Francesca Hong is turning Milwaukee’s long-running school voucher fight into a bright-line test for Wisconsin’s next governor: keep the system, or start winding it down. Her proposal to eventually eliminate the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program puts her at odds with both the leading Democratic rival from Milwaukee and the Republican candidate waiting on the other side of the primary.
Hong’s plan would phase out Milwaukee’s private-school voucher program over time, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That makes the proposal one of the sharpest education contrasts in a Democratic governor’s race that has otherwise featured plenty of overlap on funding public schools and lowering household costs.
On her campaign’s policy page, Hong frames the issue as a public-versus-private funding fight, arguing that “public dollars belong in public schools.” She says voucher programs lack transparency and oversight and promises a “responsible transition” away from them, although her published platform does not lay out a detailed phaseout calendar. Hong’s campaign platform also calls for fully funding public schools.
Her opponents are drawing a different line. A comparison from the CFC Action Fund lists Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany as supporting the current choice system, with Tiffany favoring expanded access, while Hong is grouped with candidates who would phase out vouchers.
Milwaukee’s Voucher System Is Big Enough To Shift The Debate
The policy fight involves a program with a substantial footprint. Wisconsin budget documents estimate that 29,440 students will participate in the Milwaukee private-school choice program during the 2025-26 school year, with state payments totaling about $314.7 million. State budget projections put the payment at $10,237 per student for grades K-8 and $11,700 for grades 9-12 that year.
The dispute is local in its target but statewide in its implications. A previous Hoodline analysis found that publicly funded vouchers had become a major share of Wisconsin’s private-school enrollment, making Milwaukee a test case for a much larger argument over public education and private-school choice.
Ending The Program Would Require Action In Madison
Hong could campaign on ending the program, but a governor could not erase it with a policy memo alone. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program is written into Wisconsin Statute 119.23, so an outright phaseout would require lawmakers to change state law, followed by the administrative and budget decisions needed to carry it out. The statute sets the program’s eligibility, enrollment and payment rules.
The timing gives the issue extra bite. Crowley reentered the governor’s race in July with Gov. Tony Evers’ backing, according to The Associated Press, and Wisconsin’s partisan primary is next Tuesday, Aug. 11, according to the state’s voter information site. For Milwaukee voters, Hong’s voucher proposal offers a clear answer to a question her rivals are answering more cautiously: whether school choice should be preserved, limited or eventually retired.
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