http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/school-kids-s445.jpgA national voucher scheme strips decision-making power from local communities, public schools are where we come together as neighbors. Any attempt to undermine that deserves public outrage.

MADISON, WI - Private school voucher programs have quietly proliferated in states across the country, diverting public funds away from public schools with little oversight. Now, the Trump administration has proposed a national voucher plan — included in the reckless Republican tax bill passed by the U.S. House and now under Senate consideration — signaling a dramatic federal escalation of efforts to shift public dollars to private schools.

Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), the ranking Democrat on the committee, released the following statement:

“A national voucher scheme isn’t just an attack on public education, it is an attack on democracy. It strips decision-making power from local communities and hands it to unaccountable private interests. Wisconsin families didn’t ask for this, and they certainly weren’t consulted. Public schools are where we come together as neighbors. Any attempt to undermine that, especially by the Trump administration, deserves public outrage.”

Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire) added:

“It's no coincidence that school privateers and their Republican allies try to bury unaccountable voucher schemes and hide them from taxpayers. It's because these schemes are unpopular. The Trump Republicans in Washington are trying to follow a playbook Western Wisconsin taxpayers know far too well: reckless public spending on private schools, hidden from citizens, in an effort to rip off our public schools and privatize education. We believe in high-quality, well-funded public schools, and we won't stand for any schemes to create, hide, or expand private voucher programs that harm public schools and fail to protect students.”

Rep. Angelina Cruz (D-Racine) said:

“Let’s be clear – voucher schemes like the one buried in this bill are not about expanding opportunity. They’re about siphoning public dollars into private institutions, often with little oversight, and placing an undue burden on taxpayers who are then forced to subsidize a two-tier education system. These policies are a backdoor attempt to resegregate our schools under the guise of “choice”, undermining the very foundation of public education.  We should be investing in our neighborhood schools—not defunding them to prop up an unaccountable private sector.”

Rep. Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan) said:

“Every child deserves a fully funded public education. This plan for a federal voucher school program would separate out the haves from the have-nots, and harm the equality in education our country prides itself on. The more we educate parents on the harms of the voucher program to public education, the more I believe the American people will realize this is not what our nation stands for. Education has always been the ultimate equalizer, and it is important we keep it that way.”