Marc Duff, Chief Financial Officer Racine Unified School District

• Worked in RUSD Finance Department for over 7 years• Served on the New Berlin Board of Education (1 term)• Representative to the Assembly from 1989-2002

- Served on Education Committees- Joint Committee on Finance

Public School Administrator with Baggage

Disclaimer: These are my opinions and not those of RUSD

Voucher Intent Not Too Long Ago• Voucher schools could serve as neighborhood

schools in Milwaukee• Give low income parents in MKE an alternative to

public schools not meeting their children’s needs• Give other private schools a chance to address

achievement gap• Was considered a “Milwaukee” problem

Welcome to the party!

Vouchers Transformed

low-income students(mostly minority)

Attending Public Schools

Better Performing Schools(Achievement Gap)

low-middle income students

Most Attend Private Schools

Public Schools Outperform on test scores

TEST SCORES LINK TO ACCOUNTABILITY & COMPETITION

Vouchers Transformed

Parent Empowerment …….but no accountability

Competition ….but dwindling public school resources

Lower Cost ….but it actually costs more taxpayer dollars

“More state revenue is spent per pupil in MPCP schools to achieve proficient or advanced score than in MPS (which has a higher percentage of poor students)…” Forward Institute, Wisconsin Budget Policy & Poverty in Education 2013

Working on it……..

Racine Unified Experience• Enrollment declining – about ½ RUSD students

- Eventually close schools - Reduce staff

• Higher cost students remain• More district resources to private schools- Higher private school transportation costs- Additional RUSD special ed and Title staff to private schools- Course options costs starting for private school students taking courses

• Private school impact- Increase hours of instruction- Manipulate enrollment to benefit existing students- Compete with other private schools- Development of entrepreneurial voucher schools- Private school failures…kids return to public schools

128 schools left the MPCP. Those schools have received over $388 million dollars in public funds. About $200 million have gone to schools that simply closed.

*As cited by Michael Ford Ph.D.,2013 WASB Legislative Advocacy Conference

24.29%

12.36%63.35%

Taxpayer Funds to Schools that Left_x000d_the MPCP

Taxpayer Funds to Schools_x000d_ that Closed

Taxpayer Funds to School Still in MPCP

MPCP 40% School Failure Rate

Also keeping private schools open….

Racine Unified Experience• Immediate review to enhance schools

“Innovate or die!” – Ann Laing, RUSD Superintendent, 2011-2013

• Sense of urgency to change- Focus on academics- New Buildings- Technology

• Reach out to parents about concerns• Develop promotional programs for competition

- Magnet school expansion…Montessori

• Entertain educational options (e.g. Charter schools)• Implement marketing programs

Focus on initiatives public schools have an advantage

over private schools

Research - MPCP

The “Cropping Effect”

These studies cover three topics: 1) What is the impact of accountability policy on

student achievement in MPCP?

2) How do students who exit MPCP and return to MPS perform when they move back?

3) What types of students stay in voucher schools and what types of students exit them?

“Students who leave the MPCP and enroll in MPS are – relative to both the population of MPS and the full MPCP evaluation sample – disproportionately Black, low achieving, eligible for FRL, and designated for academic special needs. In sum, the students who leave the MPCP and enroll in MPS are among the most disadvantaged along multiple dimensions.”

“Life After Vouchers: What Happens to Students Who Leave Private Schools for the Traditional Public Sector”

– Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, June 2013

The Cropping Effect

Vouchers “Out-State” – What to Expect

• Assume caps on enrollment are temporary • Challenged urban districts will lose more students to

vouchers• A voucher school in smaller districts could be a greater

impact• Parents of existing private school students will benefit the

most – financially• Because of the creation of another system of contracted

public schools …funding will be limited for traditional public school systems

• Entrepreneurial schools will emerge – some questionable

Milwaukee Voucher Experience? • The voucher experience in Milwaukee is a

different ballgame- Over 20,000 students participating (about 20%)- Over 100 participating voucher schools

Evidence in Racine indicates continued movement toward the Milwaukee experience….

Expanded and new voucher schools proposed for 2015-16 in Racine

More Vouchers and Charters

• Expansion of statewide program• Addition of independent charters• Special education vouchers• Another group to compete for state funding

Development of a dual public school systemTraditional public & Public/Private