Grand Rapids board reviews plan for district-run online program with Imagine Edgenuity partner

District staff presented a proposal to the Grand Rapids Public School District board to create a district-affiliated online school using Imagine Edgenuity's curriculum and platform, aiming to recapture resident students currently homeschooled or enrolled elsewhere.

The presentation said the planned offering would include full-time online instruction for kindergarten through fifth grade and K–12 options at other levels, would be primarily asynchronous, and would start with an enrollment target of about 50 to 60 students districtwide in the first year. Staff described local on-site mentors (named in the meeting as Andy for secondary and Tom Clayton for elementary) and an enrollment coordinator, Christina, who would manage day-to-day liaison work with the vendor.

Why it matters: enrollment directly affects state and local revenue for the district. Staff framed the online program as a tool to retain and return resident students the district is not currently serving. Board members pressed for details on academic alignment, special-education services, assessment access and how the program would affect staffing and district finances.

Program design and supports: Staff said elementary courses will include offline workbooks, videos and scheduled teacher interaction windows; secondary offerings would allow a broader catalog of…