Traditional School Community Continues to Criticize Full-Time Cyber Schools – Even as They’re Operating Full-Time Cyber Schools Themselves
LANSING, Michigan (March 21, 2012) – Throughout the debate on lifting the enrollment cap on cyber charter schools, officials throughout the traditional school community have leveled a host of charges against full-time cyber schools. What they haven’t said: Many of their own school districts are operating these same kind of full-time cyber schools themselves, using the same education-service providers they’ve been criticizing.
All told, there are nearly 30 full-time cyber academies being operated by traditional school districts – including several in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
“It’s a classic case of ‘Do as we say, not as we do,’ ” said Dan Quisenberry, President of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA), which supports lifting all enrollment caps on cyber schools. “Not only do 90 percent of traditional schools districts in Michigan offer some sort of cyber learning, but many of these districts are operating full-time cyber academies themselves. They have full-time online students and they’re getting the full foundation allowance for each of these students. How can they criticize cyber charters with a straight face when they’re doing the same thing themselves?”
The issue came to light as the House Education Committee approved HB5392 on a 17-1 vote today, legislation that allows traditional school districts to operate these full-time cyber schools without having to seek seat-time waivers for their students. The legislation now heads to the full House.
Quisenberry said that MAPSA supports HB5392. He said the legislation fits well with SB619, which lifts the arbitrary enrollment cap on cyber charter schools in Michigan. Under current law, Michigan’s two cyber charters can never accept more than 1,000 students each. There are currently more than 10,000 students on waiting lists for the two schools.
“As we’ve seen, traditional school districts are operating their own full-time cyber schools by using seat-time waivers,” Quisenberry said. “HB5392 makes the process much less cumbersome, which is good. But how can you allow traditional school districts to operate full-time cyber schools with no artificial caps, and not do the same thing for charter schools?”
Quisenberry pointed out some of the full-time cyber schools currently being operated by traditional school districts in the state. None of them have enrollment caps, they take students from outside districts, all of them receive the full foundation allowance for their students, and most of them use K12 Inc. as their educational-service provider (a company that has been the target of unfounded criticism lately from the traditional school community, particularly in Southeast Michigan). All told, there are hundreds of students enrolled in these full-time cyber schools.
The full-time cyber schools include:
Dearborn Heights School District (Wayne County)
Dearborn Heights Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Southgate Community School District (Wayne County)
Southgate Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
South Redford School District (Wayne County)
South Redford Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Westwood Community School District (Wayne County)
Westwood Cyber High
Waterford School District (Oakland County)
Waterford Cyber Academy (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Clintondale Community Schools (Macomb County)
Clintondale Cyber School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
New Haven Community Schools (Macomb County)
Lake Huron Virtual and Hybrid High School
Romeo Community Schools (Macomb County)
Romeo Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Pinckney Community Schools (Livingston County)
Pinckney Community Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Fowlerville Community Schools (Livingston County)
Fowlerville Online Learning Academy
Eaton Rapids Public Schools (Ingham County)
Eaton Rapids Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Perry Public Schools (Shiawassee County)
Perry Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Grand Blanc Community Schools (Genesee County)
Grand Blanc Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Pittsford Area Schools (Hillsdale County)
Pittsford Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Hanover-Horton School District (Jackson County)
Hanover-Horton Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Jenison Public Schools (Ottawa County)
Jenison International Academy (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Carsonville-Port Sanilac School District (Sanilac County)
CPS Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
St. Charles Community Schools (Saginaw County)
St. Charles Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Breckenridge Community Schools (Gratiot County)
Breckenridge Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Standish-Sterling Community Schools (Arenac County)
Standish-Sterling Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Farwell Area Schools (Clare County)
Farwell Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Kalkaska Public Schools (Kalkaska County)
Kalkaska Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Mason County Central Schools (Mason County)
Mason County Central Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Ravenna Public Schools (Muskegon County)
Ravenna Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Hopkins Public Schools (Allegan County)
Hopkins Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Gull Lake Community Schools (Kalamazoo County)
Gull Lake Virtual School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Coloma Community School District (Berrien County)
Coloma Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Brandywine Community Schools (Berrien County)
Brandywine Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Gaylord Community Schools (Otsego County)
Gaylord Virtual High School (Uses K12 Inc. for its curriculum)
Several other Michigan school districts, including Brighton Area Schools in Livingston County, have announced plans to open full-time cyber schools in the fall of 2012.
“Officials from the traditional school community have been criticizing cyber schools for supposedly being substandard and ineffective, and yet their districts are operating these schools themselves,” Quisenberry said. “They’ve been saying that cyber schools don’t deserve the full foundation allowance, yet they’ve been collecting the full foundation allowance themselves. They’ve said K12’s curriculum isn’t good, yet they’re using K12’s curriculum themselves. I’d like to see them try to explain this.
“The revelation that they’ve been operating these full-time cyber schools themselves negates all of their arguments against full-time cyber charters,” Quisenberry added. “The fact is, they offer full-time cyber learning to their students because they know that for some students, it’s the best educational choice. They use K12 for their curriculum because they know that it’s an excellent program.
“In reality, the only reason they’re opposing full-time cyber charter schools is because they don’t want to lose market share. They don’t want their students attending a charter school, even if that’s the best option for them. Michigan’s cyber charters – like all charter schools – operate under an extra level of accountability through their authorizers. I hope that everyone sees now that there’s no policy reason to oppose full-time cyber schools. This shows the demand for this type of education is there. Parents obviously want this, and they deserve a choice.”
The Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA) has been the unified voice of the public charter school movement in Michigan since 1996. MAPSA represents more than 115,000 students, 5,000 teachers, dozens of authorizers and more than 50 education service providers working in 255 public charter schools in the state. MAPSA assists the state’s public charter schools in their mission to deliver achievement, choice and accountability through advocacy, communications, technical assistance and professional development services. For additional information, please visit www.charterschools.org.
