It is extremely interesting to see how the Wisconsin virtual schools debate and media coverage have grown in intensity. On Wednesday, hundreds of virtual school students and parents were at the Capitol to lobby the Legislature to preserve funding and establish in the law a firmer footing for the growing form of education. Virtual schools seem to be the hottest topic for the moment in Madison. Who'd have thought?
80th District Assemblyman Brett Davis, R-Oregon, has experienced that intensity, too. As chairman of the Education Committee in the Assembly and co-author of legislation favored by virtual schools, Davis has been in a spotlight that's fairly rare for the second-term representative. As a political target of the state Democratic Party in the November elections, Davis has experienced the ugly side of that intensity, as well.
On Tuesday, One Wisconsin Now - a "progressive" but "nonpartisan" organization - issued a news release accusing Davis of writing legislation to favor campaign donors. A pretty serious allegation. But also ridiculous.
Davis' bill, co-authored with Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, seeks to preserve current funding levels for the state's 12 public virtual schools - which includes Monroe's. The bill also includes modifications to state law that would allow virtual schools to operate free of court intervention.
Davis said the bill was a counter to legislation introduced in the Senate last week by Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, that would cut funding for virtual schools in half. Monroe school district Superintendent Larry Brown on Tuesday joined a number of other school officials in the state in signing a letter to Lehman that said his bill "would force us to shut down our online public charter schools."
Davis said the motivation for his legislation was to protect virtual schools. One Wisconsin Now (OWN) implied his motivation was more sinister - to line the pocketbooks of a Davis campaign donor.
"What kind of smell test does this one pass," Scot Ross, OWN executive director asked in the news release. Ross, by the way, is a former staff in the office of Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton. Erpenbach on Wednesday wisely stayed out of the fray when asked by a Times reporter to comment.
"Brett Davis's campaign takes contributions from top executives of an out-of-state, for-profit company and then sponsors legislation that specifically would help this for-profit company with taxpayer funds," Ross said.
The donations Ross refers to totaled $500 - $350 from Ronald Packer and $150 from Bryan Flood, both executives for K12, Inc., the Virginia-based company that operates the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. That's $500 out of the more than $121,000 Davis' campaign raised in the last election. If OWN thinks $500 buys a lawmaker, then every Republican and Democrat in Madison has been sold.
If Davis can be bought for $500, can Lehman be bought for $142,525. That's the amount of money the Wisconsin Education Association Council - the state's largest teachers union - spent in independent expenditures favoring Sen. Lehman. And guess what organization supports his virtual school legislation?
And if OWN has a problem with K12 making money being from out of state, then how does it feel about school books being purchased from non-Wisconsin companies?
The virtual school debate is an important one, with valid questions raised on both sides of the argument. It doesn't need an infusion of political garbage OWN threw into the mix Tuesday, and Davis doesn't deserve it, either.
80th District Assemblyman Brett Davis, R-Oregon, has experienced that intensity, too. As chairman of the Education Committee in the Assembly and co-author of legislation favored by virtual schools, Davis has been in a spotlight that's fairly rare for the second-term representative. As a political target of the state Democratic Party in the November elections, Davis has experienced the ugly side of that intensity, as well.
On Tuesday, One Wisconsin Now - a "progressive" but "nonpartisan" organization - issued a news release accusing Davis of writing legislation to favor campaign donors. A pretty serious allegation. But also ridiculous.
Davis' bill, co-authored with Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, seeks to preserve current funding levels for the state's 12 public virtual schools - which includes Monroe's. The bill also includes modifications to state law that would allow virtual schools to operate free of court intervention.
Davis said the bill was a counter to legislation introduced in the Senate last week by Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, that would cut funding for virtual schools in half. Monroe school district Superintendent Larry Brown on Tuesday joined a number of other school officials in the state in signing a letter to Lehman that said his bill "would force us to shut down our online public charter schools."
Davis said the motivation for his legislation was to protect virtual schools. One Wisconsin Now (OWN) implied his motivation was more sinister - to line the pocketbooks of a Davis campaign donor.
"What kind of smell test does this one pass," Scot Ross, OWN executive director asked in the news release. Ross, by the way, is a former staff in the office of Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton. Erpenbach on Wednesday wisely stayed out of the fray when asked by a Times reporter to comment.
"Brett Davis's campaign takes contributions from top executives of an out-of-state, for-profit company and then sponsors legislation that specifically would help this for-profit company with taxpayer funds," Ross said.
The donations Ross refers to totaled $500 - $350 from Ronald Packer and $150 from Bryan Flood, both executives for K12, Inc., the Virginia-based company that operates the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. That's $500 out of the more than $121,000 Davis' campaign raised in the last election. If OWN thinks $500 buys a lawmaker, then every Republican and Democrat in Madison has been sold.
If Davis can be bought for $500, can Lehman be bought for $142,525. That's the amount of money the Wisconsin Education Association Council - the state's largest teachers union - spent in independent expenditures favoring Sen. Lehman. And guess what organization supports his virtual school legislation?
And if OWN has a problem with K12 making money being from out of state, then how does it feel about school books being purchased from non-Wisconsin companies?
The virtual school debate is an important one, with valid questions raised on both sides of the argument. It doesn't need an infusion of political garbage OWN threw into the mix Tuesday, and Davis doesn't deserve it, either.
