Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

Milwaukee families that earn up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level qualify to receive vouchers. Once a student receives a voucher, that student is able to keep it, regardless of his or her family’s future income. Voucher students are allowed to attend any in-state private school participating in the program. _(Last updated July 18, 2024)_

Qualifying expenses include tuition and fees. _(Last updated July 18, 2024)_

For students who began participating in the program in the 2015–2016 school year or later, this program receives funding both from the appropriations for state aid to public schools and from general purpose revenue. The state pays the voucher amount in part using funds that it withholds from the state aid payment to the school district, but it is in process of transitioning the funding to general purpose revenue. The full voucher amount will be paid solely from general purpose revenue starting in 2025–2026. Voucher amounts are calculated so that the state pays the equivalent of a portion of the state and local per-pupil funding under the state’s funding formula. As a result, maximum voucher payments increase as general school aid to Wisconsin public schools increases. For students who began participating in the program before the 2015–16 school year, a separate appropriation pays for the voucher amounts. Any qualifying Milwaukee K–12 student that wishes to participate may receive funding. In 2023, Wisconsin policymakers took the positive step of increasing the voucher amounts to be closer to per-pupil spending at district schools. Voucher students will now receive approximately 72% of per-pupil funding at the public schools. In 2024–2025, the maximum voucher amount is $10,237 for grades K–8 and $12,731 for grades 9–12. Parents of students in grades 9–12 that have an income greater than greater than 220% of the Federal Poverty Level ($68,640 for a family of four in 2024–2025) may be charged additional tuition exceeding the voucher amount. _(Last updated July 18, 2024)_

On March 3, 1992, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in _Davis v. Grover_ held that the Milwaukee voucher program was constitutional. The court held that the voucher legislation was not an impermissible private or local bill, and the program does not disturb the uniformity of public school districts or violate the public purpose doctrine. Justice Ceci, in a concurring opinion said, “Let’s give choice a chance!” _Davis v. Grover_ , 166 Wis.2d 501, 480 N.W.2d 460 (Wis. 1992). On June 10, 1998, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held in _Jackson v. Benson_ that the Milwaukee voucher program does not violate either the state’s Compelled Support Clause or Blaine Amendment. The court also affirmed the conclusions of _Davis v. Grover_ (above), an earlier unsuccessful challenge to the school choice program. _Jackson v. Benson_ , 218 Wis. 2d 835, 578 N.W.2d 602 (1998), cert. denied, 525 U.S. 967 (1998). On December 23, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division of the Educational Opportunities Section (US DoJ) responded to an ACLU complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in June 2011, alleging that the Milwaukee voucher program violated federal laws prohibiting discrimination against students with disabilities. The US DOJ issued a letter to Wisconsin’s state superintendent of public instruction, informing the superintendent that after a rigorous evaluation, the Department of Justice had determined that no further action was warranted, and their investigation was closed. There were no findings of wrongdoing related to the voucher program. _(Last updated September 27, 2024)_