DOYLE DEFENDS CAP.(LOCAL)

Byline: RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday defended his last-minute insistence that lawmakers cap enrollment in virtual charter schools as Republicans continued to slam the proposal as unfair.

Lawmakers have tried to keep the schools open after a December court ruling said they were violating state laws on teacher licensing, open enrollment and charter schools. If lawmakers adjourn next month without changing the laws, as many as 12 schools that enroll 3,500 students could start closing as early as next school year.

Doyle recently told lawmakers he would veto any bill that does not cap enrollment while officials study several issues related to the schools, which allow students to learn from their homes using the Internet.

That infuriated Republicans and one Democratic senator, who thought they had a bipartisan agreement on a bill. They claim the enrollment cap would deprive some students of an educational option that might work better for them than traditional public schools.

Republican members of the Assembly education committee kept up the criticism during a hearing Monday.

"There are a lot of kids in the state that are going to be hurt in the next couple of years," said Rep. Scott Newcomer, R-Hartland.

The Republican-controlled Assembly is advancing a plan that doesn't include an enrollment cap, but pressure is mounting on lawmakers and Doyle to come to agreement to avoid school closures.

Doyle said he cannot understand how lawmakers could oppose his plan, which he said allows current students and their siblings to enroll in the schools during the study. He and other Democrats said it would be irresponsible to allow the schools to grow without knowing how well students are being served and the effect on public schools and taxes.

Doyle said lawmakers never sought his blessing before announcing a bipartisan deal on Jan. 24 that would allow the schools to stay open.

Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, and Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine - who lead the education committees of both houses - drafted the agreement. Education Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster backed the deal, and Doyle said that day that if it was good enough for Lehman, he could probably support it but he wanted more details.

Doyle waited until Feb. 18 - the day before the Senate planned to take up the measure - to warn in a letter that any bill without an enrollment cap and an audit of the schools would be vetoed.

The Senate voted 17-16 to accept those changes, capping enrollment at next year's level for two years before allowing it to gradually increase to 4,500.