MADISON, Wis. – Those that support the program have been called “pro-privatization minions” that are part of a “pro-voucher cabal” with a “radical privatization agenda.”

But while the Left attacks the “pro-privatization minions” on the Right, little has been said about the fact that those who benefit from the Wisconsin GOP’s statewide expansion of the Parental Choice Program – often referred to as the school choice or voucher program – are limited to students of low income households.

A hard working family, bringing in an adjusted gross income of just $36,636 is the maximum allowable income for a family of three wishing to have their child participate in Wisconsin’s school choice program. Unfortunately for the far-from-wealthy family of three who wants to send their child to a private school and can’t afford to do so, Wisconsin liberals have decided they know better. In the parallel universe of the Left, low income families looking to send their children to private schools are likely part of the “elite cabal of wealthy, pro-privatization ideologues” who want nothing more than to end public education.

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Oddly, many on the Left don’t see their own hypocrisy when it comes to educational choice.

Anti-school choice liberals fail to mention that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke, state Senator (and outgoing Minority Leader) Chris Larson, state Senator and Democratic Caucus Chair Kathleen Vinehout, state Rep. and former Democratic legislative aide Eric Genrich, state Rep. Evan Goyke, state Rep. Fred Kessler and state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa all had the luxury of personally attending private high schools.

Yet despite benefiting from private school themselves, these and other liberals have decided a private education should be out of reach for those who cannot afford it. Creating what can only be called education inequality for the poor.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, in the 2014-15 school year, family incomes for those who wish to apply to the school choice program must be at or below 185% of the poverty line. Yet in Wisconsin, liberals have declared war on those at 185% of the poverty line or below, declaring they should not get the same opportunities as the wealthy that can afford to pay for private education out of their own pockets.

In fact, the very income limits placed on the program make any claim that the program is for the wealthy completely ridiculous – since the wealthy do not even qualify for the school choice program.

This fact has not stopped liberals from crusading to end the program and return low income students to their public school internment.

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The liberal drive to end Wisconsin’s school choice program has nothing to do with the wealthy, or even students. It has to do with protecting one of the most ardent campaign contributors in state politics: teachers unions.

Liberals see Wisconsin’s school choice program as a direct assault on public schools and the teachers that benefit from each pupil that attends those schools. Since schools received public aid based on attendance, each student that attends a private school through the school choice program means one less student a public school can enroll to increase their share of state aid. Less state aid means fewer teachers and fewer teachers means fewer dues paying members to teachers unions.

While political preservation is an understandable – albeit shallow – reason to oppose allowing low income children to attend the school of their choice, the Left has never let the  will of parents and students get in the way of their disdain for Wisconsin’s school choice program.

Authored by Nathan Schacht

Published with permission