I have been watching with great interest the progress of legislation regarding virtual schools in Wisconsin and the ultimate impact it will have on our own Monroe Virtual High School. Thanks to the efforts and support of a number of legislators, including Sen. Jon Erpenbach and Rep. Brett Davis, a compromise bill has been introduced on a bipartisan level.
However, recent news articles indicate that Governor Doyle intends to veto this compromise legislation if it does not contain an amendment regarding caps on enrollment, a proposal brought forward from WEAC, the Wisconsin teachers union.
Shame on Governor Doyle for threatening to negate the wonderful work put forward by our legislators to reach a compromise to assure continuation of the virtual schools and also for supporting the selfish action and attitudes of the WEAC leadership instead of supporting the needs and concerns of the young people and parents in our state.
Shame on the WEAC leadership also for not recognizing that students learn in many different ways and those virtual schools provide a great alternative to the traditional "brick and mortar" schools. In fact, the next time that we see WEAC advertisements indicating that all students deserve "great schools" we may want to question if WEAC has a very narrow definition of what constitutes "great schools." Having worked closely the past two years with the Monroe Virtual High School to seek accreditation through the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, an organization that accredits schools throughout the world, I can assure you that the Monroe Virtual High School would qualify as a "great school."
Please note that I always refer to the actions being taken by WEAC is through their leadership, as I truly believe that many teachers who are members of WEAC do not agree with their views on this issue. However, it would be great to have our local union, or individual teachers, take a stance against the WEAC leadership concerning virtual school legislation.
However, recent news articles indicate that Governor Doyle intends to veto this compromise legislation if it does not contain an amendment regarding caps on enrollment, a proposal brought forward from WEAC, the Wisconsin teachers union.
Shame on Governor Doyle for threatening to negate the wonderful work put forward by our legislators to reach a compromise to assure continuation of the virtual schools and also for supporting the selfish action and attitudes of the WEAC leadership instead of supporting the needs and concerns of the young people and parents in our state.
Shame on the WEAC leadership also for not recognizing that students learn in many different ways and those virtual schools provide a great alternative to the traditional "brick and mortar" schools. In fact, the next time that we see WEAC advertisements indicating that all students deserve "great schools" we may want to question if WEAC has a very narrow definition of what constitutes "great schools." Having worked closely the past two years with the Monroe Virtual High School to seek accreditation through the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, an organization that accredits schools throughout the world, I can assure you that the Monroe Virtual High School would qualify as a "great school."
Please note that I always refer to the actions being taken by WEAC is through their leadership, as I truly believe that many teachers who are members of WEAC do not agree with their views on this issue. However, it would be great to have our local union, or individual teachers, take a stance against the WEAC leadership concerning virtual school legislation.
