Recently Rep. Marklein authored a bill (AB-94) that would give more benefits to the voucher schools in Milwaukee. Specifically, it allows the voucher (private) school to charge the state 10.5 percent of the cost of its building every year. This means the state is now paying for the cost of the private schools building as well as the voucher-qualifying students who attend it.
Rep. Marklein also recently co-sponsored a bill (AB-51) that greatly expands private charter schools throughout the state. These are not the same as the charter schools that are overseen by local school boards in some of our area districts. These private (2r) charter schools have no oversight by anyone. For one year, they were required to take the WKCE test that all public schools take. The scores were lower than for public schools, but this bill will drop the requirement for that test or any other state-required test to be administered in private charter schools.
AB-51 does many other things. It lowers the licensure requirement for charter school teachers so that their licensing is much less rigorous than a public school teacher's license. It calls employees of these private schools public employees so that they can qualify for the state retirement system. It protects the schools from any liability.
Perhaps most troubling of all is that the state pays $7,775 of the tuition costs for every student in a private charter, removes the cap for both numbers of students and the income limits for families to qualify. And this money comes from the general aid fund for all schools. This does not just hurt Milwaukee Public schools. It hurts Pecatonica, Argyle, Darlington, Mineral Point and Monroe. It is a bad bill.
Rep. Marklein also recently co-sponsored a bill (AB-51) that greatly expands private charter schools throughout the state. These are not the same as the charter schools that are overseen by local school boards in some of our area districts. These private (2r) charter schools have no oversight by anyone. For one year, they were required to take the WKCE test that all public schools take. The scores were lower than for public schools, but this bill will drop the requirement for that test or any other state-required test to be administered in private charter schools.
AB-51 does many other things. It lowers the licensure requirement for charter school teachers so that their licensing is much less rigorous than a public school teacher's license. It calls employees of these private schools public employees so that they can qualify for the state retirement system. It protects the schools from any liability.
Perhaps most troubling of all is that the state pays $7,775 of the tuition costs for every student in a private charter, removes the cap for both numbers of students and the income limits for families to qualify. And this money comes from the general aid fund for all schools. This does not just hurt Milwaukee Public schools. It hurts Pecatonica, Argyle, Darlington, Mineral Point and Monroe. It is a bad bill.
