That’s 20 times the enrollment in Union’s local schools, which have fewer than 300 students. Union now enrolls 6,000 students in its virtual schools, making it the second-largest online program in the state. Because the district gets some of the state funding for the virtual students, the deal has helped keep it afloat. Enrollment tripled in Union Schools in 2018 after it contracted with a national virtual school provider to open a program that drew students from across the state. The rapid growth of district-overseen virtual schools began with a tiny rural district. The plan was changed because Raatz said he “didn’t want it to be punitive.” Under that version, districts would only have been allowed to contract with virtual education providers on a new state-approved list. The guidelines are meant to ensure state officials know more about when districts launch virtual programs, he said.Īn earlier proposal from Raatz would have gone further. Jeff Raatz, the lawmaker behind the proposal. “We just need to know what’s going on,” said Republican Sen. Those contracts would reveal details such as the costs of the programs, the staff vendors will hire, and the expectations districts set for providers.īut the new rule, which was slipped into another education bill last week, would not give the department the authority to reject vendors or keep virtual programs from opening. Now they are proposing a law that would require districts that contract with outside virtual providers to submit the agreements to the Indiana Department of Education, giving officials notice of the partnerships. (Allison Shelley for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action)Īt a time when district-run virtual schools are growing at a breakneck pace, Indiana lawmakers are tired of being surprised by new programs. A new law would require districts that contract with outside virtual providers to submit the agreements to the Indiana Department of Education, giving officials notice of the partnerships, but no power.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |