The most powerful member of Wisconsin’s Assembly said Friday he would support a potential bill that would give tax credits to families who choose to send their children to private schools.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Racine, voiced his support for the proposal, which is part of the proposed 2013-2015 state budget, in a statement. He noted the bill would expand the governor’s state voucher school program plan.

Vos said such an expansion should occur because the public school system is falling behind in Wisconsin. He said he believes encouraging higher enrollment in private schools may be the solution to that problem.

He added in the past many parents had been forced to move in order for their children to be able to attend a better school. Recent School Choice Programs that have been initiated in districts including Milwaukee and Racine allow some students to enroll in schools outside of where they live, he said.

Vos also said there are many benefits to this proposal, as it can allow lower and middle-income families to have less of a financial burden when it comes to choosing a school. He said the proposed legislation would benefit taxpayers too because the government spends less on private school students. 

“A statewide School Choice program would produce more educational options for kids who might be stuck in a failing school,” Vos said. “Low and middle-income families are able to receive a scholarship to a choice school. It’s a good deal for taxpayers because the state spends significantly less per pupil than on public school education.”

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, who is drafting the bill along with Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said the legislation is intended to provide voucher school expansion benefits to those who may never see the vouchers expand to where they live. 

Like Vos, Kaufert also said it makes sense to provide a tax credit to parents who send their children to private schools, as it costs the state less.

“It’s about $10,000 a year that a state pays for a student to go to the public school,” Kaufert said. “When someone doesn’t put their child in a public school, there are savings for the state, so I think a small tax credit is something that should be offered.”

Rep. Daniel Reimer, D-Milwaukee, said the idea for the voucher school program came from the Milwaukee district with the goal of breaking up the “monopoly” of public schools and providing a market where lower income families could choose between different schools.

Reimer also criticized the proposal, which would be instituted statewide, because he said he believes there is not enough information available in order for parents to determine whether to send their child to a private or public school.

“That’s why this bill is one that I do not support,” Reimer said. “Parents could choose between different schools, but without information, they are not able to make informed choices. And in a nutshell, that is the argument against the bill, and I think it is the strongest argument against it.”