Schools

Story of the Week: School Choice in RUSD

The motion was passed by the Joint Finance Committee and will be part of the biennial budget for a vote by the full state Legislature.

School choice will be an option for 250 Racine Unified families this fall, starting with students who are entering ninth grade, including those already enrolled in private school.

The motion passed the Joint Committee on Finance late the evening of June 2 and will be part of the biennial budget that goes before the full state Legislature later this month for a vote.

Representative Robin Vos (R-Rochester) is co-chair of the JFC, and he said Racine parents have asked for choice so he's happy to be able to bring the program to our district. 

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

State Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) also likes having school choice, saying underserved and underperforming RUSD students should have the opportunities that school choice will provide.

But Representatives Bob Turner and Cory Mason (D-Racine) both oppose vouchers for Racine Unified students. Turner said using examples from other communities, the return on investment is just not there to justify the costs. Mason said school choice actually goes against the state Constitution by funding sectarian schools over public education.

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dr. James Shaw, superintendent of Racine Unified, is also against school choice because funding vouchers for private education takes away financial support for the majority of students who attend the public schools.

Since the motion passed the JFC, Patch editors and columnists explained how vouchers work and expressed their opinions. Residents and readers have jumped in and posted their feelings on both sides of the issue.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant