Randolph schools superintendent recommends closing Virtual Academy at Randolph; board moves to set public hearing

Superintendent (name not specified) presented a study of the Virtual Academy at Randolph on May 19, 2025, telling the Randolph County Board of Education the district has spent about $1,271,000 on the program and that enrollment and state allotments no longer support keeping the school open.

The superintendent said the academy opened for the 2021–22 school year to provide a K–8 remote option during the COVID‑19 pandemic and to avoid compelling K–8 teachers to simultaneously teach in‑person and remote classes. The study, he said, shows that demand for a district-run virtual K–8 school has fallen since pandemic peaks and that, as of March 31, 2025, only 48 students had committed to the 2025–26 school year.

Why this matters: closing a publicly run virtual school would shift students back to the in‑person schools where, the superintendent said, state and local allotment funding and transportation would follow the students. The board must follow the statutory school‑closure process before taking final action, and the superintendent recommended the board hold a public hearing on the study before voting.

Key findings from the study included: a net drop of 79 students from the academy’s opening day to the start of the 2024–25 school year; 106 total students on a recent snapshot (53 elementary, 43 middle school, 10 from other districts); and a student‑to‑teacher ratio averaging about 11.78 at the academy, a level the superintendent described as fiscally unsustainable for the district. He also noted extra funds that had subsidized some costs expired Sept. 30, 2024, and that the principal position would not be eligible for state funding unless enrollment reached about 100 students.

On next steps, the superintendent reviewed the statutory closure process and cited North Carolina law governing school closure studies and hearings. He recommended the board set a public hearing and, if the board wished to proceed after the hearing and review of the study, vote on closure.

Board reaction included questions about where current students would attend if the academy closed, whether the district would help families find other virtual options (the superintendent said the district could help connect families to North Carolina Virtual Public School and two state‑sponsored virtual charter options), and how staff would be reassigned. Board members also discussed the system’s available seats—districtwide K–5 capacity and middle‑school capacity—and the superintendent said the district has capacity to absorb the students into existing schools.

The board chair read a motion to hold a public hearing on a proposed closure of the Virtual Academy at Randolph at the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. on May 19, 2025; the motion received a second. The transcript does not record the board’s vote on that motion.

The superintendent repeatedly framed the presentation as a study and recommended next steps—public hearing followed by a decision—rather than announcing a final closure. He emphasized the district would provide required special‑education accommodations and that transportation and funding would follow students who return to their zoned schools.

The board conversation also noted that some Randolph students already attend state virtual programs and charter virtual schools; the superintendent said the district pays approximately $1,541 per student when a local child enrolls in an out‑of‑district virtual charter. He closed by reiterating the four reasons supporting his recommendation: budget concerns, expiration of one‑time funds, continued enrollment decline, and the finding that closure would not cause significant hardship for current students according to the study.

If the board proceeds with closure after a public hearing, state law requires a formal process that includes the study, a public hearing, and then a board vote.