college at higher rates, persist through their undergraduate years more successfully, and abstain from criminal activity into adulthood at greater frequencies than their peers. These programs effectively provide middle-class and low-income families the same educational options that affluent households already access by purchasing homes in high-performing school districts.
- Higher college enrollment rates among voucher program participants
- Improved persistence through undergraduate education
- Reduced involvement in criminal activity during adulthood
- Expanded access to quality schools for low-income families
Competition from choice programs improves traditional public schools
Academic literature reveals unexpected beneficiaries of school choice programs: students who remain in traditional public schools. Researchers studying “competitive effects” found that pressure from charter, private, and alternative educational options incentivizes public schools to improve outcomes for their own students. Education Next researcher Patrick Graff recently compared competitive pressure effects to increased spending in Florida, concluding that choice program expenditures “improved public school student achievement” far more effectively than directing equivalent funding directly through public school systems.
Similar results emerged from Milwaukee studies, demonstrating that competition drives institutional change more effectively than good intentions alone. The threat to enrollment numbers and budgets creates tangible incentives for public schools to enhance educational quality and responsiveness to families.
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National Democratic opposition to educational freedom expands
Wisconsin represents the leading edge of growing Democratic efforts to eliminate school choice policies nationwide. Illinois terminated a similar program in 2023, while Arizona Democrats attempted multiple referenda to end or restrict choice policies in the Grand Canyon State. Numerous state-level proposals have sought to impose burdensome regulations on education freedom initiatives.
Florida provides a contrasting case study where school choice became a decisive political issue. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis won his gubernatorial race partly because his social media campaign emphasized his opponent’s opposition to school choice. The issue proved particularly potent among “school choice moms,” including a significant portion of African-American women who voted for DeSantis based specifically on education policy.
Elimination efforts threaten thousands of students and families
If either the gubernatorial candidates’ pledges or the Law Forward lawsuit succeeds, 60,000 Wisconsin students currently enrolled in choice programs would lose access to their schools. The potential elimination raises questions about whether Democratic leadership prioritizes teachers union pressure over student needs. The historical civil rights foundation of Milwaukee’s voucher program makes the prospect of elimination particularly significant for communities that originally fought for these educational options.
National education reformers face multiple lessons from Wisconsin’s situation. The fate of voucher, tax credit, and education savings account programs remains precarious even in states with established choice policies. Moderate Democrats increasingly align with progressive positions against education freedom. The fundamental principle that every student deserves access to quality education hangs in the balance as political battles over choice programs intensify across the country.
