Doyle signs virtual school legislation

Governor Doyle signed into law a compromise bill regulating virtual charter schools. The bill keeps online schools available for Wisconsin families while increasing quality and accountability standards. It requires an audit of virtual charter schools and places a 5,250 permanent enrollment cap on them. About 3,500 students currently attend the schools. Read more

Revenue caps 'eroding our programs'

Two Rivers math teacher Peggy Fencl remembers the days when she could readily access the resources she needed to teach her students. Those times have been erased, possibly forever, because Two Rivers is one of hundreds of school districts in the state struggling with declining enrollment, the crippling effects of state-imposed revenue caps and the impact of rising poverty.

Two Rivers Superintendent Randy Fredrikson agrees: "In the past few years, we have cut things which were nice to have but that we could do without. Now, however, the cuts are seriously eroding our programs," Fredrikson said.
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Other districts struggling too

Two Rivers isn't the only district in the area struggling with the effect of revenue caps. At the recent Kettle Moraine UniServ Council legislative dinner, representatives of three Kettle Moraine school districts - Manitowoc, Plymouth and Two Rivers - discussed the devastating effects the revenue caps and levy limits are having on their ability to educate children.

Three state representatives - Democrat Terry Van Akkeren, Republican Steve Kestell, and Democrat Bob Ziegelbauer - and Republican State Senator Joe Leibham joined the panel after the presentations to answer questions from the audience.
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Awards Banquet deadline is Monday

The WEAC Awards and Recognition Banquet dinner is at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The deadline for reservations has been extended to Monday, April 14, and can be secured by contacting Ann Caruso at 1-800-362-8034, extension 219, or at carusoa@weac.org. Also, please print, complete, and return this online form.

RTI Action Network available online

An online resource for a strategy called Response to Intervention, or RTI, is now available at a Web site called RTI Action Network. RTI is a multi-tiered approach to help struggling learners. Students' progress is closely monitored at each stage of intervention to determine the need for further research-based instruction and/or intervention in general education, in special education, or both. Read more

All Children Matter group fined

All Children Matter, the pro-private school vouchers group founded by Michigan Republican billionaire Richard DeVos, was leveled with a $5.2 million fine for illegally funneling money into Ohio campaigns. All Children Matter remains under investigation in Wisconsin after the State Elections Board determined in November 2006 it violated rules about express advocacy in opposing John Lehman's bid for the State Senate.
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