On September 25 — about a full month into the new school year — principals at several private schools in Milwaukee received a phone call from Mike Johnson, a reporter atThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Johnson asked what these school officials thought of the fact that they either had been kicked out of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) or were on the verge of being removed.

This question shocked those contacted by Johnson. None of the schools had received any such notice from Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction. Not until the next day did the schools receive letters that DPI conveniently had provided first to a newspaper.

The Journal Sentinel has described DPI's actions as a "crackdown" on "unqualified" schools in the 10-year old Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Madison'sWisconsin State Journal editorialized that the "crackdown" on "dubious schools" showed the need for more state regulation.

The Journal Sentinel published nearly a full page of letters to the editor in the Sunday, October 1 edition. All but one attacked the school choice program. These critical letters accepted at face value the DPI allegations.

One letter was from Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Benson, an ardent opponent of the Milwaukee program. Benson praised the "excellent articles" and suggested that the choice program had attracted "con artists [who] are more than willing to prey on the most vulnerable members of society."

Three documents in the Milwaukee Research and Archives section of this website respond to the DPI allegations. They are as follows:

1. Response to DPI Administration of the MPCP, Letter from September 27, 2025

2. MPCP Schools' Response to DPI Actions, Letter from October 5, 2025

3. Notice of Legal Action by Choice Schools, October 5, 2025

The American Education Reform Council has retained a lawyer on behalf of the schools to challenge DPI's actions. AERC board members Susan Mitchell and Howard Fuller have asked The Journal Sentinel and The State Journal to meet with representatives of the schools.

History suggests that choice opponents already have achieved much of what they sought in this current effort. Headlines and misleading statements will be circulated throughout the country. The truth, of course, remains to be determined. While in some cases it will catch up with the inaccuracies, this will not deter choice opponents from circulating the inaccuracies to all who might accept them as true.

Please monitor this website for updates.