Finance committee recommends Weber School District as statewide online education provider

The finance committee on June 25 recommended the board approve Weber School District’s application to join the statewide online education provider (SOEP) program for grades 7–12.

USBE staff said Weber submitted the required application materials under R277‑726 and that staff reviewed the application. Weber representatives said the district serves about 35,000 students in the district and currently enrolls just over 2,000 students in its online program; summer enrollments grew from roughly 600 enrollments in 2024 to about 1,300 enrollments in summer 2025. Weber said it employs its own teachers to deliver the online courses, aligns courses to Utah core standards, and plans to offer its locally developed online courses to students state‑wide to expand options.

Committee members asked whether offering another statewide provider would change funding flows. Staff explained that when a public school student takes SOEP courses, the student’s home LEA pays for those courses from its student funding allocation; statewide online providers also serve homeschool students under separate arrangements. There are limits on how many classes a student may take through a SOEP provider without changing a primary enrollment; LEAs may reject schedules that exceed limits. Staff noted the SOEP program recently had five providers and that one provider (Arizona State University) left after changes; with Weber approved, the statewide count would increase to six.

The committee voted to recommend that the board approve Weber’s Innovation Online 7–12 program as a statewide online education provider; the recommendation passed unanimously.