Feds' voucher requirements could cut both ways

Chris Rickert:

If Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposed expansion of the state's school voucher program wasn't dead already, a letter from the feds calling into question the program's legality could be the final nail in the coffin.

Among other things, the April 9 letter requires the Department of Public Instruction to monitor voucher schools to make sure they are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to report complaints they get from parents who allege the voucher program discriminated against their disabled children.

For the American Civil Liberties Union and Disability Rights Wisconsin, whose complaint led to the letter, "this is a big win," said Julie Mead, a professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at UW-Madison.

And a big loss for voucher proponents, who detest the kind of government oversight and bureaucracy the feds are requiring. Even worse for them is that the feds' criticism is just one more reason for Republicans who were already iffy on Walker's expansion to oppose it.

Now the question is whether the state's existing voucher program -- which has proven popular with parents, or at least with parents of non-disabled students -- can survive the federal order.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 7, 2013 1:30 AM
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