Green Bay School Board holds open forum to discuss voucher issue

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - The Green Bay School Board held a public forum to discuss school vouchers.

Monday night's meeting was an open forum, so that board members and district leaders could hear from parents and taxpayers about the issue.

   
District leaders say they're trying to gain an understanding on how the public feels about the issue.

"Our goal is to encourage conversation about this," school board president Brenda Warren says, "make sure everyone understands what the implications are of these proposals. Our ultimate goal is to get the three policy changes out of the budget, voted on and deliberated as separate bills."

At the same time, supporters of the school voucher program say the district is misleading taxpayers about the program's impact on property taxes and say school vouchers give parents more flexibility when it comes to finding the type of school they desire.

"We support giving parents the opportunity to find the perfect match for their child with the right educational opportunity," Jim Bender, President of School Choice Wisconsin says, "those thousand parents who are driving to a neighboring community to find a school we think they should be able to utilize a school right here in green bay."

Several state senators and State Superintendent Tony Evers have said they do not support Governor Walker's proposed expansion of the school voucher program.