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Waukesha Times

Monday, November 4, 2024

Analysis: Protasiewicz win on state top court could doom scholarships for 6,064 Waukesha County students

Protasiewiczburch

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 Waukesha County 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.


Protasiewicz (left) and Burch | Protasiewicz campaign Web site / Catholic Vote

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 County, 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 Waukesha County 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.

Enrollment and Scholarships in Waukesha County
SchoolTypeCityCounty# StudentsFunding
Heritage Christian SchoolsChristianNew BerlinWaukesha615$4.1 million
Catholic Memorial High School of Waukesha, Inc.CatholicWaukeshaWaukesha576$750,735
Waukesha Catholic School SystemCatholicWaukeshaWaukesha401$907,092
Immanuel Lutheran SchoolLutheranBrookfieldWaukesha371$2.4 million
Lake Country Lutheran High SchoolLutheranHartlandWaukesha335$791,144
Divine Redeemer Lutheran SchoolLutheranHartlandWaukesha313$740,165
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran SchoolLutheranMenomonee FallsWaukesha273$591,420
Saint Johns Lutheran SchoolLutheranMukwonagoWaukesha262$247,771
Star of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran SchoolLutheranNew BerlinWaukesha234$407,352
Grace Lutheran SchoolLutheranMenomonee FallsWaukesha212$617,327
Saint Matthew's Lutheran SchoolLutheranOconomowocWaukesha210$503,132
Mount Calvary Lutheran SchoolLutheranWaukeshaWaukesha187$411,551
Aquinas AcademyCatholicMenomonee FallsWaukesha168$650,923
Trinity Lutheran SchoolLutheranWaukeshaWaukesha161$306,564
Saint Jerome Parish SchoolCatholicOconomowocWaukesha158$239,372
Prairie Hill Waldorf SchoolNon-ReligiousPewaukeeWaukesha142$625,726
Saint Leonard SchoolCatholicMuskegoWaukesha133$201,576
Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran SchoolLutheranOconomowocWaukesha124$383,257
Saint Agnes SchoolCatholicButlerWaukesha116$852,499
Saint John's Lutheran SchoolLutheranLannonWaukesha114$320,117
Saint Paul's Lutheran SchoolLutheranMenomonee FallsWaukesha109$470,804
Chesterton Academy of Milwaukee, Inc.CatholicMenomonee FallsWaukesha101$379,890
Christ Lutheran SchoolLutheranBig BendWaukesha98$222,574
Zion Lutheran SchoolLutheranMenomonee FallsWaukesha88$302,364
Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran SchoolLutheranMenomonee FallsWaukesha87$321,550
Beautiful Savior Lutheran SchoolLutheranWaukeshaWaukesha82$426,635
Saint Joseph Catholic SchoolCatholicBig BendWaukesha79$96,589
Saint Bruno Parish SchoolCatholicDousmanWaukesha73$275,882
Saint Paul's Lutheran SchoolLutheranMuskegoWaukesha70$495,541
Elm Grove Lutheran SchoolLutheranElm GroveWaukesha65$327,561
Saint Joseph Grade SchoolCatholicMenomonee FallsWaukesha64$117,586
Zion Lutheran SchoolLutheranHartlandWaukesha30$112,052
Montessori School of WaukeshaMontessoriWaukeshaWaukesha13$114,990

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