MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin taxpayers have paid about $139 million to private schools that ended up being barred from the state’s voucher system for failing to meet requirements since 2004. State Department of Public Instruction data shows more than two-thirds of the 50 schools terminated from the state’s voucher system in the last 10 years had stayed open for five years or less. The data highlight the challenges the state faces in requiring accountability from private schools in the voucher program, which expanded from Milwaukee and Racine to a statewide program last school year. The issue is a key area of disagreement between Republican Governor Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke in this year’s gubernatorial campaign.
