MADISON - Monroe school district Superintendent Larry Brown said he felt a sense of urgency at the Capitol on Wednesday as he and other Monroe administrators talked to representatives about virtual charter schools.
"I think both the Assembly and the Senate understand the impact and I don't think this is something that will drag out," he said of efforts to continue state funding levels for virtual schools.
Brown, Monroe Virtual School Principal Cory Hirsbrunner and school district Business Manager Ron Olson were among hundreds of students, parents and administrators who attended Wednesday's hearing in Madison to urge the Legislature to keep their virtual schools open.
Students, parents and superintendents who operate the schools said state law must be changed or a dozen of the schools that enroll 3,000 students could be forced to close as early as next school year.
The 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 the schools are opposed by teachers' unions and critics who complain they drain money from traditional public schools.
Brown said there are about 400 students enrolled in Monroe's virtual school.
Virtual schools face an uncertain future after an appeals court ruling in December ordered the state to stop funding the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, the state's largest virtual school.
The court said the school was operating in violation of teacher licensing, open enrollment and charter school laws. The same logic could be applied to all of the other virtual schools in the state.
Brown said if something isn't done to keep the funding, Monroe would have to close its virtual school.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, chairman of the Assembly's Education Committee, said he was impressed by the number of people who either registered support or spoke in favor of a plan to fund virtual schools. Davis co-sponsored the bill to provide about $6,000 for the school districts that enroll students in their virtual schools, while leaving about $5,000 for the district where the student resides.
"There were 350 people in support of the bill and only seven who spoke against it," he said.
At a rally on the Capitol steps, advocates for virtual schools called on lawmakers to pass a Republican-backed bill that would rewrite those laws so the schools could remain open.
Quick action is needed, they said, because many open enrollment students must decide next month which schools they plan to attend next year.
Students, ranging in age from kindergarten through high school, arrived at the Capitol on buses from around the state. They wore green T-shirts reading: "Please don't close my virtual public school." Some carried signs that read: "Please don't leave this child behind."
Organizers said more than 1,100 people took part in the rally. They later packed a Capitol hearing room for a public hearing on Davis' bill.
"If you don't help us, these schools will close. If you don't help us, in August my children and your children ... won't get to go back to school," said Rose Fernandez, who has four children enrolled in the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. "For many families, it's truly a desperate situation. There is no other option like this."
During several hours of testimony, advocates said the schools were cutting-edge and a good option for students who do not learn well in traditional schools.
Christopher Bartley, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, has a 5-year-old daughter enrolled in the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. He said parents play a big role in teaching but they are backed by a district-approved curriculum and licensed teachers.
"Virtual education is a progressive way for Wisconsin to prepare its students for the future," he said.
Davis said the testimony from children had an impact on him.
"They had some powerful comments," he said. "There will be 3,000 students impacted by this bill. If we don't pass it, it will affect their education."
So far there's no sign of compromise between the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democratic-controlled Senate.
Gov. Jim Doyle's spokesman Matt Canter said it's unacceptable for the Legislature not to pursue a compromise. As for what Doyle would support, Canter said Doyle would have to review whatever bill may actually pass before commenting.
Doyle supports the maximizing of technology in education, Canter said, but also believes that ensuring tough standards is critical.
Democratic Sen. John Lehman of Racine has offered a competing bill that would allow the schools to stay open but cut their funding in half and add new rules on teacher-student contact and other issues.
Lehman, whose plan will get a public hearing today, said it would take away profit from K12 Inc., a Virginia company that sells curricula to the schools.
But five superintendents whose districts operate virtual schools, including Monroe's Brown, warned Lehman in a letter this week that the funding cuts would force them to close the schools.
"We do not believe that the interests of our students, teachers, administrators and parents were taken into account in this legislation," they wrote.
The District 2 Court of Appeals said parents were acting as the primary teachers without the state license required under the law. The Northern Ozaukee School District, which runs the academy, also cannot receive taxpayer money for students who do not physically attend school in the district, the court said.
The lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, a teachers' union, has been appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has not said whether it will consider the case.
"I think both the Assembly and the Senate understand the impact and I don't think this is something that will drag out," he said of efforts to continue state funding levels for virtual schools.
Brown, Monroe Virtual School Principal Cory Hirsbrunner and school district Business Manager Ron Olson were among hundreds of students, parents and administrators who attended Wednesday's hearing in Madison to urge the Legislature to keep their virtual schools open.
Students, parents and superintendents who operate the schools said state law must be changed or a dozen of the schools that enroll 3,000 students could be forced to close as early as next school year.
The 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 the schools are opposed by teachers' unions and critics who complain they drain money from traditional public schools.
Brown said there are about 400 students enrolled in Monroe's virtual school.
Virtual schools face an uncertain future after an appeals court ruling in December ordered the state to stop funding the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, the state's largest virtual school.
The court said the school was operating in violation of teacher licensing, open enrollment and charter school laws. The same logic could be applied to all of the other virtual schools in the state.
Brown said if something isn't done to keep the funding, Monroe would have to close its virtual school.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, chairman of the Assembly's Education Committee, said he was impressed by the number of people who either registered support or spoke in favor of a plan to fund virtual schools. Davis co-sponsored the bill to provide about $6,000 for the school districts that enroll students in their virtual schools, while leaving about $5,000 for the district where the student resides.
"There were 350 people in support of the bill and only seven who spoke against it," he said.
At a rally on the Capitol steps, advocates for virtual schools called on lawmakers to pass a Republican-backed bill that would rewrite those laws so the schools could remain open.
Quick action is needed, they said, because many open enrollment students must decide next month which schools they plan to attend next year.
Students, ranging in age from kindergarten through high school, arrived at the Capitol on buses from around the state. They wore green T-shirts reading: "Please don't close my virtual public school." Some carried signs that read: "Please don't leave this child behind."
Organizers said more than 1,100 people took part in the rally. They later packed a Capitol hearing room for a public hearing on Davis' bill.
"If you don't help us, these schools will close. If you don't help us, in August my children and your children ... won't get to go back to school," said Rose Fernandez, who has four children enrolled in the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. "For many families, it's truly a desperate situation. There is no other option like this."
During several hours of testimony, advocates said the schools were cutting-edge and a good option for students who do not learn well in traditional schools.
Christopher Bartley, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, has a 5-year-old daughter enrolled in the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. He said parents play a big role in teaching but they are backed by a district-approved curriculum and licensed teachers.
"Virtual education is a progressive way for Wisconsin to prepare its students for the future," he said.
Davis said the testimony from children had an impact on him.
"They had some powerful comments," he said. "There will be 3,000 students impacted by this bill. If we don't pass it, it will affect their education."
So far there's no sign of compromise between the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democratic-controlled Senate.
Gov. Jim Doyle's spokesman Matt Canter said it's unacceptable for the Legislature not to pursue a compromise. As for what Doyle would support, Canter said Doyle would have to review whatever bill may actually pass before commenting.
Doyle supports the maximizing of technology in education, Canter said, but also believes that ensuring tough standards is critical.
Democratic Sen. John Lehman of Racine has offered a competing bill that would allow the schools to stay open but cut their funding in half and add new rules on teacher-student contact and other issues.
Lehman, whose plan will get a public hearing today, said it would take away profit from K12 Inc., a Virginia company that sells curricula to the schools.
But five superintendents whose districts operate virtual schools, including Monroe's Brown, warned Lehman in a letter this week that the funding cuts would force them to close the schools.
"We do not believe that the interests of our students, teachers, administrators and parents were taken into account in this legislation," they wrote.
The District 2 Court of Appeals said parents were acting as the primary teachers without the state license required under the law. The Northern Ozaukee School District, which runs the academy, also cannot receive taxpayer money for students who do not physically attend school in the district, the court said.
The lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, a teachers' union, has been appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has not said whether it will consider the case.