Senate and Assembly Republicans unveiled a bill Tuesday that would provide special-needs families dissatisfied with their child’s public education with an opportunity to transfer out of their district.
If approved, the bill would create a Special Needs Scholarship that would allow students to transfer to a public school outside their district, a charter school or a private school of their choice.
The bill was drafted in response to emerging flaws in the Open Enrollment program which is a system designed to provide parents with a variety of options in choosing the public school best suited to their child’s educational needs. However, over 42 percent of special needs applicants to the Open Enrollment program have been denied due to limited spots, according to the bill’s co-sponsor, State Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa.
“We are giving families hope that their children can finally get the education they deserve,” Vukmir said.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must have previously been denied by the Open Enrollment program.
However, opponents of the bill, including Lisa Pugh, executive director of Disability Rights Wisconsin, are concerned the voucher is a masked attempt to channel more money from public school districts into independent charter schools and private schools.
