Long before Scott Walker was governor, he was a proponent of voucher schools; since becoming governor, he's continued to expand public monies for private schools. I've mentioned specific examples of failure before, discussed why funneling public money to religious schools is a bad idea, and pointed out that the vaunted private schools are actually doing worse than their worst public peers.
Turns out, Wisconsin taxpayers have been pouring millions of dollars into failed voucher schools.
Wisconsin taxpayers have paid about $139 million to private schools that ended up being barred from the state's voucher system for failing to meet requirements since 2004, according to a newspaper report.
State Department of Public Instruction data shows more than two-thirds of the 50 schools terminated from the state's voucher system in the last 10 years had stayed open for five years or less...Eleven schools, paid a total of $4.1 million, were terminated from the voucher program after just one year.
Of note, Scott Walker's campaign refused to answer questions or agree to an interview on the subject. Challenger Mary Burke, however, "said the spending data on terminated schools illustrates the need to scale back the program."
"I'm shocked that the program has continued to be expanded without the type of accountability that really needs to be there," said Burke.
I guess we can file this under yet another brilliant Scott Walker plan gone awry...
Originally posted at Rachel's Hobbit Hole.