Putnam County rolls out expanded virtual, flex and PEP contracted services to keep students enrolled

Putnam County School District officials told the school board at a July workshop they will begin next week to offer contracted services for students using the Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship, expand Putnam Virtual School and Putnam Flex supports, and continue a partnership with Road Heaver Boys Ranch to keep students earning credits and returning to the district.

The change matters because PEP funds flow into education savings accounts (ESA) managed by Step Up For Students and can be used to pay a district directly for on‑campus or virtual coursework. District staff said those payments are handled by direct invoice from the district to the family’s ESA rather than by reporting those students for FTE (full‑time equivalent) funding.

Bonnie Putnam, facilitator at Putnam Virtual School, described academic progress among students at the Boys Ranch after the district set up on‑site enrollment and supports. "We saw great success," Putnam said, citing testing progress: early monitoring showed multiple low scores but by the end of year assessments several students had moved up one or more performance levels and multiple students passed end‑of‑course exams in U.S. history, biology and civics. Putnam also reported 15 total graduates from…