MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - The state’s education agency Thursday announced the 25 private school systems throughout Wisconsin that can take part in the newly expanded voucher program.
48 systems originally expressed an interest is admitting low income students with state-funded vouchers this fall. Because more than 500 youngsters applied, only the 25 systems with the largest numbers of student applications could be considered.
Over 2,400 students applied in all. Almost 2,100 are from the 25 chosen districts. From those, the department will hold a lottery next week to choose the 500 students who can make the move. 500 is the maximum allowed in the majority of the state where the voucher program is being offered for the first time.
Republicans expanded the program to give parents an alternative to under-performing public schools. But it won’t work that way this year, because two-thirds of the youngsters who applied were from private schools.
Only 24 percent of the applicants wanted to move from public schools.
The GOP calls it a technical error, and they promise to fix it during the fall session so more public school youngsters can be among the 1,000 to be admitted in next year’s choice program.
HERE IS THE LIST OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS (APPLICANTS IN PARENTHESIS)
Appleton Xavier Catholic system (193) Eau Claire-Altoona Regis Catholic (113) Green Bay Area Catholic East (110) Oshkosh Lourdes (110) Wisconsin Rapids Assumption system (109) Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools (106) Rock County Christian School, Beloit-Janesville (102) La Crosse Aquinas-Onalaska Catholic (100)Kenosha St. Joseph (100) Kenosha Friedens Lutheran (95) Valley Christian, Oshkosh (95) Wausau-Rothschild Newman Catholic (94) St. Francis of Assisi, Manitowoc (93) Chippewa Falls McDonell system (88) Marshfield Columbus system (83) Green Bay Notre Dame (82) Manitowoc Roncalli High School (65) Green Bay Area Catholic South (64) Fond du Lac Springs (64) Green Bay Area Catholic West (62) Sheboygan Christian (59) St. John’s Lutheran, Plymouth (42) Sheboygan Lutheran High School (42) Immanuel Lutheran, Wisconsin Rapids (40) Lighthouse Christian, Madison (31)