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Millersburg board reviews move from Kayola to Pearson for online academy, staff flag contract questions
Summary
District staff recommended moving the online academy from Kayola to Pearson, citing lower per-student costs, more live instruction and fewer outages; board members asked the solicitor to review contract minimums and renewal terms before voting.
District staff presented a detailed comparison of the district's current online provider, Kayola, and a potential vendor, Pearson, saying Pearson offers more synchronous instruction and a different pricing model that could save the district money.
Secretary Caldwell summarized Jeremiah Garcia's analysis and said the business-office review showed a projected savings of roughly $13,357 for the current cohort if the district switched to Pearson. "Apples to apples, current students to current students, we would if we were on Pearson right now today, we would save $13,357 on the year," Caldwell said. He added that Pearson offers student seat licenses (one student per seat, access to up to eight courses), while Kayola charges per course.
Board members reacted positively to potential cost and quality benefits but pressed staff for contract details. One member cautioned about a four-year contract with automatic annual renewal and minimums; staff said they will have solicitor Garrett review the contract and provide numbers on minimum-seat liabilities and termination options before the board is asked to approve any switch. "I think the board needs those questions answered before we can say yes or no," the Chair said.
Staff also recommended keeping Kayola as an option for dual-enrollment or specialty needs. The board gave staff direction to obtain the contract terms, minimums and proration/seat-transfer rules and to return with answers at the next meeting. No final vendor contract was approved at this meeting.
