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Board hears virtual‑academy update; 11 families expressed interest, district seeks 50–75 to proceed
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Madison told trustees the district has renewed its virtual program number with the Department of Education and has recorded 11 expressions of interest; administrators said they want 50–75 students before launching and expect to return with a final recommendation in June 2026.
Superintendent Dr. Madison updated the board on plans for a proposed district virtual academy for the coming school year. The district has renewed its virtual program number with the Department of Education, posted an FAQ and solicited interest. To date the administration has recorded 11 families expressing interest; Dr. Madison said the district’s internal target to move forward is 50 to 75 students so the program is financially viable and support structures are adequate.
Dr. Madison said the district expects to monitor remote learners with periodic check‑ins (five to 15 minutes, depending on need) to maintain fidelity and student progress. The district does not plan to add staff positions at this time; administrators said existing staff will provide oversight unless enrollment growth requires additional personnel. Course content would use an external curriculum provider (Edgenuity was mentioned during discussion), and the diploma awarded would be an Indiana diploma. Out‑of‑district students could apply via transfer and would be evaluated like other out‑of‑district requests.
Dr. Madison estimated rough fiscal scale—if enrollment scaled to 100 students the district could see on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue (a rough figure of about $500,000 was discussed during Q&A) but cautioned final calculations depend on state ADM factors and staffing needs. The administration plans to gather more interest through late spring and bring a formal recommendation to the board’s June 2026 meeting.
Quote: "Right now, we have 11 that have shown interest so far," Dr. Madison said. "What our magic number is is 50 to 75, probably."
What’s next: district staff will continue outreach, refine cost estimates and, if interest reaches the threshold, post positions and bring a recommendation to the June board meeting for a final vote.
