Appleton tax bills will include private school voucher costs; debate ‘more than that’

It passed a resolution 13-1 last week to create a separate line on the tax bill to show how much money is supporting private school vouchers. The Grand Chute Town Board passed the same resolution, meaning this applies to all Appleton Area School District residents living in Appleton or Grand Chute.

“I think that the very least we can do is to show where our taxpayer money is going,” said Appleton District 6 Alderperson Denise Fenton.

The resolution passed 13-1. In Appleton, District 13 Alderperson Sheri Hartzheim cast the only ‘no’ vote.

“In my mind, it is billed as transparency, but it really sort of is more than that,” said Hartzheim.

What is the “more than that?”

The statewide private school choice program started 11 years ago and now enrolls nearly 25,000 students statewide. It increased 8% in the last year.

“That’s a signal from parents,” said Will Flanders, Research Director for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. “They like what they’re getting from these alternative educational choices.”

Families under a certain income threshold are eligible to apply for tuition-free private school tuition. The taxpayer money that would have been allocated for their kid instead goes to the private school to offset costs.

Flanders points to better student outcomes, including research he conducted showing that the average Wisconsin school choice voucher student advances more than one full grade further than his/her public school counterpart, after that student has spent four years in the program.

“Students who continue in those programs for several years see substantial improvement on the Forward exam relative to their peers who stay in public school,” said Flanders.

Flanders also believes the additional competition creates stronger public schools, as parents have more options when choosing where to send their kids. Advocates typically support the system due to the educational outcomes and increased choice.

“While there is some cost to this program, we think the benefits far and away outweigh the costs,” said Flanders.

What are the costs?

Critics may not dispute these results, but they argue the money should work to improve public schools. Some organizations like the state’s largest teacher’s union oppose the private school choice program.

Others, like Appleton Area School District Superintendent Greg Hartjes aren’t opposed but believe the system needs change.

“[I’m] not opposed to dollars following the student, we’re just looking for fairness, we’re looking for transparency,” said Hartjes.

These private schools have fewer testing and transparency standards.

Additionally, public school districts end up with a higher proportion of special ed students, which can be a significant financial struggle since it costs more to teach them. Private schools aren’t required to teach them like public schools are, though they receive a higher rate of reimbursement than public schools. Plus, school districts have to cover students’ transportation costs.

“It’s those types of discrepancies that cause us consternation,” said Hartjes.

He says the tax bill will look similar to Green Bay’s or Kaukauna’s, stating that about 11% of Appleton’s school property taxes this year will go to voucher schools, about $10 million.

“We believe that if a private school is taking public dollars from local taxpayers, they should have to follow the same rules, requirements that we do,” said Hartjes.

Ultimately, state lawmakers decide how public and private choice school funding works. But now, Appleton taxpayers will know where it’s going.

The Appleton private schools with the most private school choice students are Fox Valley Lutheran and Xavier High School. They each are receiving about $4.8 million this school year.