MONROE - Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, has invited Gov. Jim Doyle's administration to testify at a public hearing Monday to explain why it thinks enrollment caps are necessary in the virtual school bill.
In a letter delivered to Doyle on Thursday, Davis said the hearing is needed to "ensure partisan politics do not kill the virtual school compromise."
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would require enrollment caps for virtual schools throughout the state.
Davis, one of the cosponsors of a compromise bill, along with Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, told the Times after the Senate's vote that he was disappointed the bill was amended to include enrollment caps.
The bipartisan agreement Davis and Lehman agreed on, which received the support of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and passed in the Senate and Assembly education committees, didn't include enrollment caps.
Doyle's office, in a letter sent to lawmakers Monday, said he wanted a study of how well students are being served in those schools and wanted a cap on enrollment at the existing level in the meantime. He said the schools must "measure up to the benchmarks we set for all public schools."
In his letter to Doyle, Davis said enrollment caps were never brought up during the several hours of public hearings held earlier this year before the Assembly's Education Committee, which Davis chairs.
Davis said Doyle's administration pushed the enrollment caps issue at the last minute and a public hearing is needed to give the public a chance to understand the implications of enrollment caps on virtual schools.
Davis hopes to see a bipartisan bill passed without the caps.
"It is my hope that for the sake of 3,000 children and parents we can move forward to advance the bipartisan compromise that was already agreed to," Davis said in a news release Thursday.
Virtual schools allow students to learn from home under the guidance of their parents and instructors who teach over the Internet. They are popular with families who want their students to learn from home, but teachers unions and critics complain they drain money from traditional public schools.
The Monroe school district operates one of the state's 12 virtual schools.
Those schools are facing closure after an appeals court in December ruled the state's largest online school was operating in violation of the state's open-enrollment, charter school and teacher licensing laws. The same logic could be applied to the other virtual schools.
Supporters have begged lawmakers to keep them open, saying they are vital for students who do not learn well in traditional schools and for parents who want to educate children from home. Students from kindergarten through high school can attend.
Lawmakers responded by crafting a bipartisan agreement, backed by the state's education superintendent, that would change the laws to allow the schools to remain open but under new rules meant to ensure quality instruction. The schools would continue receiving about $6,000 in tax dollars per student.
In a letter delivered to Doyle on Thursday, Davis said the hearing is needed to "ensure partisan politics do not kill the virtual school compromise."
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would require enrollment caps for virtual schools throughout the state.
Davis, one of the cosponsors of a compromise bill, along with Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, told the Times after the Senate's vote that he was disappointed the bill was amended to include enrollment caps.
The bipartisan agreement Davis and Lehman agreed on, which received the support of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and passed in the Senate and Assembly education committees, didn't include enrollment caps.
Doyle's office, in a letter sent to lawmakers Monday, said he wanted a study of how well students are being served in those schools and wanted a cap on enrollment at the existing level in the meantime. He said the schools must "measure up to the benchmarks we set for all public schools."
In his letter to Doyle, Davis said enrollment caps were never brought up during the several hours of public hearings held earlier this year before the Assembly's Education Committee, which Davis chairs.
Davis said Doyle's administration pushed the enrollment caps issue at the last minute and a public hearing is needed to give the public a chance to understand the implications of enrollment caps on virtual schools.
Davis hopes to see a bipartisan bill passed without the caps.
"It is my hope that for the sake of 3,000 children and parents we can move forward to advance the bipartisan compromise that was already agreed to," Davis said in a news release Thursday.
Virtual schools allow students to learn from home under the guidance of their parents and instructors who teach over the Internet. They are popular with families who want their students to learn from home, but teachers unions and critics complain they drain money from traditional public schools.
The Monroe school district operates one of the state's 12 virtual schools.
Those schools are facing closure after an appeals court in December ruled the state's largest online school was operating in violation of the state's open-enrollment, charter school and teacher licensing laws. The same logic could be applied to the other virtual schools.
Supporters have begged lawmakers to keep them open, saying they are vital for students who do not learn well in traditional schools and for parents who want to educate children from home. Students from kindergarten through high school can attend.
Lawmakers responded by crafting a bipartisan agreement, backed by the state's education superintendent, that would change the laws to allow the schools to remain open but under new rules meant to ensure quality instruction. The schools would continue receiving about $6,000 in tax dollars per student.