OPINION: Wisconsin school choice isn’t controversial among students and families it helps
When you spend every day working to help Milwaukee students achieve success, you are bound to learn a lesson or two yourself along the way. When it comes to parent choice, we have learned the following:
First, any discussion of parent choice is bound to stir up energy, opinions and rhetoric, along with some misinformation. Second, families are not making a political statement when they choose a school. They simply want the freedom to find the best place for their student to receive the support they need to reach their full potential.
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And third, trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes isn't particularly valuable unless you're also walking alongside them on the same broken sidewalks to the same broken schools. We've noticed that parent choice is not controversial for the families it was designed for and the students who truly need it:
Recent national polling showed that just 9% of parents, and 7% of Black and Hispanic voters in swing states, disagreed with the idea that parents should be able to choose the school that best meets their child's needs.
In Wisconsin, a recent Marquette Law School Poll noted that by a 2:1 margin, respondents believe the state's school choice policies have been a success.
Meanwhile, parent choice seems to be more troubling for some people who are blessed to live near good public schools or whose incomes already allow them to choose the best school for their own children.
Imagine telling someone that you believe they are capable and have limitless potential, and then politely trying to slam the door to opportunity in their face?
That's what it felt like for nearly half of Milwaukee's parents recently, when U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona took some surprising stands against their educational choices for their children (in an opinion column) here in the Journal Sentinel.
Giving kids access to quality education not a matter of politics
We want to be clear: we do not believe this is a left or right issue; our statements are not about any particular administration or candidate. Our belief is first and foremost in children, and our commitment is to ensuring all have access to high-quality education.
The Cardona implied that public school funding will "atrophy" in Wisconsin because of the choice program. The numbers tell a very different story. Statewide, K12 spending per pupil is on the rise, even adjusted for inflation. It is even more robust in Milwaukee, where per-pupil funding for district-operated public schools is at a two-decade high and projected to dramatically rise over the next five years.
While we are thankful for recent modest increases in funding for charter and private schools, our students still face a significant funding gap with their peers in district schools - one that will only grow larger without action.
According to a recent report by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum , starting in 2025, MPS revenues per student will rise to their highest levels on record – growing as much as 33-50% higher than for peers.
When students are not funded equally, they are clearly not valued equally. This inequity has a tremendous impact on academic and social emotional support.
Cardona also characterizes choice advocates as seeking to "undermine" public schools, blaming a "well-funded movement of privatization supporters" that "foots bills for private schools." To be clear, $11,000-ish per student does not comfortably foot the bills for a school. Nor is it some sort of nefarious money-making scheme. In fact, the opposite is true: To ensure that students have the resources they need, many schools rely heavily on philanthropic support to close these gaps. We are thankful for our donors. Their generosity is critical to our students' success.
We took some of Secretary Cardona's criticisms personally
Finally, the column implied that only a public school can be "tightly woven in the fabric of its community" and is the only place where students of color can "find role models, mentors, and new futures."
This is nonsense, and we took it personally. We invite the Secretary to visit Aug Prep, Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy and so many other private and charter schools across our city to see our commitment to our students, families and communities in action.
Sit with us as we talk to a student fighting through staggering life circumstances that threaten to derail their dreams. Witness the joy, cheers and tears when our seniors declare where they're going to college at the end of the school year.
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Then see if you still want to tell us that we're in this for the money.
In Milwaukee, 45.9% of students scored below basic in English language arts and 52.5% scored below basic on math on average from 2016 to 2023. This is dire. This is infuriating. This is something we should be talking about every day.
Instead of wondering why parents and students feel compelled to seek other options in greater numbers every year, we must all call for, demand and support more high-quality school options for all of our students and families. Traditional district, charter and private schools all have a role.
Political divisiveness and false dichotomies do not serve our students. Nor does lowering expectations. Limiting options for parents and students with the greatest need won't serve our community. Our students and families deserve better. They are our future.
Howard Fuller is the co-founder and board chair emeritus of Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, Abby Andrietsch is CEO of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy and Colleston Morgan is the executive director of City Forward Collective.
