This post originally appeared at https://wisconsindailystar.com/news/end-sought-to-litigation-of-wisconsin-school-choice-school-voucher/tcsquare/2023/11/19/

by Benjamin Yount

Litigation of school choice and school vouchers in Wisconsin Supreme Court should end, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce said on Wednesday.

The state’s largest business group filed an amicus brief with the court. It asks justices to reject the lawsuit that seeks to end school choice and school vouchers.

“Since its founding in 1911, WMC has been dedicated to making Wisconsin the most competitive state in the nation in which to conduct business,” the brief states. “WMC and its members have a strong interest in this case. Many employers in Wisconsin, along with the public, support school choice. If the Petitioners get the relief they are seeking, the result will harm students, their families, teachers, and businesses and consumers who rely on a skilled workforce.”

The group says thousands of families across the state will be “devastated” if school choice comes to an end.

“If the it prevails in this case, the negative impacts for the students currently using these choice and charter programs – and for our state as a whole – would be far reaching and long term,” the filing says. “Striking down these voucher programs would throw our state’s educational system into chaos.”

The Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce says any challenge should first go to a local court.

The filing says petitioners waited five to 10 years to file, and says the lawsuit “does not involve an exigent situation that cannot await litigation in the circuit court.”

Kirk Bagnstad filed the lawsuit. He says school choice hurts traditional public schools and is unconstitutional.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, earlier this week, asked to join the case on behalf of choice parents across the state.

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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square. 

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