Administration All over the Map on School Choice

The Doyle Administration is all over the map on School Choice these days. As previously posted, Governor Doyle lashes out at critics while claiming to be seeking compromise.

The spinning from the East Wing is enough to make one dizzy.

Consider the letter DOA Secretary Bablitch recently sent to Assembly Speaker John Gard.

In it, he chastises the Speaker for allegedly shifting positions on choice, stating, "Your position on this issue appears to have changed over time."

This statement is not true. Bablitch owes Gard an apology.

The bill Bablitch is referring to in his letter is AB 3, which everyone referred to as 'The One-year Reprieve Bill.' It was always meant as a stop-gap measure that would prevent the incredible disruption of rationing while a larger compromise was worked on in the context of the budget bill. It was never meant to be a comprehensive proposal. That is why it was introduced in January 2005 (the first month of a new 2 year legislative session) and passed in February.

The hope among choice supporters was that in early summer of 2005 a compromise could be inserted into the budget document as it worked its way through the Legislature.

Here's the Journal Sentinel coverage of the bill, which clearly states it was a one-yeareprieveve.

Senate approves lifting choice enrollment cap
Doyle veto likely for one-year reprieve
By Sarah Carr Posted: Feb. 8, 2005

The state Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would lift the enrollment cap on Milwaukee's school voucher program for one year.

More than 2,000 parents, teachers and students who support school choice rallied on the Capitol steps Tuesday in Madison. The Senate backed a bill that would lift the enrollment cap on the voucher program for one year.

The bill, which passed the Assembly last month, now heads to Gov. Jim Doyle, who is expected to veto it unless a compromise is reached on some of his education priorities.

Before the Senate vote, thousands of school choice supporters - including parents, teachers and students at several schools - rallied inside and outside the state Capitol. They called on Doyle to support lifting the cap.

"You are the future of the city, and you must let Governor Doyle hear you," said Howard Fuller, a former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools and an advocate for choice. "Go back to school . . . and keep fighting to lift the cap."

The bill, which raises the cap by 1,500 students for one year, passed the Senate on close to a party line vote, with most Republicans supporting the measure and most Democrats opposed.

The state's distinctive school voucher program permits about 15,000 low-income Milwaukee families to send their children to private schools using state funds for tuition. The program is rubbing up against its cap of 15% of Milwaukee Public Schools enrollment. Complete Story.

Bablitch wasn't heading DOA then, so maybe he didn't know the bill to which he referred was meant for the 2005-2006 school year only. But others in the Administration surely did.

It's hard to hit a moving target. Being nimble is decent campaign strategy, but being less than forthright is no way to negotiate an honest compromisese.