(Published Saturday, August 11, 2007 10:56:23 PM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Gina Duwe gduwe@gazetteextra.com
EVANSVILLE-Finding ways for school administrators to keep students from leaving their home districts through open enrollment is a problem many face. Adding a charter school is one way the Evansville district might try to keep more state funds flowing its way.
The Evansville School Board will hear a presentation Monday night on the JEDI Virtual High School, which offers a comprehensive online high school curriculum.
The JEDI Virtual High School was formed to serve students from the districts of Cambridge, Deerfield, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Marshall, Palmyra and Whitewater, but school board members will begin discussing whether Evansville should join.
Evansville has about 15 middle and high school students who already are enrolling in some type of virtual charter school, School Board President Michael Pierick said.
"That's lost enrollment revenues," he said. "Not only is it lost enrollment revenue, it means that there's something the district is not providing for a pretty good number of students that need it, so it behooves the board to take a look at it."
When a student leaves a district through open enrollment, the district loses state money for that student. But by joining the JEDI group, Evansville would be able to keep the state revenue for each student attending the JEDI Virtual High School, Pierick said.
That option wouldn't come without expenses.
The district would have to cover costs for the first enrollment of students, but possible starter grants may help, Pierick said.
It is hoped that ongoing enrollment fees for students would be covered by the revenue the district keeps if those students stay in the district, he said.
It's too soon to tell what the numbers would look like, Pierick said, but board members will learn more at Monday's presentation.
The virtual school is independently operated and uses emerging technologies to offer "live" online instructional television and traditional courses, according to its Web site.
Students can participate anywhere there is Internet access, and classes can be accessed anytime. Each student has a "personal educational plan," which outlines the student's courses, the optimum learning site and the anticipated pacing of the courses.
A course instructor, a learning coach and a JEDI representative monitor a student's work.
Virtual school students can either earn a JEDI high school diploma or a diploma from their local high school.
This is the first charter school the board has formally looked at, Pierick said.
"If this one doesn't end up being the best option for the school district, my guess is we will continue to look at other options," he said.
If you go
The Evansville School Board will hear a presentation on the JEDI Virtual High School at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the high school library, 640 S. Fifth St., Evansville.
To learn more
For information about the JEDI Virtual High School, visit its Web site at www.jedivirtual.org.
