But let's do that within the context of the reality, not the fantasy. Still, school finance formulas aren't the only higher math in the choice debate lately. Any taxpayer should be upset about that, even if they support voucher schools. In one sense, funding for the school choice program is simple. Half the money comes from aid to Milwaukee Public Schools, the other half from aid to other districts.
Districts can raise property taxes to replace the lost aid.
In estimating its overall aid package, the state assumes all districts will do so, said Russ Kava, an analyst in the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Since state aid is proportional to the total of local property taxes around Wisconsin, the higher taxes mean a larger pool of state aid. A more realistic scenario is if you eliminate the program, the kids would come back to MPS, and the aid around the state would go down even more. Riley asked the fiscal bureau to analyze the difference between the current choice funding method and an alternative that would separate choice from the state's school aid system. State aid to districts can change substantially depending on factors such as enrollment and property values.