BRILLION, Wis. (AP) — Parents and school administrators are speaking out against proposed reductions in aid to public schools included in Gov. Scott Walker’s two-year spending plan. The Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee held the first of four public hearings on Walker’s budget proposal Wednesday in Brillion. Educators, parents and school board members told the committee to fund public schools and stop the expansion of vouchers. School administrators decried the loss of per-pupil aid and told lawmakers how much their districts could lose. Nearly all of the administrators who spoke opposed expanding the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which allows low-income students to attend private or religious schools using taxpayer-subsidized vouchers. Voucher proponents say the program is essential for low-income families whose children otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a private education.
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