The Corporate State and the Charter School Movement

Wisconsin Lawmakers Want to Lift Cap on Virtual Charter Schools

March 24, 2011

The Lookout - Republican state senators in Wisconsin are proposing lifting a cap (currently around 5,000) on how many students can enroll in "virtual" charter schools, The Capital Times reports.

The move is controversial, because each Wisconsin student who attends a virtual charter school brings in about $7,000 of state public school money. If students attend schools that primarily serve kids within their district, the money stays close to home. But in cases where students choose charters that are not limited to district, their money is drained from local brick-and-mortar schools into the virtual versions, which are often run by for-profit companies.

On top of the financial strain that virtual charters put on local school systems, Connie Radtke, the head of the nonprofit Wisconsin E-School Network, told The Lookout in January that some for-profit virtual learning companies are not scrupulous about ensuring low teacher-student ratios in the courses.

"As soon as you get above a 30-to-1 student teacher ratio, they're not using as high quality a curriculum, they're not making opportunities for students to interact with another. We know they're cutting corners. We know there's at least one if not a couple of for-profit organizations that do operate in the state that have much higher student teacher-ratios. That's not something we endorse," Radtke said.

As of 2008, there were 185 virtual charter schools operating in 25 states.

The bill would also set up a state-wide board of political appointees that would approve charter schools, instead of letting local school districts decide whether they want to host--and help pay for--charter schools on a case-by-case basis.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has endorsed a more comprehensive version of that plan, proposing that each child be given $5,500 per year in state funds to spend on a charter, private, public, or virtual school. Florida lawmakers, however, have proposed a more modest voucher program that has yet to pass.

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