[Madison, Wisconsin…] The Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families is supporting the recently-announced bipartisan agreement regarding online public charter (virtual) schools.
“We are happy that lawmakers remembered the futures of real children were at stake here,” said Rose Fernandez, president of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families. “We are not thrilled about the eventual imposition of a cap on enrollment, but we are happy to see that not only was an agreement reached before session ended, but that the cap won’t be an immediate burden and that the two year enrollment freeze/lockout provision is gone.”
The agreement, released earlier today by Senator John Lehman and Representative Brett Davis, The new legislation will contain the key provisions of the previous compromise, including creating clear authorization for their operation, and creating new accountability measures.
According to the agreement, as early as tomorrow, the Assembly will vote to amend SB396 to incorporate the new compromise and send the bill back to the Senate for a concurrence vote:
-Eliminate the proposed two year enrollment freeze
-Raise the cap on enrollment in public virtual schools in Wisconsin to 5,250 (Current enrollment is less than 3,500) -Siblings of virtual school students will be guaranteed the opportunity to enroll, regardless of any cap
Don't take any chances and call your members of the legislature, especially if they're members of the governor's party.
