Press "Enter" to skip to content

Virtual school fall enrollment ends today

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – With public schools in full swing across Missouri, tomorrow marks the last day to enroll in Missouri’s virtual schools for the term starting October 15. Missouri has 7 virtual schools, which receive oversight from Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP). Currently, MoVIP is a tuition-based program, open to enrollment for public, private, or homeschooled elementary and secondary students.

The 97th General Assembly allocated the least that the program has received since its start at $389,778 from the lottery proceeds fund. In 2007, the first year of implementation, the program received $5,800,000 from the lottery proceeds fund and in 2008, was appropriated $4,800,000. The 2008 allocation notes “no more than two percent (2%) of the appropriation shall be used for general administrative support or curriculum development directly by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and multiple content providers for each grade level.

Hemphill
Hemphill

“With budget withholdings and cuts, virtual schools have become less of an option for Missouri students that would have a better chance of succeeding online,” said Connections Academy lobbyist Brent Hemphill.

Currently, due to the amount appropriated and education withholdings, funding only goes towards medically fragile students. Other states have different allocation systems to support students who go to virtual schools for various reasons – whether it be illness, learning disabilities, bullying, high-performance, or athletic and talent careers.

The 7 different schools have some structure differences, collectively offering over 250 courses, and offer a self-paced program for students. Tuition varies depending on the school. Some of the schools offer their own scholarships, such as Mizzou K12 Online.

The Missouri Times spoke to almost a dozen individual families who have had children within the virtual schools for reasons from dissatisfaction with their home school district to health. The families overwhelmingly enjoyed their experience within the virtual schools and wish it were a more mainstream option for Missouri students.

One familiar face to the Capitol, Kelsey Parrott – former intern to Reps. Randy Asbury, Shelley Keeney, and Steve Cookson, was a student at Mizzoui K12 Online after falling sick in high school. Parrott preferred the virtual school to her home school district because it provided a wider range of class availability and prepared her for college. Though she paid tuition, she believes it was worth it for the higher quality of education.

Parrott
Parrott

“I wish I had done all of my high school education in a virtual school,” Parrott said, going on to agree that she would send her own children to virtual schools.

Parrott is a walking success story for virtual schools. Regular criticisms of virtual schools include that they do not provide a social environment that children crave, but Parrott continued to be involved in 4H and pageants. In 2012, Parrott was National American Miss Missouri and this past year, she graduated with honors from Central Methodist University, where she was a member of a sorority.

Part of the reason Parrot succeeded so much, her mother – Liane Kuhn, LA to Rep. Steve Cookson (R-Poplar Bluff) – said, was due to Parrot’s personal drive.

Zachary March, Director of Mizzou K12 Online explained that their structure allows students to go at their own pace, but credits must be completed within 6 months. He continued on to explain that the school strives to be challenging and may not be good option for those that are not self-motivated.

fran-flotron
Flotron

“Clearly, not every student is suited for an environment like that,” said K12 lobbyist Franc Flotron. “Not every family is able to support it, but some students succeed far beyond what they would in brick and mortar school and we need to embrace that.”

Mizzou K12 Online currently has over 3,000 students enrolled.  The University of Missouri –Columbia has future plans to reopen its lab school for the College of Education in conjunction with Mizzou K12 Online, not only for pre-service education students, but also school administration students. Mizzou K12 Online currently costs students $500 per course through K-12 education, but provides Missouri students a $250 scholarship per credit hour.

Outside of MoVIP, there are private sector virtual school options, such as K12, which has made a large media buy in Missouri to promote the school.

There are 15 states left in the country that do not have open public virtual school enrollment. The students of those 15 states can enroll in virtual schools within the tuition-based programs, whereas the other 35 states have state supported tuition programs.

Some of the schools have regular video conferencing between students and instructors. In schools with a larger virtual school presence, some have hybrid schools with brick and mortar complements to the online courses that are within the individual virtual school program. Some states pay full tuition, some pay partial.

Missouri lobbyists for K12 and Connections Academy hope to see virtual schools become open as an option for all students – not just those medical fragile or those that can afford it, especially with school districts struggling in urban areas in the last years. With the early filing date looming, Missouri families will know soon if there will be any changes to the status quo with virtual schools.

These schools are required to meet the same standards for accreditation as brick and mortar schools.

Note: K12 and Mizzou K12 Online are not the same program. “Mizzou K12 Online” denotes the program out of University of Missouri – Columbia.