Fate of virtual academy considered

“We had a way at high school to put together an online schedule for a student who wished to be remote,” Gainey said. “What we didn’t have was anything for K-8.”

A separate school was created after Randolph County Schools applied for a unique school number for the academy on March 22, 2021, and that application was accepted. Once approved, the school was advertised, students were enrolled, resources and classroom materials were purchased, installation of telephones and internet were completed and a web page was designed. Ultimately, The Virtual Academy at Randolph became the county’s 32nd school.

An attempt was made to provide a virtual space for students who also wanted to be away from campus for non-pandemic-related reasons. A total of 168 students were enrolled in the virtual academy on the first and last day of classes for the 2021-22 school year.

In the current school year, 98 were enrolled on the first day. As of May 1, that number had dwindled to 54 of those enrolled for next year.

“The decision of the school’s future will be deliberated in the next few weeks,” Gainey said.

The school’s performance has not met the state’s school performance growth measure and has been labeled a “low-performing school” by the state, according to the study’s findings. Other school districts have found that many of these performance indicators are weighted heavily by the subset of the population virtual academies serve, many of whom weren’t performing well in traditional settings.

Costs associated with the salary and benefits for the principal of a school are covered by the state of North Carolina if the school has more than 100 students. Thus, the cost of the virtual academy’s principal was covered in 2021-22, but not this year.

If the school is closed, students will be reassigned to the school in line with their home address. Gainey expressed appreciation for Principal Justine Carter and those who helped create, staff, enroll and execute the duties of the virtual academy. He said they have made the most of an incredibly challenging situation.

“I’m very proud of what Justine and her staff have done,” Gainey said. “It’s not an easy conversation, but it’s one that needs to be had.”

In neighboring Davidson County, a transition period began in March to bring educators and students who have been away from the classroom for some time back into the fold after the county’s board of education approved the eventual closure of its virtual academy. With declining enrollment since its inception, the academy was deemed to be no longer sustainable after emergence from the pandemic.

Low student-to-teacher ratios compared to traditional Davidson County schools have yielded fiscal obligations associated with the virtual academy that no longer represent the wisest use of county funds, school officials contend.

Davidson County Board of Education Chairman Alan Beck credited those responsible for developing this online space on the fly for their adaptability and competent work.

“The shame of it is that it’s an incredibly good program and you’ve got incredibly good people doing it,” Beck said. “But the people who seem — and I won’t say for the whole thing — to migrate to this teaching do not have the backing at home.

“At the same time, it’s an offer I think we all wanted to make. I’ve even [Principal] Dr. [Heather] Horton, whatever we’ve got to do to keep this is what we’re going to do. And it’s just not working out that way.”

A possible public hearing date on the academy in Randolph was not set Monday, but could be forthcoming soon.