Abstract:
Records of a pro-school choice activist/lobbyist who participated in the movements in Milwaukee and Cleveland to secure public funding for private school children, including children attending religious schools.
Biographical History
A lifelong supporter of Catholic education, Sharon L. Schmeling graduated from Messmer High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before attending Marquette University where she received her degree in journalism in 1987. In 1999, after working first as a newspaper reporter and then a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Schmeling joined Howard Fuller at the Institute for the Transformation of Learning (ITL). In 2000, she began working with George and Susan Mitchell at the American Education Reform Council (AERC). Both organizations advocated school choice. In these positions, Schmeling worked as project manager for a variety of public policy communications initiatives aimed at educating journalists and lawmakers nationwide about school choice. She stepped away from the school choice movement for several years before reengaging with it in 2014 as executive director of the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools (WCRIS).
Scope and Content
Other than a small amount of material that touches on Schmeling’s public service on the Jefferson County Board and as a trustee for the Countryside Home in Jefferson, Wis., the collection documents Schmeling’s role as a pro-school choice advocate from 1999-2004.
The bulk of the collection consists of subject files, both paper and electronic, arranged alphabetically. It also includes a series of TV and radio spots that Schmeling produced featuring testimonials from school choice parents. All videocassette recordings have been digitized. All audio recordings are available as digital files.
Included in the collection is an oral history interview of Schmeling, conducted by William Fliss in September 2024, that records her reminiscences of the school choice movement. Of particular interest are her thoughts on how the movement changed over time.
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