Gov. Walker: School Vouchers Not Just for Poor

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said that he wants to expand the state’s school voucher program to urban areas beyond Milwaukee as state lawmakers move to eliminate a cap on the number of school children who can participate in the program.

The Republican governor said he thinks lawmakers will approve that expansion by the end of June, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"I think one of the things between now and the time we finish this budget off at the end of June, we're going to be able to add and go beyond the boundaries of the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County,” Walker said Monday in a speech to school choice advocates in Washington, D.C.

“We're actually going to be able to add communities like Racine and Beloit and even Green Bay . . . because every one of those communities deserves a choice as well, and with this (state) budget that's exactly what they're going to get.”

Milwaukee's has had a school voucher program for 20 year that allows low-income children to use taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools, including religious schools.

Walker’s proposal would eliminate income limits in the program, allowing the children of middle-income and wealthy people to attend private schools at taxpayer expense.