Gov. Doyle signs legislation to allow 21st Century Prep to add 8th grade

By Brent Killackey

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 2:08 AM CST

RACINE - The third time's the charm for the 21st Century Preparatory School.

Twice before, the independent charter school has sought legislative approval to raise its enrollment cap.

Twice before, the state Legislature passed bills to accomplish that - and twice before Gov. Jim Doyle has vetoed the measures.

On Monday, Doyle signed a bill - authored by state Sen. Cathy Stepp, R-Yorkville, and state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia - that raises the cap at the charter school from 400 to 480.

The school at 1220 Mound Ave. currently operates with kindergarten through seventh grade classes, and plans to expand to include eighth grade next year. Without the increase in the enrollment cap, the school faced a much smaller incoming kindergarten class and siblings of older students wouldn't have been guaranteed spots.

"This bill isn't just about allowing 80 more kids into this school," Doyle said in a news release. "It's about giving 21st Century Preparatory the freedom to add another eighth grade class next fall. It's about keeping siblings from being split up and sent to separate schools. And it's about allowing the school to grow to its planned size, and become what it was always intended to be."

The bill Doyle signed on Monday is essentially identical to previous measures that he vetoed.

So why did Doyle sign this measure and veto the others? Doyle previously said he wouldn't consider any bill that solely dealt with vouchers and charter schools without consideration of resources for traditional public schools.

"I'm willing to sign a bill that increases the caps, but it's got to be part of an overall education bill that helps all of the students," Doyle said in a previous interview with The Journal Times. "If they just keep sending me bills over and over again that just deal with vouchers and private charters, I'll keep vetoing them."

The provision to increase 21st Century's enrollment cap was part of a larger education package that proposed an increase in the choice participation cap from 15 to 18 percent, provided greater academic accountability of choice schools for parents and taxpayers, and instituted a "hold harmless" provision that would restore state aid diverted away from the Milwaukee Public School system, as it pays 45 percent of the cost of a growing number of choice pupils, according to the governor's office.

The 21st Century Preparatory School is an independent charter school that is financially supported by SC Johnson. It was established by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, although it is only loosely affiliated with the university.

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