Elkhorn district to pursue new virtual high‑school charter after expansion grant pulled
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Summary
District administrators told the school board Feb. 9 that a charter expansion grant was rescinded for failing to meet a 20% growth target. They proposed carving off grades 9–12 into an independent virtual charter to qualify for a different grant that could provide about $800,000 over three years.
An administrator told the Elkhorn Area School District board on Feb. 9 that the district’s Options Virtual Charter School lost an expansion grant after failing to meet a 20% growth requirement, and staff proposed creating an independent virtual high school to pursue replacement funding.
“The charter school expansion grant was being pulled from Options Virtual Charter School for failure to meet the 20% growth target,” the presenter told the board, adding that the district had planned marketing and recruitment for the grant year. Staff said carving off grades 9–12 into a new charter school would lower the enrollment threshold for a new grant application to 20 enrolled students and could deliver roughly $800,000 over a three‑year period if awarded.
Staff described the practical steps they would take: give the new school a distinct name, file a new grant application within the current five‑year grant window and, if successful, use the same governing board and contracts where appropriate. The presenter emphasized existing program strengths, including partnerships with UW‑Green Bay, Gateway and UW‑Whitewater, and said statewide competition among virtual programs and the Career and College Academy’s face‑to‑face offerings had reduced Options’ net growth.
Board members pressed staff for detail on how far off the expansion target the program had been; the business office and staff estimated the shortfall in enrollment at roughly 30 students (staff referenced figures of 30–37 students during the discussion). A staff member noted the grant application deadline was Feb. 25 and said they did not need a formal board vote to draft and submit the application, but requested preliminary approval to proceed with planning and a future formal authorization if the grant opportunity materializes.
Next steps: staff will continue preparing the new‑charter grant application and return to the board with any required formal approvals if the district advances past the application stage.