Virtual schooling being explored in the Jersey Shore Area district
By HEATHER GACH hgach@sungazette.comJERSEY SHORE — With charter and cyber charter schools costing the Jersey Shore Area School District about $603,845 this school year, and trends showing that cost is likely to escalate, the school board on Monday opened up discussions on starting a virtual school within the district.
Bruce Boncal, instructional technology specialist, said this year 67 students left the district for charter or cyber charter schooling, creating “a significant financial impact” on the district.
Boncal approached the board about the possible beginning cost and curriculum studies into opening “the Jersey Shore Virtual School” in hopes of drawing some of those students being lost to charter and cyber charter schools back to the district.
“This will entail quite a bit of time,” Superintendent Richard J. Emery told the board, saying the administration wanted to present the board with the basic concept of the school before spending the time and effort into researching it if there was no interest in the board to do so.
Boncal said the school could provide a “blended” option for students, including off-site and on-site instruction. He estimates the district could provide this type of instruction at a 60 percent cost or “maybe less” of what it is currently paying for students it is losing.
Preliminary discussions have begun with the Solanco School District in the Lancaster area, Boncal said, a district that successfully has implemented this type of plan.
Emery said once the program is in place, it has the potential to assist high school students in making up credits with summer school course offerings and could be another means for students in alternative education.
“We’re here tonight to kind of build the concept,” Boncal said, adding that all details are in the very early stages of development.
Board member Christopher Fravel asked about the possibility of opening the school to out-of-district residents.
Fellow board member John Shireman expressed concern that the curriculum would mirror, as closely as possible, the standard curriculum so students don’t leave regular schooling thinking this is an easier option.
Emery said that’s one reason administrators want to look into a “blended” option of on-site and off-site instruction so students, for example, still work on laboratory projects in science classrooms and aren’t doing everything online.
Along with the financial burden cyber charter schools create on the district, one problem Emery said he sees is that their accountability levels aren’t as stringent as traditional schools. He also noted that, by law, those students must have access to the district’s athletics and some other programs. Monitoring students’ academic progress and attendance, as required for students in Jersey Shore schools to participate, isn’t easy.
Though a formal vote was not taken, the board expressed its support in having the district research the possibility more.
In other business, the board approved increasing the substitute teacher rate to $85 per day and an increase to $95 per day after 21 cumulative days, effective today. Emery said the district’s been paying $70 per day since 1994.
Fravel said a committee of himself, Shireman, Emery, board member Harry Miller, board president Craig Allen and Assistant Superintendent Robert Conroy has been formed to explore how to better address the need for more substitutes in the district.
“(The pay increase) would just be part of a larger package we’re trying to put together,” Allen said.
Fravel said the increase will not increase the budget this financial year.
