Governor vetoes school choice, charter bills Associated Press A package of bills to expand Wisconsin's private school choice and charter school programs was vetoed Wednesday by Gov. Jim Doyle. The major bill would have eliminated a cap in the number of participants in the program that provides state-funded tuition vouchers for children from low-income families in Milwaukee to attend private schools of their choice. The cap is set at 15 percent of the overall enrollment in Milwaukee Public Schools, or about 15,000 students. This fall, about 13,400 students are participating in the choice program through vouchers worth up to $5,882 per student. Doyle, in vetoing the bill, urged that legislators work with him to improve schools for all children, not just those in private schools. "Any changes to the voucher program must be part of an overall package that improves education for everyone and addresses serious concerns that have been raised about accountability within the voucher program," he said. Most of the bills had passed on close to a party line vote, with Republicans for the bills and Democrats against. Doyle also vetoed those which received more Democratic support, including one that called for a 12-year study of the choice program using results of standardized tests that would be taken by private school students. "Unfortunately, this bill lets schools opt out of the study if they don't think they'll do well, which makes the study next to meaningless," Doyle said. "We don't make exams optional for students who haven't done their homework." Among other provisions in the bills were those to: _Open the voucher program to schools in Milwaukee County, not just the city. _Allow families with children in the program to keep using vouchers if their income grows to exceed the cut-off. _Increase enrollment limits at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's charter school from 400 students to 480 next year. _Allow students who live outside Milwaukee to attend charter schools in the city.