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Summers County board reviews new virtual-program option that would cost about $2,500 per student for a full year
Summary
District staff told the board a potential new virtual-program vendor could offer an asynchronous curriculum tailored to IEP/504 needs, integrate with Schoology, and provide credit-recovery seats; the vendor will be asked to present at the next board meeting and the district will draft an implementation model.
Presenter (S4) outlined the district's review of virtual-program alternatives and recommended adding an asynchronous option to supplement the existing synchronous full-time virtual program.
S4 told the board the team evaluated Imagine Learning, Edgenuity and Edmentum and that a vendor (referred to in the packet as "subject") met the district's requirements, including a commitment to develop a West Virginia studies course within a year and to provide a certified teacher to participate in IEP meetings when necessary. "This gives us that option," S4 said, describing the product as one that supports individualized instruction and IEP accommodations.
S4 said the district would pay about $2,500 per student for a full-year, unlimited-classes curriculum and cited a single-course two-semester price of $500; the vendor also offered a one-to-one ratio of free credit-recovery seats that S4 said would reduce the district's cost for credit recovery compared with current arrangements. The board discussed current virtual enrollment: S4 said about 30 students are enrolled full time in the district's synchronous virtual option and estimated the program could grow to roughly 50 students if the new option were adopted and marketed.
S4 also described a benefit the board had not anticipated: the vendor's platform integrates with Schoology, allowing grades and information entered by the virtual provider to sync to the district gradebook and parent portal. That would enable parents to view virtual-student grades alongside in-person students' grades.
Board members asked about attendance and accountability. S4 said the vendor provides weekly engagement and completion reports and that the district can treat a week of non-engagement as five unexcused absences under the proposed model. The presenter said the district will draft an operational model and an application window (proposed for August) and asked the board to invite the vendor to present in person or by Zoom at the next board meeting.
The board did not take final action on a contract; staff will bring a formal recommendation and implementation details back to the board as part of upcoming agenda items.
