Education

State News Roundup

October 16, 1991 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Milwaukee school-choice program should be struck down because the Wisconsin legislature’s method of approving it bypassed the state constitution, a lawyer for critics of the program has told the state supreme court.

The controversial program, which allows children from low-income families in the city to enroll in private schools at state expense, was overturned on similar grounds last year by a lower court. State officials allowed the program to continue pending an appeal, however, and this fall 554 students enrolled under it. (‘See Education Week, Sept. 4, 1991 .)

Robert H. Friebert, who represents teachers’ unions and other groups opposed to the choice law, contended during oral arguments on the case this month that, by inserting the choice measure into the state’s 1989 budget-adjustment bill, legislators violated a constitutional ban on including a “local bill” in a state budget measure.

Advocates of the program, however, told the supreme court that choice law greatly benefits children in Milwaukee and should not be struck down on a technicality.

The court is not expocted to issue a decision on the case until at least next month.

Gov. William Donald Schaefer of Maryland has agreed to delay the implementation of $450 million in spending cuts, $23.4 million of which were slated for the state education department, until legislators can produce alternatives.

But the decision, which followed vocal demonstrations and pressure from lawmakers, may bode poorly for state schools. The education budget fared relatively well in the Governor’s initial cuts, which included 1,700 state-employee layoffs and the loss of general public assistance for more than 24,000 residents.

In response to Mr. Schaefer’s budget plan, legislative leaders last week outlined an alternative package that would cut even more deeply into local aid, including for education.

A version of this article appeared in the October 16, 1991 edition of Education Week as State News Roundup

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read