'Virtual school' clicks with district

By Cynthia Kopkowski, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 7, 2003

A commitment to increase spending on the state's online "virtual" public school from $7 million last year to roughly $8.4 million this year couldn't please Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Art Johnson more.

Any efforts to bolster the state school financially are encouraging to administrators such as Johnson, who touts virtual learning -- taking classes by computer -- as a way to offset cuts to his district's course offerings.

Let students take algebra or history online, Johnson says, and that frees up time in Palm Beach County schools for once-jeopardized classes such as art and music. It's the Solomon-like compromise Johnson derived after eliminating $11.5 million in high school seventh-period spending to contend with a $50 million budget shortfall.

"Twenty years ago it would have sounded like science fiction," Johnson said. "As the use of computers grows, I see us doing more training this way."

For the first time since it was created in 1997, the Florida Virtual School will receive money based on enrollment, like public schools, rather than the inflexible flat allocation it used to get from the legislature.

As more administrators cut courses to answer budget deficits, they are increasingly funneling students to the virtual school.

Watching interest skyrocket -- from students enrolled in 77 classes in 1997 to an anticipated 19,000 classes this fall -- the virtual school realized it was going to need more money, said Mark Maxwell, chief financial officer for Florida Virtual School.

Enrollment of Palm Beach County students grew from 364 in 2001 to 613 last year.

"We knew the budget crunch was here," Maxwell said. "We're pleased that the legislature is allowing us to grow and serve."

How the money is divided for a student who takes some virtual classes but still goes to school helps with increased enrollment, too.

The new set-up stops territorial squabbling between school districts and the virtual school over how they divide the per-pupil spending. If a student takes two of his six classes online, the virtual school gets one-third of the money for his education, provided he passes his courses. If he fails, the money dedicated for his education reverts to the state treasury.

Students in grades 7-12 can enroll in classes such as geography, language arts, advanced placement biology and art history.

Public school students must have their enrollment approved by an academic counselor. During a typical semester, the roughly 12,000 students statewide will complete anywhere from 40 to 60 assignments and tests.

In 2002, state law was amended to specifically identify the virtual school as an educational choice for parents. Based in Orlando, it employs 66 full-time and 90 part-time teachers, most of whom work from home.

The $4,820 payment per full-time student means the Florida Virtual School can educate children for nearly $1,000 less than a traditional "bricks and mortar" facility, officials said. Class on a computer, led by teachers working out of their homes, doesn't require classrooms and the teachers to fill them, or desks and the janitors to scrape gum off them.

In Palm Beach County, most of the $11.5 million Johnson cut for seventh period came from teacher salaries. Virtual schooling cost the district $44,000 last year.

"So much of (virtual education) is self-taught and -directed," Johnson said. "That is the reason you have online schools. You can replace manpower and enhance speed and convenience, too."

That raises some concerns with the Classroom Teachers Union, which represents roughly 10,000 county educators. In general, the idea of removing children from a classroom setting with a teacher is unwelcome, President Shelley Vana said.

"I don't think there's anything that can replace having an experienced teacher on hand to interact with the students," said Vana, who also is a state representative. "We're certainly not averse to new ideas, but there are some logistical things that need to be worked out."

One district barreling forward on the information superhighway is Broward County's.

Although officials there are have concerns about students passing -- and leading to a drop in financing -- they are enthused about the new virtual school budget.

"We're encouraged that the state has recognized the validity of the Florida Virtual School," said MaryAnn Butler-Pearson, the district's distance learning educator.

This fall, 300 Broward ninth- through 12th-graders will take all of their classes online at a pilot virtual high school. Also, seniors lacking only one or two courses for graduation will be directed to online classes in increasing numbers, Pearson said.

The virtual school was devised to supplement traditional education for public, private and home-schooled students, with most students taking one or two classes. But the new demands are a welcome burden, Maxwell said.

"If the schools were smart," he said, "they would send more and more of their students who can't find class space."

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