By Daniel Pryzbyla

The original private "secular" Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) enacted into state law in the 1990-91 school year had 7 schools and 300 students. Wisconsin taxpayers' bill cost $2,446 per student, totaling $733,800. Then it got religion.

Crocodile tears flow from private voucher proponents demanding more "seats" in MPCP that now also includes religious schools. They are protesting current legal limits of about 15,000 voucher students in the 124 schools should be increased. Recent data for 2005-06 disclosed a total of 14,825 voucher students. With a price tag of about $6,350 per student this school year, the MPCP taxpayers' bill has now increased to a whopping $93,683,601. Funding the private and religious voucher school "marketplace" from the taxpayer till has proven to be pricey.

Make no mistake about it - opponents of the private secular MPCP resisted every step of the way before its doors opened in the 1990-91 school year. MPCP was spearheaded by Democrat state representative African American Annette "Polly" Williams. She and her supporters demanded poor black children in Milwaukee should have the same school privileges as wealthy whites to go to a private school. Politically, this meant spending public tax dollars for private school education. Objections were sent to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by several groups, including the Wisconsin Association of School Districts, National Association for Advancement of Colored People; Milwaukee branch (NAACP) and the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers. In June 1990 the State Supreme Court had denied their petition for review. Formal court appeals against MPCP soon followed. This finally culminated in a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in March 1992 approving the "secular" MPCP, limited to similar socioeconomic poverty program guidelines.

With annual increases, the private - but still secular - MPCP had expanded by the 1995-96 school year to 1,288 students and 17 schools, according to the 2000 Legislative Audit Report. Wisconsin state taxpayer subsidies had also increased to $3,667 per student for a total cost of $4,607,586. New skeletons began appearing in the voucher closet. In 1995, Wisconsin Act 27 of the state Legislature sought to change the program to allow "religious schools" into MPCP. Rumors started rumbling immediately this had been the MPCP long-term goal of its more aggressive factions promoting school vouchers. The secular MPCP for "poor black children to attend private schools" had upped its political ante 100-fold. This radical turnabout also caused political "splits" within the local camp of private voucher supporters, some basing their original support on the racial argument.

Even more conspicuous, Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese had the largest number of religious elementary schools in the city.

Its financially burdened and deteriorating K-8 schools in the city at the time would be the primary beneficiaries if religion was included in MPCP. In addition, at least 40 percent of both the city and state adult populations declared themselves Catholic members, providing a potential large pool of support. Many political figureheads promoting religious inclusion were also Catholic; including Republican Governor Tommy Thompson. Still, Milwaukee 's religious voucher crowd tried to downplay this Catholic expedience, acknowledging all the city's struggling religious schools in financial need would benefit.

Wisconsin Act 27 inclusion of religious schools had also raised the legal bar for its opponents; now proclaiming it violated both the U.S. Constitution and Wisconsin Constitution regarding political "separation of church and state" issues. In turn, national conservative pro-voucher religious advocates and right-wing organizations promoting privatization of public services jumped in to defend Milwaukee 's voucher religious inclusion. While the Wisconsin State Supreme Court deliberated the MPCP religious case, struggling central city Catholic schools had received $13 million in grants from the conservative and nationally renowned Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee through the pro-Catholic school group Partners Advancing Values in Education. In June 1998, the Republican majority Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against the petitioners, allowing religious schools in MPCP. Beginning the 1998-99 school year, MPCP's original secular program now included religion.

In the 1998-99 school year, the number of MPCP secular schools remained at 23 from the previous school year, but now a minority. Sixty-three religious schools and their 4,250 students had been included in MPCP. Of the 63 religious schools, 40 were Catholic (2,742 students); 11 were Lutheran (590 students), 9 "other Christian" (667 students), Islamic, 2 (185 students) and Jewish, 1 (66 students). The "secular" enrollment had increased to 1,830 students - but still made up a significant minority of students now in the MPCP program - a mere 30 percent.

Of the total MPCP new student population about 6,080 (greater than the 5,758 figure used to calculate costs for the 1998-99 school year), Catholic enrollment of 2,742 students accounted for approximately 45 percent of MPCP. The previous MPCP secular school year taxpayers' cost of $7,027,564 at $4,696 per full time student had catapulted to $26,870,310 in the 1998-99 school year, with the increase to $4,894 payment per student. Voucher inclusion of religion proved profitable to all 63 new schools in the MPCP program. As foreseen, Catholic schools benefited most from taxpayer financed religious inclusion - $13,419,348 for their majority 2,742 students.

Tentative political agreements have been reached to increase the current 15,000 voucher seats to 22,500 in the 2006-07 school year. Conversely, Milwaukee public schools are continuously cutting budgets or being closed. Hmm. Get the voucher "marketplace" education picture here?