Here & Now

Green Bay Public Schools Leaders Discuss School Choice

Zac Schultz:

We invited someone from the Green Bay area public school district to come on “Here and Now” and talk about the impact of school choice in their district, but the district declined. However, I traveled to Green Bay earlier this year to talk about this very topic, and here’s what they had to say at that time.

Michelle Langenfeld:

There is not a recognition of– There’s a national movement in this way to privatize public education and take public dollars to fund private institutions. There isn’t a conversation around that. I think there is this notion about, this is choice and we have some very fine private schools here in Green Bay, so this would afford a few more kids that opportunity. And I think it’s– It’s a very simple interpretation, but as they drill down and look at the data, they’ll look at me and say, that can’t be. You’re telling me that 50% of the students in Racine never went into a public school before? You’re telling me these facts? You’re telling me that– That the students in Milwaukee have not shown significant growth in graduation and achievement rates? They don’t know the bigger picture.

Brenda Warren:

It should be highly accountable to the taxpayers. If the taxpayer money is going into a school, then the taxpayers should know what they’re getting for that money. Right now the public schools have open door You know, every meeting the board has is an open meeting. We post them. Anybody that comes in and wants open records, whether it’s emails or data or, you know, graduation rates or expulsion rates, all those kinds of things, we have to provide that information. In a private setting, they don’t have to provide any information. They don’t have to have any open meetings. They can have all their meetings behind closed doors. And so if that’s the system that this privatization– You know, if the system becomes all private and everything’s going on behind closed doors, how are the taxpayers knowing what their money is going for? And how can they have a voice in making sure that their taxpayer money is being spent wisely?