Milwaukee City Wire

A Madison-based Catholic political advocacy group says Wisconsin Catholic school parents are right to be concerned that a Joseph Biden Presidency could mean the end of Wisconsin’s landmark Parental School Choice Program.

Brian Burch, CEO of Catholic Vote, said an Aug. 11 Milwaukee City Wire report detailing how much money each Wisconsin private school could lose-- the program distributes $142 million in total to Catholic schools totaling about 34,000 students-- served as a wake-up call to parents and school administrators unaware of Biden's hardline stance.

"Joe Biden is an avowed enemy of school choice programs across the U.S.," said Burch. "He has said he will do whatever it takes to stop them. Wisconsin's program is among the most successful and will be a prime target."

As president of the United States, Biden doesn't have the direct authority to shut down a state initiative like the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, a point made by a USA Today "fact check" story. It sought to challenge the premise that Biden was a real threat to school choice, admitting he was a public opponent of school voucher programs but claiming he couldn't do anything about them.

However, Burch said Biden would have levers as president to force Wisconsin to change its policy.

He could appoint Supreme Court justices opposed to vouchers, Burch said.  Or he could threaten to withhold federal education money from states using tax dollars to support private schools.

"This is hardly far-fetched given the stated goals of the NEA (National Education Association)," Burch said. "They are seeking to prohibit voucher and charter schools. Biden has passionately pledged to pursue their goals as president.

Wisconsin spent $11.51 billion on K-12 schools in 2019-20, seven percent of it ($806 million) from the federal government.

Zelman v. Harris, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2002, upheld the constitutionality of school vouchers benefiting private schools by a 5-4 vote. All four of the dissenters were appointed by Democrat presidents.

The first school choice program in the nation was founded in Milwaukee in 1990, spurred by Republican Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. It was expanded statewide in 2013 and currently  serves 317 private schools, 119 of which are in Milwaukee County.

About half of the students enrolled at schools in the Wisconsin school choice program in Milwaukee County-- or 15,406-- attend Catholic schools.

The Wisconsin program is exclusively for lower-income families. In 2019-20, any family of four earning less than $77,250 was eligible.