A win in the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election by candidate Janet Protasiewicz could jeopardize the scholarships of 6,064 Waukesha County students studying in 33 private schools.
A Fond Du Lac Times analysis of Wisconsin Department of Instruction data found 6,064 students receive scholarships for private schools. These vouchers could be on the chopping block if candidate Janet Protasiewicz wins the April 4 Wisconsin Supreme Court election.
Protasiewicz is supported by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, whose President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen has gone on record saying “private school vouchers…are bleeding our public schools dry” and that removing them would be a priority in a liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Clint Bolick, an Arizona State Supreme Court Justice who has represented Wisconsin school choice advocates, commented to the MacIver Institute that there will be "renewed attacks in court" to declare the school choice program unconstitutional if Protasiewicz is elected.
"If Left-wing extremists succeed in taking over the Wisconsin Supreme Court, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable students will be at risk of losing access to the school of their choice," Brian Burch, CEO of Catholic Vote, told Fond Du Lac Times. "We cannot afford to turn back the clock to the days when only wealthy families had the option of sending their children to schools they choose."
Wisconsin taxpayers fund $19.7 million in vouchers for 6,064 Waukesha County students attending private schools.
Waukesha County has the third highest number of students receiving vouchers in Wisconsin.
Across the state, private school students received slightly more than $444 million in vouchers in 2022-23, compared to the $17.9 billion spent on the public K-12 school system in 2021-22.
| School | Type | City | County | # Students | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Christian Schools | Christian | New Berlin | Waukesha | 615 | $4.1 million |
| Catholic Memorial High School of Waukesha, Inc. | Catholic | Waukesha | Waukesha | 576 | $750,735 |
| Waukesha Catholic School System | Catholic | Waukesha | Waukesha | 401 | $907,092 |
| Immanuel Lutheran School | Lutheran | Brookfield | Waukesha | 371 | $2.4 million |
| Lake Country Lutheran High School | Lutheran | Hartland | Waukesha | 335 | $791,144 |
| Divine Redeemer Lutheran School | Lutheran | Hartland | Waukesha | 313 | $740,165 |
| Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran School | Lutheran | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 273 | $591,420 |
| Saint Johns Lutheran School | Lutheran | Mukwonago | Waukesha | 262 | $247,771 |
| Star of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran School | Lutheran | New Berlin | Waukesha | 234 | $407,352 |
| Grace Lutheran School | Lutheran | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 212 | $617,327 |
| Saint Matthew's Lutheran School | Lutheran | Oconomowoc | Waukesha | 210 | $503,132 |
| Mount Calvary Lutheran School | Lutheran | Waukesha | Waukesha | 187 | $411,551 |
| Aquinas Academy | Catholic | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 168 | $650,923 |
| Trinity Lutheran School | Lutheran | Waukesha | Waukesha | 161 | $306,564 |
| Saint Jerome Parish School | Catholic | Oconomowoc | Waukesha | 158 | $239,372 |
| Prairie Hill Waldorf School | Non-Religious | Pewaukee | Waukesha | 142 | $625,726 |
| Saint Leonard School | Catholic | Muskego | Waukesha | 133 | $201,576 |
| Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran School | Lutheran | Oconomowoc | Waukesha | 124 | $383,257 |
| Saint Agnes School | Catholic | Butler | Waukesha | 116 | $852,499 |
| Saint John's Lutheran School | Lutheran | Lannon | Waukesha | 114 | $320,117 |
| Saint Paul's Lutheran School | Lutheran | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 109 | $470,804 |
| Chesterton Academy of Milwaukee, Inc. | Catholic | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 101 | $379,890 |
| Christ Lutheran School | Lutheran | Big Bend | Waukesha | 98 | $222,574 |
| Zion Lutheran School | Lutheran | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 88 | $302,364 |
| Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran School | Lutheran | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 87 | $321,550 |
| Beautiful Savior Lutheran School | Lutheran | Waukesha | Waukesha | 82 | $426,635 |
| Saint Joseph Catholic School | Catholic | Big Bend | Waukesha | 79 | $96,589 |
| Saint Bruno Parish School | Catholic | Dousman | Waukesha | 73 | $275,882 |
| Saint Paul's Lutheran School | Lutheran | Muskego | Waukesha | 70 | $495,541 |
| Elm Grove Lutheran School | Lutheran | Elm Grove | Waukesha | 65 | $327,561 |
| Saint Joseph Grade School | Catholic | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha | 64 | $117,586 |
| Zion Lutheran School | Lutheran | Hartland | Waukesha | 30 | $112,052 |
| Montessori School of Waukesha | Montessori | Waukesha | Waukesha | 13 | $114,990 |
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