Randolph County board debates closure of Virtual Academy at Randolph; motion fails

The Randolph County Board of Education on May 12 debated whether to close the Virtual Academy at Randolph amid falling enrollment and projected budget cuts, but a motion to close the school did not carry.

Board members heard three public commenters who said the academy serves students with medical needs, autism and other conditions that make in-person schooling impractical. Robert Jordan, a parent, said the academy is essential for his daughter and noted the district’s posted slogan: “Students first in all we do.” He added, “The needs of the students cannot be contained in a 7 page report.”

Superintendent Dr. Steven Gainey laid out financial and enrollment data the district is using to review the program. “When a child is assigned to our school system and goes to any charter school, we lose $1,521 of local money per child this year,” Gainey said, adding that the state also removes roughly 3.5 teacher positions from the district’s allocations based on students who use certain state virtual options. He told the board that operating the academy costs about $1,271,000 per year and that investor funding that helped subsidize the program expired Sept. 30, 2024.

Parents and a former employee countered that the Virtual Academy is more than a COVID-era stopgap. Brian Almond, a parent, said of his son’s experience, “It’s worth the money to me.” Rebecca Riggs, a former Virtual Academy employee, told the board the Randolph program provides “one-on-one attention and time” and that other virtual offerings often reduce instruction to “online modules” without the in-person engagement Randolph’s program provides.

Board members questioned whether the program could be reconfigured as a district-run program inside existing schools rather than a standalone school. District staff said state rules and the school’s current school-number assignment would require the board to close the stand-alone school before formally opening an internal program; staff also said converting to a program likely would reduce but not eliminate staffing costs because many classroom positions would still be needed.

During discussion board members and staff cited prior discussions of the academy, noting the item first came before the board on April 7 and that the district opened the academy in 2021 amid COVID-era concerns about instructional continuity. The superintendent and staff said they had tracked enrollment fluctuations: the school began the year with 89 students on day one, had 106 at one point, and showed varying counts in March and May; as of May 12 enrollment figures had changed since April 7.

A motion to close the Virtual Academy “on grounds that, in judgment and discretion, the closure will better serve the educational interest of Randolph County School System as a whole” was made and seconded. The motion did not carry.

After the vote the superintendent requested permission to post the principal position in the event the school remains open; the board discussed doing so so the school would have leadership if it continues as a stand-alone school. The board also discussed using reassignment and waiver processes for families if the program is closed, and asked staff to provide additional information and options for reconfiguring virtual services in the coming weeks.

The board did not take any further formal action on the academy at the meeting. Staff told families seeking help to call the district main line at (336) 633-5000 for guidance on reassignment or other options.