Virtual Education--What the Newspapers Didn't Tell You

Bill Kramer, subbing for Owen, mentions an interesting factoid which was not mentioned in coverage of the WIVA (Virtual Academy) case:

The case was filed by WEAC in 2004 and in March, 2006, the circuit court ruled in favor of the virtual charter schools. As the opinion was pending, the legislature sought to address the statutory issues raised in the case by passing AB 1060. Doyle, siding with the teacher’s union, vetoed the bill. With a legislative remedy safely quashed, ...

And the rest is history.

Kramer happens to agree with the Appeals Court's decision.

As a conservative, I appreciate the careful reading of the law that the court used in delivering its opinion

And he quotes the decision:

However, as the law presently stands, the charter school, open-enrollment, and teacher certification statutes are clear and unambiguous, and the District is not in compliance with any of them.”

As to a legislative remedy, only one proposal actually meets the needs of WIVA (as presently constituted), and you don't have to think hard to figure out which Party introduced THAT remedy.

Assembly Republicans have introduced a bill that addresses the three issues at the heart of the court decision: 1. The bill would clarify the meaning of the location of a charter school, allowing teachers using the internet to teach – even if they are not physically teaching from the school district. 2. The bill also permits students to use the open enrollment program to enroll in a virtual charter school in another school district. 3. And finally, the bill makes it clear that a teacher means a paid faculty member of the charter school.

You can expect DarthDoyle to veto it, should it actually get to his desk.

After all, he has a black-hole deficit to worry about (see below.) Actually educating children ain't part of that problem...