Senate Bill 452 proposes amendments to the eligibility criteria for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP), and Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP). The bill allows pupils to participate in these parental choice programs if their sibling or a dependent child of their parent or guardian participated in a parental choice program in the previous school year. This change means that the existing family income and grade level or prior year attendance requirements will not apply to these pupils, thereby broadening access to the programs.
The bill introduces new statutory language under sections 118.60 (2) (ac) and 119.23 (2) (ac), specifying that pupils in grades kindergarten to 12 can attend any private school participating in the respective programs if they meet the new criteria regarding sibling or dependent child participation. The provisions are set to take effect for applications to attend private schools in the 2026-27 school year.