MONROE - It took less than a week for chairmen of the Assembly and Senate education committees to put together a compromise for virtual school legislation.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, and Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, as well as Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, will hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. today at the Capitol to announce compromise legislation.
Davis said the people who came to the Capitol last week in support of virtual schools showed both sides the need to compromise and to get something done to save virtual schools.
"The public pressure worked," Davis said.
He said about 1,000 students, parents and school district administrators came to the Capitol to let their voices be heard.
"It shows what people can do to affect legislation," Davis said.
Davis said the most compelling testimony his committee heard came from students who attend virtual schools. They explained why they need the schools and how they would be affected if the schools no longer existed.
"They basically told us not to close down their schools," Davis said.
Davis said the compromise, which is tentative until both the Assembly and Senate pass the bill, takes the funding issues "off the table." The compromise bill also will remove provisions that would require a specific percentage of students who attend a school district's virtual school live in that school district.
"This is a significant win for the virtual schools," Davis said.
Davis said the agreement, if passed, will allow the 3,000 Wisconsin students now attending virtual schools to do so next year; allow parents to have the options they need to decide their children's' education; and make sure "Wisconsin remains a leader" in education.
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said in a news release Wednesday that the Senate and Assembly want to "preserve the virtual school option for families."
"In addition, we want to ensure the investments made by Wisconsin taxpayers are made legally and create an atmosphere of educational quality we currently demand from our public schools," Erpenbach said.
Erpenbach said the doors to virtual schools should remain open and said the Legislature needed to find a compromise.
"Let's find the solution that is needed to keep our virtual school kids in school, the teachers teaching and our high level of educational quality for all Wisconsin kids preserved," he said.
Monroe Virtual School Principal Cory Hirsbrunner said she was happy to learn a compromise had been reached, but wants to see what's included in the bill.
The recent publicity has been good for virtual schools.
"I think people are becoming better educated about virtual schools and how they affect kids," she said.
She's also looking forward to Erpenbach's and Lehman's planned visit to the Monroe Virtual School on Feb. 7.
The compromise proposal was a result of two separate bills introduced in recent weeks.
Lehman proposed a bill that would allow virtual schools to enroll students from across the state, but they would receive less money than they now receive per student. It also would require a specific number of students enrolled in the virtual schools come from the district. That means 15 percent of the students enrolled in the Monroe virtual schools must be from the Monroe school district.
Opponents of the bill said it would make it difficult for districts to have virtual school programs.
Davis, R-Oregon, and Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, proposed a bill that would keep the funding for students at approximately $11,000 but also would leave funding for the virtual schools as it is.
Davis explained that under the current rules, if a student from Oregon attends the Monroe Virtual School the Monroe school district receives about $6,000 and the Oregon school district receives $5,000.
Davis said Lehman's plan would change the funding so that the Oregon district would receive $8,000 and the Monroe district the remaining $3,000.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, and Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, as well as Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, will hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. today at the Capitol to announce compromise legislation.
Davis said the people who came to the Capitol last week in support of virtual schools showed both sides the need to compromise and to get something done to save virtual schools.
"The public pressure worked," Davis said.
He said about 1,000 students, parents and school district administrators came to the Capitol to let their voices be heard.
"It shows what people can do to affect legislation," Davis said.
Davis said the most compelling testimony his committee heard came from students who attend virtual schools. They explained why they need the schools and how they would be affected if the schools no longer existed.
"They basically told us not to close down their schools," Davis said.
Davis said the compromise, which is tentative until both the Assembly and Senate pass the bill, takes the funding issues "off the table." The compromise bill also will remove provisions that would require a specific percentage of students who attend a school district's virtual school live in that school district.
"This is a significant win for the virtual schools," Davis said.
Davis said the agreement, if passed, will allow the 3,000 Wisconsin students now attending virtual schools to do so next year; allow parents to have the options they need to decide their children's' education; and make sure "Wisconsin remains a leader" in education.
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said in a news release Wednesday that the Senate and Assembly want to "preserve the virtual school option for families."
"In addition, we want to ensure the investments made by Wisconsin taxpayers are made legally and create an atmosphere of educational quality we currently demand from our public schools," Erpenbach said.
Erpenbach said the doors to virtual schools should remain open and said the Legislature needed to find a compromise.
"Let's find the solution that is needed to keep our virtual school kids in school, the teachers teaching and our high level of educational quality for all Wisconsin kids preserved," he said.
Monroe Virtual School Principal Cory Hirsbrunner said she was happy to learn a compromise had been reached, but wants to see what's included in the bill.
The recent publicity has been good for virtual schools.
"I think people are becoming better educated about virtual schools and how they affect kids," she said.
She's also looking forward to Erpenbach's and Lehman's planned visit to the Monroe Virtual School on Feb. 7.
The compromise proposal was a result of two separate bills introduced in recent weeks.
Lehman proposed a bill that would allow virtual schools to enroll students from across the state, but they would receive less money than they now receive per student. It also would require a specific number of students enrolled in the virtual schools come from the district. That means 15 percent of the students enrolled in the Monroe virtual schools must be from the Monroe school district.
Opponents of the bill said it would make it difficult for districts to have virtual school programs.
Davis, R-Oregon, and Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, proposed a bill that would keep the funding for students at approximately $11,000 but also would leave funding for the virtual schools as it is.
Davis explained that under the current rules, if a student from Oregon attends the Monroe Virtual School the Monroe school district receives about $6,000 and the Oregon school district receives $5,000.
Davis said Lehman's plan would change the funding so that the Oregon district would receive $8,000 and the Monroe district the remaining $3,000.