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Legislative panel that paved way for expansion of online schools fizzles without proposal

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SALEM, Ore. — A committee created in a grand bargain to settle issues from one of the most contentious battles of the last Oregon legislative session — the expansion of online charter schools — has disbanded without proposing any changes.

The Task Force on Virtual School Governance was supposed to recommend ways to improve the oversight of online schools. Its creation helped sway three Democrats to switch their votes, allowing the narrow passage of a contentious bill giving more students access to Internet-based learning.

But the panel issued a report this week asking the Legislature only for authority to expand its scope and continue working next year. The report says the panel got a late start and didn’t have enough time to thoroughly investigate the topic.

It was supposed to issue the report by Oct. 1, but didn’t hold its first meeting until Nov. 3, in part because Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office was slow to make appointments for two of the five seats on the panel.

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Online school has new chief

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SCIO — Get to know coworkers. Build school awareness. Figure out what Oregon lawmakers actually meant when they lifted the enrollment cap last week from online charter schools.

Todd Miller has a busy summer planned.

Miller, 34, of Gates is the new executive director at Oregon Connections Academy, an online charter school based in Scio. The position combines the day to day oversight of a principal with the power and reporting duties of a superintendent.

Established in 2005, ORCA operates through a charter with the Scio School District. Current enrollment stands at a little more than 2,500 students statewide in kindergarten through 12th grade.

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Education package approved

June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Last-minute amendments to two of the controversial, mostly Republican-backed school choice bills proved key in breaking a standoff in the evenly divided Oregon House. That standoff on Monday evening appeared to threaten the passage of all the other proposals.

The House reconsidered and approved on Tuesday a previously defeated bill to make it easier for students to enroll in online charter schools, House Bill 2301. The bill was approved on a 33-27 vote after the proposal’s sponsors agreed to an amendment that would set up a government task force to closely examine how the state could ensure some quality control at virtual schools, an issue critics had expressed concern about.

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GOP ties up school bills

June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Legislators had hoped to either approve or defeat a total of 14 wide-ranging education policy bills in both chambers Monday, potentially an important step in bringing the legislative session to a close.

The bills included Gov. John Kitzhaber’s plan to create a single board to oversee the state’s entire public education system; a bill that would have allocated an additional $25 million for K-12 education over the next two years; and three “school choice” bills, among them the online charter schools enrollment bill: House Bill 2301.

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Kitzhaber said to plan inaugural mention of online schools

January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Oregon Connections Academy, the large online charter school based in the small Willamette Valley town of Scio, is looking forward to Gov.-elect John Kitzhaber’s inauguration on Monday.

Laura Dillon, a teacher and spokeswoman for the academy, says that Kitzhaber plans to recognize two of the school’s students during his inaugural address.

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Study: Unions’ school funding fears unfounded

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Online charter schools offer kids even in the far corners of Oregon the chance to receive a public education tailored to their individual needs. Yet many districts and union representatives oppose Oregon’s virtual charter schools, claiming they drain money from local districts.

Due to these complaints, Oregon’s legislature will consider allowing school districts to deny additional students access to virtual charter schools if 3% of district students have already enrolled in the online option.

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Education Board Wrestles With Growing Need For Online Classes

August 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Demand for online education is growing among Oregon’s public school students. This fall is expected to be no different.

The debate over how to manage the rising need, though, pits entrenched forces, like the teachers’ union, against rising powers, like Oregon’s virtual charter schools. Rob Manning reports.

Oregon has a handful of online charter schools already in existence, but how to govern them is still in question.

Online schools raise questions that weren’t anticipated when Oregon’s charter school law was written.

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