{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://pocan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/pocan-requests-federal-review-of-wisconsin-s-parental-choice-voucher", "Pocan Requests Federal Review of Wisconsins Parental Choice Voucher Program", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Mark Pocan", "P000607", "pocan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for a review of Wisconsin\u2019s Parental Choice voucher program, specifically examining how this program has lacked accountability standards and transparency. A GAO review will provide a thorough examination and shed light on the program\u2019s shortcomings. This non-partisan review will help to better inform the national discussion on the importance of supporting public schools.\u00a0 Full text of the letter is available here.\u00a0\n\u201cEvery child in Wisconsin and across the United States deserves the right to a high-quality education,\u201d said Rep. Mark Pocan. \u201cBefore Governor Walker tries to expand the state\u2019s voucher program, Wisconsin taxpayers deserve to know more about the widespread reports of discrimination against students with disabilities and the insufficient academic accountability of choice schools.\u201d\n\u201cWe owe it to every student to ensure publicly funded schools \u2013 including voucher schools \u2013 provide high-quality education and protect the rights of students with disabilities,\u201d continued Rep. Pocan. \u201cI look forward to the GAO\u2019s thorough non-partisan review of Wisconsin\u2019s voucher program and clear answers to the questions we have raised.\u201d\nWisconsin\u2019s voucher program is central to an emerging national debate over the privatization of public education.\u00a0 Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and many in the Republican Party have pushed the idea of expanding voucher schools nationwide \u2013 using Wisconsin as the model \u2013 without safeguarding the needs of students with disabilities and ensuring schools meet high standards of academic achievement.\u00a0\nAdvocates for people with disabilities, including the ACLU and Disability Rights Wisconsin, have raised concerns that Wisconsin\u2019s school choice program, either tacitly or explicitly, allows participating choice schools to discriminate against students with disabilities in their admission policies. After numerous complaints, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an ongoing investigation into Wisconsin\u2019s School Choice program, and sent a letter in 2013 urging the Wisconsin Department of Instruction do more to \u201cenforce the federal statutory and regulatory requirements\u201d under the Americans with Disabilities Act.\nA recent study by the Wisconsin State Journal revealed Wisconsin has spent $139 million on school vouchers to private schools that were eventually disqualified from the state\u2019s program. Eleven schools participating in the program were removed within a year of opening due to poor educational standards, which costs taxpayers $4.1 million dollars.\u00a0\nStudents with disabilities are underrepresented at Wisconsin voucher schools. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, of the approximately 21,000 students who attend private schools using state-subsidized vouchers, 1.6% are identified as having special education plans. This contrasts sharply with the nearly 20% of the approximately 81,000 students enrolled in Milwaukee Public Schools who have special education plans in place. Notably, in the Racine Unified School District, choice schools reported only 1 student with a disability attending their schools, out of the 165 special needs students in the entire school district.\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://pocan.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/pocan-requests-federal-review-of-wisconsin-s-parental-choice-voucher"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8252460286021233, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}