A Florida school district refused an application for a virtual charter school contracted with K12, Inc., the for-profit online education company that’s come under fire for management and education quality issues.
From the Ocala Star-Banner:
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to deny the application.
“I’m concerned to go with a contract in the light of the investigation,” said School Board Chairwoman Judi Zanetti.
School Board members Ron Crawford and Angela Boynton agreed they could not support the virtual school because of the state investigation.
Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey’s urged the board to deny the charter school because board members are not local and he believes K12 is only interested in turning a profit.
If the new school had been approved in Marion County, it would have started as a K-8 school in 2013-14 and would have expanded to all grade levels by 2018-19. At the school’s peak, the enrollment was projected to reach 296 students.
The company is currently under investigation in Florida, a leading state in the push for online education via for-profit companies, for covering up its use of non-certified teachers for programs that required teachers certified to teach in Florida.
The company is seeking a spot in the North Carolina education market, and is appealing a Wake superior court judge’s decision in an attempt to open up a statewide online school, that would allow students from kindergarten through 12th grade to take classes over their home computers.
