This week is "School Choice Week." Many have asked me how area taxpayers have benefited from school choice - particularly the Milwaukee program.

The Milwaukee school choice program is a unique and innovative initiative to provide alternatives to the failing track record of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The program gives poor inner-city parents the opportunity to enroll in private schools that offer opportunities for success.

Moreover, the creation of the Milwaukee school choice program has had a positive financial impact on the residents of my senate district and across the state. While our students may not attend choice schools, our public schools benefit with more general aid because the program exists. In short, school choice saves property taxpayers money.