Will Flanders
Kyle Koenen
July 2nd, 2025
Like any budget that is a result of compromise in divided government, there are positive and negative aspects. But one definite positive to come from this year’s budget agreement is the continued closing of the spending gap between private, charter, and traditional public schools.
Without getting too deep into the weeds, a number of factors came together to increase funding. First, there is a categorical aid in Wisconsin known as “Per Pupil Aid.” Governor Evers’ 400-year veto—which WILL fought against—was deemed to be legal by the state Supreme Court. This funding is also provided to private choice and independent charter schools in the state, leading to an annual $325 increase in funding. While this does represent new funding each year, it merely maintains parity with the increases public schools also receive. But also included in the budget were increases that were included in several motions approved by the Joint Committee on Finance. The committee approved Motion 48 and Motion 130, which added $135 and $174 respectively per pupil choice and charter funding in 2025, and both contributed$103 in net new funding in 2026. All of these factors are listed in the table below.
For the upcoming 2025-26 school year, K-8 voucher schools will have about $10,871 per student while high schools will have $13,365. Independent charter schools will have $12,363. Note that there are other forms of charter schools in Wisconsin that contract with school districts directly and are not directly impacted by these budget provisions. Their funding amounts are set in their contract, though they have often been tied to the independent charter school level historically.
WILL has long supported a system where the money follows the child regardless of their school sector. Funding levels shouldn’t vary based on which school door a student walks into. This system, known as “backpack funding”, would ensure that money follows the student, enabling a more seamless transition between different types of schools by eliminating the need to reconcile funding gaps between systems. The chart below shows that, while significant gaps still exist, we are getting closer to that goal. It depicts private choice, charter, and public school funding over time. Note that the private choice number is a combination of the K-8 and high school number once the bifurcation began in 2014-15. 
Public school funding has continued to increase substantially to more than $18,500 per student for the 2024-2025 school year. But vouchers have gone from about 50% of the public school amount in 2010 to about 62% today. Independent charters have gone from about 55% to 66% over the same time frame.
Charter and voucher schools remain a better “bang for the buck” from the perspective of Wisconsin taxpayers. Despite significantly lower funding levels, they deliver better results on the state exam once appropriate controls are included for demographics. But Wisconsin lawmakers are increasingly giving these schools the means to compete with their public school peers. In an era when many public schools around Wisconsin are graduating students who can’t read, leveling the playing field for school choice options can only be a positive force for change and improvement.