The Wisconsin continuation school program was established by Governor Francis McGovern in 1911. Later that year, the Racine Continuation School became the first to open under this program, and the first publicly funded technical school in America. In its earliest years, the school rented space in downtown Racine, as well as using the high school and Bull Elementary buildings for night school classes. The first class consisted of about 150 students. By 1916, the enrollment had expanded to over 1,000, the bulk of which were taking English and/or citizenship classes. Renamed the Racine Vocational School in 1917, expansion continued and over 3,000 students were enrolled in 1920. Racine's program was said to be a model for other technical schools throughout the state and country. The school purchased a site west of downtown at 800 Center Street in 1928, and the completed building, which brought all of the school's programs under one roof, opened in 1931. The school, later known as the Racine Technical Institute, opened satellite campuses in Burlington, Union Grove, and Waterford in 1967. The Racine Technical Institute building, at 800 Center Street, is now used as an annex to Racine's city hall.