Milwaukee School Choice, Repeat Of 2004

From one of the top newspapers in Wisconsin, The Lakeland - Times and one of their top reporters Richard Moore.

Seems the lib's keep using the same old playbook. Milwaukee taking all the money for school choice. We're paying for Milwaukee School choice! Can't they come up with something new?

"10/14/2008 9:03:00 AM
Political ad stirs controversy in Senate campaign Tiffany calls school-choice claims a “flat-out lie”
Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter
Political ad stirs controversy in Senate campaign

A TV ad about Milwaukee's school choice program and its fiscal impact on public schools across Wisconsin is at the center of a political storm this week, both statewide and in the campaign between Republican Tom Tiffany and Democrat Jim Holperin for the12th District state Senate seat.

Locally, the ad, sponsored by a group calling itself Building a Stronger Wisconsin, targets Tiffany, claiming the GOP candidate's support for the Milwaukee school choice program is taking taxpayer dollars away from area schools to give it to private schools downstate.

The contention is based upon the state's responsibility for 55 percent of the Milwaukee choice program, which reduces state aids by that dollar amount.

But Tiffany says the ad is malicious and dishonest, and, he counters, Milwaukee's choice program actually benefits public schools in northern Wisconsin and statewide.

"They ran the same ads in 2004, and they were effective," Tiffany said. "Well, they are flat-out lies. They are totally untrue. The choice schools save the 12th Senate District more than $1 million dollars as a result of them educating kids for half the amount of the public school system in Milwaukee. So they are spreading garbage."

Susan Mitchell, president of School Choice Wisconsin, agrees. She says that 350 school districts statewide receive nearly $86 million in additional state aids as a consequence of the school choice program.

The facts of the matter

So who is telling the truth?

How many times have we seen those words in a newspaper article?

"So who is telling the truth?" Wow, a real reporter in Wisconsin!

Well, on the whole, an analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau supports Mitchell's and Tiffany's arguments that the ad is probably not factual.

I wonder if anyone would ask Steve Kagen his opinion of school choice in Wisconsin? Would he say he is for school choice as he winks to teachers union?

Ah, the liberal playbook.

Read the whole article, a lot of good information.