The News: Following a brief legal battle, WILL recouped over $30,000 in scholarships from the Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP), one of Wisconsin’s prominent school choice programs. WILL’s most recent win for school choice is on behalf of St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Oconomowoc, Wis., a nationally accredited member of the Wisconsin School Choice Program. St. Paul’s School has been educating future leaders in Oconomowoc and the surrounding Lake Country area since 1877.
The Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI) initially rejected St. Paul’s request to fund three special needs scholarships totaling over $30,000, claiming faulty paperwork. WILL filed a legal appeal on St. Paul’s behalf, demonstrating how the Oconomowoc choice school followed state statutes and was entitled to this funding.
The Quotes: WILL Associate Counsel, Lauren Greuel, stated, “DPI’s previously held position jeopardized critical funding for St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran School and their ability to help students in need. WILL continues to assist choice schools receive the support owed to them by the Wisconsin state law.”
WILL Client, Jill M. George, Principal at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, stated, “Our school followed all protocols and procedures to receive this funding. It’s why we were shocked to learn DPI was holding onto over $30,000 in special needs scholarship funding. Without WILL’s involvement we would have no idea where to go next.”
Wisconsin’s SNSP: The SNSP provides scholarships to over 3,000 Wisconsin students with disabilities that attend private schools. In addition to providing alternative education options for these families, the program plays a critical role in the overall effort to educate students of higher needs in the state of Wisconsin.
Read more:
- Video, June 2025
Lauren Greuel
Associate Counsel