Higher income limits for voucher school students a bad idea

The state of Wisconsin doesn’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend. We see that with the billion dollar hole in the state’s transportation budget our lawmakers can’t fire out how to fill. But when it comes to handing out money for students to attend private schools in Wisconsin, some of those lawmakers must think money grows on trees. A proposal in the state Assembly would greatly increase income limits for parents to receive state assistance for sending their children to private voucher schools. The proposal, part of state budget negotiations, would provide taxpayer-funded vouchers to families who earn up to $80,000 a year. That is nearly double the current earning limit, and is tens of thousands of dollars higher than the state’s median income, just over $53,000 a year. Supporters of the proposal say parents of all income levels deserve the opportunity to send their children to the best school available. But those earning $80,000 a year and more already have that opportunity. They simply have to write a check. They can afford it. Many of those families with children enrolled in voucher schools were already sending their children to private schools before we starting handing them money. They simply paid out of their own pockets. Now we provide them state assistance to buy something they could already afford. Wisconsin’s tax dollars are limited. We can’t afford to let Christmas come early for parents of voucher school students.