Randolph County board votes to close Virtual Academy at Randolph after public comment on transfers

The Randolph County Board of Education voted May 20 to close the Virtual Academy at Randolph at the conclusion of the 2024–25 school year, citing declining enrollment and budget shortfalls.

The decision came after the board heard public comments from parents who said student transfers have turned URI Ridge into a “school of choice,” draining enrollment and extracurricular support. Emily Hinesley, a Randolph County Schools graduate who identified herself as a parent and PCO president at Farmer, told the board: "Quit throwing lipstick on a pig. Stop the transfer process immediately." Casey Couple, a parent with children at URI Ridge and Farmer, said transfers are driven by families who can provide transportation and extracurricular support and urged the board to uphold district lines.

The board’s move follows a recommendation from the superintendent to close the academy, which the administration said costs about $1.2 million to $1.3 million a year to operate. The superintendent also said local funds are reduced when students enroll in outside virtual charter or state virtual programs: the district loses $1,541 in local funding per student this year (compared with $1,482 last year). The superintendent told the board there are 27 Randolph County students enrolled in each of two identified state virtual charter schools and 21 students enrolled in Pine Springs Preparatory Virtual Academy.

Board members discussed the timing and the personnel impact of closure. Board member Mr. Lanier said he opposed forcing employees to lose jobs and expressed regret at the timing. Another board member described the district’s total projected funding cut of roughly $3.3 million from state allocations year-over-year and said that, after pandemic-era supplemental funding ended, the district faces near-term deficits that make maintaining the virtual program untenable.

The board said staff completed outreach to students currently enrolled in the Virtual Academy; administration reported phone contact with a sample of families. The district summarized results from that outreach: 41.3% of contacted families said they would not return to Randolph County Schools, 21.7% said they would seek reassignment within the district, and 17.4% said they would return to their base school. The administration also reported it contacted 66 student accounts after deduplicating records; nine of those students said they wanted to return but were not eligible because they do not live in district zones, and 11 students could not be contacted.

Board members and staff also discussed the district’s student reassignment rules and the role of childcare and siblings as reasons for transfers. Superintendent's staff pointed parents to two curriculum and instruction leaders, Tammy LeGaire and Sheena Creech, for help finding alternative virtual options, including the North Carolina Virtual Public School and other state virtual providers.

A motion to close the Virtual Academy was made and seconded in open session; the board then voted in favor of closure. The board also voted to enter closed session to discuss attorney-client privileged and confidential personnel matters and later approved routine personnel and administrative items before adjourning.

Parents who spoke at the meeting urged quicker action on transfers and more enforcement of attendance zone boundaries to prevent further enrollment loss at URI Ridge. The board said it will continue work on a student assignment study and review district reassignment rules — specifically whether childcare should remain an allowable reason for middle-school reassignment — during fall planning for 2026–27.