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The Crook County School District is currently looking into the possibility of starting an on-line, virtual charter school
The school district currently has 130 students enrolled in its current virtual school, but a charter school would allow the program to expand. However, implementing a charter school would allow the program to expand to include students from throughout the state.
The move is made possible because of House Bill 2301, which is part of a series of 14 educational reform bills passed during the 2011 legislative session.
At the start of the 2010-2011 school year, there were 10 virtual charter schools in Oregon, with an enrollment of 7,000 students. The number was up 17 percent from the 2008-2009 year, and enrollment is expected to continue to rise.
HB 2301 loosens several restrictions on virtual charter schools, making it easier for students to opt for the programs, and giving students greater flexibility and choice concerning their education.
The measure, which is opposed by the Oregon Education Association, failed during its first vote in the House, before a revised and shortened version was passed on a 33-27 vote in the closing days of the 2011 session.
Crook County is right to consider running a virtual charter school. However, the program is not without potential problems. The school district would only receive 20 percent of the dollars the state allocates for students enrolled full time in the district. Whether or not that would make financial sense for the district remains to be seen. That would depend entirely on what percentage of students that chose to enroll in the program will come from the Crook County School District as opposed to other districts in the state.
In addition, virtual charter schools, as currently configured, have several problems. To begin with, many of the educational dollars end up going out of state to the companies that provide on-line content. With educational revenue in short supply, every dollar that goes out of state is one less dollar available to local districts.
However, the real problem with the virtual charter schools is that currently they are an all-or-nothing proposition. A student must enroll in the program full time. That is a serious flaw in the law.
Nearly 75 percent of high school students in Oregon attend school districts that do not offer advanced placement classes in all core subjects (reading, math, science, and social studies). According to the College Board, when it comes to advanced placement courses, Oregon lags well behind the national average.
Virtual charter schools are the obvious solution to that problem, provided a student was allowed to enroll in the charter school for advanced placement classes and in the regular high school for all other courses. Unfortunately, current law does not allow that option.
In addition, the law allows school districts to cap the number of students from their own district that enroll in the program at only 3 percent. If the virtual charter school is offering a quality program, then all students in the district should have access to the program.
In a perfect world, the legislature would go back to the drawing board and fix the bills shortcomings. However, in the meantime, in spite of the flaws in current law, virtual charter schools still have the potential to meet a real educational need.
Before making any decision, the Crook County School District would be wise to look carefully at all of the ramifications of HB 2301 and virtual charter schools in general before making a decision. Counting on the dollars the program may, or may not bring in from outside of the district should not be part of the decision-making process. The school district should only approve a virtual charter school if it is in the best interest of Crook County students.
