Board hears Kanawha County proposal to run Preston County virtual program, asks MOU changes

Valerie Harper, executive director of the Kanawha County virtual program, described a K–12 Schoology‑based operation she said serves 2,042 full‑time virtual students and partners with multiple counties. Harper told the Preston County Board that the district built its own curriculum and hired its own teachers after finding off‑the‑shelf vendors did not align to West Virginia standards.

Harper highlighted program controls she said produce higher completion rates: orientations, weekly monitoring, a five‑expectation quality model and a 48‑hour grading requirement. "When we made a switch to Schoology, it increased to 90%," Harper said, comparing that to a cited 60% national average for virtual high‑school programs. Superintendent Martin introduced Harper and noted an MOU between the two districts was included in the meeting packet for board consideration.

Board members pressed on contract mechanics: the MOU language in the packet states a $750 per‑student per‑semester service fee (about $1,500 annually for a full‑time high‑school student) and a one‑week billing grace period. Members argued the interval between an initial orientation and the program's two‑week check‑in creates a mismatch with billing. The board asked staff to seek edits to extend that grace period to two weeks (and to allow two business days after the two‑week check‑in to finalize billing) and to clarify part‑time versus full‑time enrollment options.

Members also sought a non‑marketing clause to prevent Kanawha from soliciting Preston County students directly. Harper said Kanawha does not recruit other counties’ students and that program partners keep local enrollment intact, but the board asked that language be added to any future agreement to provide a contractual safeguard. The board did not vote on the MOU at the special meeting and directed staff to return a revised draft for a future agenda.

Provenance: Kanawha program introduction and MOU terms were presented beginning with the agenda item announcement and Harper’s presentation; the board discussion and requested MOU edits occurred in the later MOU review segment.