High Court to Review School Voucher Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review the constitutionality of the private school voucher program in Cleveland, Ohio. A lower court has ruled the program - in which 96% of the students attend religious schools - is unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court’s decision, which is expected by June 2002, could affect Milwaukee’s private school voucher program, although there are differences between the two programs.

In Cleveland, the program provides low-income parents with vouchers worth up to $2,250 to enroll their children in private schools.

Milwaukee’s voucher program enrolls 10,000 students annually and is the largest voucher program in the country. In 1998, the program expanded to allow students to use vouchers in parochial schools. Milwaukee vouchers are worth up to $5,553, an amount that frequently exceeds the price non-voucher students pay in tuition, a fact Meredith said may make it more vulnerable to being ruled unconstitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a challenge to Milwaukee’s voucher program in 1998 after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the program constitutional.

NEA President Bob Chase said he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the lower court ruling and brings and end to “the divisive and distracting voucher battles so that Americans can devote their full attention to public school improvement efforts.”

Resource page on private school vouchers

Posted September 27, 2001