Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is also the Democratic nominee for governor, says the Milwaukee private school choice program should not be ended because MPS doesn’t have the resources to absorb more than 30,000 students. Crowley proposes an enrollment cap instead, presumably until the program is ended or scaled back at a later date.
Had his plan been in effect this school year, 183 Milwaukee children would have lost the choice their parents made for them. That’s according to DPI data reported yesterday by Quinton Klabon at the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG).
The logical extension of a Milwaukee cap would be imposition of one on all of the state’s choice programs. A cap based on enrollment last school year means 2,507 students would have lost choice, according to the data reported by IRG.
Here’s the IRG breakout of 2026-27 choice enrollment:
- Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: 30,091 (+183) (+0.6%)
- Racine Parental Choice Program: 4,029 (-141) (-3.4%)
- Wisconsin Parental Choice Program: 25,338 (+1,941) (+8.3%)
- Special Needs Scholarship Program: 3,859 (+524) (+15.7%)
Crowley is portrayed in some quarters as a supporter of parent options. Except, perhaps, when it comes to the parents of the 2,507 children who enrolled in private choice this year.
Twenty years ago the unworkable mechanics of an approaching cap on the Milwaukee program resulted in legislation to increase the cap. The cap was eliminated entirely in the first term of Scott Walker.
Crowley’s election puts enrollment caps back in play. This for programs that cost much less than public schools and produce better results.
Graphic courtesy of IRG
